Page 5 - Tondietall2015

Italian Journal of Geosciences Accepted manuscript

Literature data were integrated with newly collected structural data to characterize architecture,
displacement, and kinematics of the studied fault zones.

GEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK
The carbonate grainstones exposed at the Favignana Island (Egadi Islands, western Sicily; fig.
1a), form a 20-25 m thick shallow-marine succession, Lower Pleistocene in age, which overlies
either Upper Pliocene marine shales or, unconformably, Triassic to Miocene platform to basinal
carbonates and marls deformed during the development of the Neogenic, Silician - Maghrebian fold
and thrust belt (INCANDELA, 1995; ABATE et alii, 1995, 1997; GIUNTA et alii, 2000; TAVARNELLI et
alii, 2003).
The carbonate grainstones cropping out out at the Majella Mountain (fig. 1b), are deformed as a
consequence of the growth of an east-verging, thrust-related carbonate anticline that formed during
the Middle to Upper Pliocene in the external sector of the central Apennines (EBERLI et alii, 1993;
GHISETTI & VEZZANI, 2002; SCISCIANI et alii, 2002). The carbonates object of this study are
exposed along the vertical walls and the pavements of a small abandoned quarry called Madonna
della Mazza, which is located near the town of Pretoro, in the inner part of the Majella anticline’s
forelimb (TONDI et alii, 2006). These grainstones belong to the Orfento Formation, Campanian to
Maastrichtian in age, consisting of a carbonate succession up to 200-300 m thick, which
accumulated on a distally steepened carbonate ramp developed under high energy hydrodynamic
conditions (CRESCENTI et alii, 1969; MUTTI et alii, 1996).

HOST ROCK CHARACTERISTICS

FAVIGNANA CARBONATE GRAINSTONES
The Lower Pleistocene carbonate grainstones, which were analyzed in three distinct locations
(Cala San Nicola, Cala Rossa and Tonnara), are pale yellow in color and are characterized by both