SANTORO VALERIANO PIO

Mio-Pliocene Tectonics and Sedimentation in the Central Apennine Foreland Basin System: New Perspectives from a Multidisciplinary and Multi-scale Approach

This PhD project aims to understand the complex evolution of the Mio-Pliocenic Apenninic Foredeep in the Abruzzo Region. In this regard, there are three main issues to be addressed:

Stratigraphic problems, as the distinction between the turbiditic successions of the Laga and Cellino basins, to be solved thanks to petrographic and biostratigraphic analyses;
Tectonic problems, such as the discrimination between the major thrusts and their secondary splays, to be unravelled through accurate subsurface analysis;
Regional geology-related problems, such as the mutual relationship between the main thrusts and the paleo-structure of the carbonatic domain (i.e., Gran Sasso Thrust), to be investigated by merging both surface and subsurface data.

Collection of new data from field surveys and publicly available databases (i.e., the ViDEPI Project), together with the application of basin analysis principles, will be crucial to comprehend the evolution of the area.