Tectono-metamorphic map of the south-western flank of the Aspromonte Massif (southern Calabria -Italy)

Abstract

The structural-geological field survey (1:10,000 scale) of the south-western portions of the Aspromonte Massif (southern Calabria, Italy) clearly reveal a nappe-pile stack made of three main tectono-metamorphic units piled-up by means of tectonic contacts with associated cataclastic or mylonitic rocks developed at various crustal depth. These three units are from top to bottom: the Stilo Unit, the Aspromonte-Peloritani Unit (APU) and the Madonna di Polsi Unit. As part of an ongoing project, we have constructed a structural and metamorphic GIS database based on 285 sampling stations, which allows for metamorphic and structural maps to be obtained in the form of the metamorphic zoning of the SU.. This unit, made up of low greenschist- to low amphibolite-facies Palaeozoic metamorphic rocks, lies through a brittle tectonic contact over the APU, which is made up of amphibolite-facies metamorphic rocks intruded by late Hercynian peraluminous both locally overprinted by Alpine type metamorphism. The petrographic-derived metamorphic zonation chart here presented has been created after the detailed petrographic analysis of about 80 thin sections and the recognition of mineral assemblages of a thermal metamorphic aureole (biotite, muscovite and andalusite blastesis) produced by Late Hercynian magmatic bodies intruded into metapelites (Punta d'Atò granitoids, outcropping in the northern part of the mapped area).

Keywords:

• Aspromonte Massif
• Calabria
• metamorphic zonation
• GIS database
• Stilo Unit
• mylonites

Acknowledgements

We appreciated the help and hospitality of all Calabrian inhabitants which we met in the field during our stay. We are also grateful to the whole staff of the Aspromonte National Park, especially the park rangers for their useful suggestions regarding the walking routes we traversed during our fieldwork. We are extremely grateful to Juan Gómez Barreiro and Salvatore Critelli whose constructive and careful review has improved the early version of the manuscript. The final version of the map has benefited by the useful suggestions of Chandra Jayasuriya.