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G. Lavecchia et al. / Tectonophysics 445 (2007) 145–167 149

Fig. 3. Location map of geological (black lines) and seismic (bold grey and dashed lines) cross-sections available in the literature, which were the main
source of information used to reconstruct the kinematic domains in Fig. 4 and the interpretative crustal profiles in Fig. 5. Key: A — Ben Avraham et al.
(1990);B — Catalano et al. (1996); C, F and N — Nigro and Renda (2001b);D — Catalano et al. (2000); E, H, L and Q — Lickorish et al. (1999);G —
Ben Avraham et al. (1990);I — Parotto and Praturlon (2004); M, O and P — Bello et al. (2000);R — Nigro and Renda (2001a);S — Guarnieri et al.
(2002);T–U — Grasso et al. (1995); C9 and C10 — Cassinis (1983); C11b, C11c and C12 — Cassinis et al. (2003), (2005);Pe — Pepe et al. (2000);
M23A1, M23A2, M28A, M6A, M26, M21, M24, F1 and F2 — Finetti et al. (2005); CH1 and CH2 — Chironi et al. (2000).

Oligocene–middle Miocene times; the two southern- chain (Nigro and Renda, 2001a,b; Elter et al., 2004) and
most ones (numbers 2 and 1) underwent deformation largely contributed to the formation of its arched shape.
during a second phase active from late Miocene to The regional geological and geophysical profiles
present times (Catalano and d'Argenio, 1982; Ghisetti across Sicily, whose traces are reported in the map of
and Vezzani, 1984; Cristofolini et al., 1985; Butler et al., Fig. 3, represent the basic source of data from which the
1992; Lentini et al., 1994; Tavarnelli et al., 2003). Some possible geometry at depth of the KU and of the major
more details about the KU involved in the deformation thrust fronts were by us freely interpreted and
may be found in the caption of Fig. 4. KU 1, in par- schematized into the five north–south crustal sections
ticular, consists of the folds and reverse faults that in of Fig. 5. Whereas the deep geometry adopted in the
Pliocene–Quaternary times deformed the foredeep literature (see references in the caption of Fig. 3) ranges
deposits of the Gela basin and the carbonate shelf from thin-skinned to thick-skinned, our interpretative
deposits of the Saccense domain (Catalano and sections were all drawn assuming a thick-skinned style
d'Argenio, 1982; Ghisetti and Vezzani, 1984; Catalano of the deformation. This choice was primarily inspired
et al., 1989; Nigro and Renda, 1999). Especially during to Ghisetti and Vezzani (1984), Guarnieri et al. (2002),
the second phase, a large dextral WNW–ESE wrench Finetti et al. (2005) and especially based on the results
shear component associated with the opening of the from the CROP deep crust seismic profiles across Sicily
Tyrrhenian sea characterized the evolution of the entire (Finetti, 2005). The shape and depth of the various