The Dinaric Faults System: Large-scale Structure And Rates Of Slip Of The Transpressive Northeastern Boundary Of The Adria Microplate

Abstract:

Located at the northeastern corner of the Adria microplate, the Alps-Dinarides junction represents a key region for understanding how the microplate interacts with stable Europe. While the active tectonics of the alpine part of this area is relatively well-constrained, little is known about the present-day deformation imposed by the Adria rotation across the Dinarides.

Through morpho-tectonic analysis based on satellite and aerial images, accurate topographical maps and digital elevation models (including LiDAR) combined with field investigations, we have mapped in details the active faults of the Northern Dinarides and the eastern part of the Southern Alps. Based on this mapping and on geological data, we have identified forty cumulative tectonic displacements ranging from few meters to several kilometres allowing to decipher how deformations have affected this area over the Pliocene to the present-day situation.

The Late Pleistocene period was mainly investigated using ³⁶Cl-exposure dating of displaced geomorphic markers combined with the existing chronologies of the glacial-interglacial landscape evolution in the area (e.g Monegato et al., 2007 ; Fontana et al., 2008). The presented results yield 3.1±0.9 mm/yr of active right-lateral faulting along the Northern Dinarides. The Adria rotation models (e.g Calais et al., 2002 ; D’Agostino et al., 2008; Weber et al., 2010) and the present knowledge of the lithospheric structure of the area (Brückl et al., 2010 ; Sumanovac et al., 2009) along with our results corroborates that the Northern Dinarides probably represents the main eastern boundary of the Adria microplate.