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The Piànico tephra: an early Middle Pleistocene record of intraplate volcanism in the Mediterranean
Author(s) -
Pinti Daniele L.,
Quidelleur Xavier,
Lahitte Pierre,
Aznar Cyril,
Chiesa Sergio,
Gillot PierreYves
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3121.2003.00478.x
Subject(s) - tephra , intraplate earthquake , geology , rhyolite , volcanism , pleistocene , volcano , outcrop , geochemistry , paleontology , trachyte , tectonics , earth science , volcanic rock
Distal tephra are a valuable record of the volcano‐tectonic evolution of an area under study. Here, we document the case of the Early Middle Pleistocene rhyolitic tephra of Piànico, discovered in the Southern Italian Alps. The geochemical characteristics of Piànico are unique among the distal tephra outcropping in Italy and indicate an intraplate volcanism at the source. The alkali composition and trace elements show a striking resemblance with the rhyolitic complex of the Euganean Hills, located 170 km from Piànico. However, these rhyolites are much older (Oligocene). Alternatively, the source of this intraplate volcanic episode could be located in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea.