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Paleomagnetism and the Adriatic promontory: A reappraisal
Author(s) -
Lowrie W.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
tectonics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.465
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1944-9194
pISSN - 0278-7407
DOI - 10.1029/tc005i005p00797
Subject(s) - promontory , paleomagnetism , geology , clockwise , cretaceous , paleontology , cenozoic , mesozoic , apparent polar wander , seismology , tectonics , sinistral and dextral , rotation (mathematics) , geography , structural basin , archaeology , geometry , mathematics
The geodynamic evolution of the Western Mediterranean area was influenced strongly by the Adriatic promontory of the African plate, which can be outlined at present by current seismicity and by facies and ophiolite distributions. Paleomagnetic results from different parts of the promontory contribute useful information about its past history. The evaluation of these data is made difficult by the lack of a well defined apparent polar wander path for Africa. This has resulted in occasional overinterpretation of some paleomagnetic studies. Results from Umbria and the Southern Alps cover a long enough period of time to define part of an APW path and support the idea that the promontory moved as an adjunct to the African plate during the late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic. A conservative evaluation of Cretaceous paleomagnetic data, the most abundant for the promontory as a whole, shows no strong evidence for previously proposed counterclockwise rotations of Sicily or the Southern Alps relative to the African plate. Paleomagnetic data, however, suggest about 17 degrees counterclockwise rotation of autochthonous Gargano and Istria, and about 25 degrees counterclockwise rotation of allochthonous Umbria. Tectonic rotation of the middle part of the promontory appears to have occurred without significant rotation of its northern and southern extremities.