Publication Date:
2023-12-08
Description:
The origin and role of volcanism in passive continental rifts remains poorly understood relative to
other volcano-tectonic settings. The western Sicilian Channel in the central Mediterranean Sea
represents an area of pronounced crustal extension with a variety of volcanic landforms closely
associated with extensional faults. The main goal of our study is to analyze how volcanism has
developed in conjunction with tectonic structures in the western Sicilian Channel. Therefore, we
have extensively mapped (with multibeam echo sounder, sediment echo sounder, and towed
magnetometer) the seafloor and sampled (chain bag dredge) unexplored volcanic structures along
the Sicilian Channel Rift Zone and the Capo-Granitola-Sciacca Fault Zone. One unexpected result
is that many features shown in the predicted bathymetry as seamount-like elevation, and which
were previously interpreted as presumably volcanic edifices/cones, turned out to be either non-
existent or no evidence for an igneous nature (magnetometer data/dredging results) could be
established. On the other hand, three previously unknown volcanic outcrops were discovered and
partly sampled. The obtained data and collected samples will provide new insights into the role of
magmatism in regions of continental extension, and will allow us to develop a tectonic and
magmatic framework for the western Sicilian Channel.
Type:
Report
,
NonPeerReviewed
Format:
text
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