Geology of Piemonte region (NW Italy, Alps–Apennines interference zone)

Figures & data

Figure 1. Scheme showing the relations between the geologic features and geologic concepts used for the construction of the Map Legend. Concepts and features (represented by plain text labels) are grouped in distinct ontologies or vocabularies (represented by coloured triangles). See ‘WikiGeo’ (https://www.di.unito.it/wikigeo/index.php?title=Pagina_principale) for further details.

Table 1. List of the encoded Geologic Events, identified back to late Carboniferous times, which the Geologic Units and Geologic Structures of the Map have been referred to, in order to make correlations at regional scale.

Regional unconformity or schistosity	Geologic event	Age of discontinuity	Geological domain (in Piemonte)	Source
S0 – Post-Variscan continental deposition	F0 – Post-Variscan transtensive tectonics, igneous underplating, thermal perturbation and magmatic activity	Permian	Briançonnais, Dauphinois, Southern Alps	Muttoni et al. (2009), Gaetani (2010)
S1 – Marine transgression	F1 – Extensional tectonics on Laurasia due to NeoTethys opening	Early Triassic	Briançonnais, Dauphinois, Southern Alps	Cassinis, Perotti, and Ronchi (2011), Stampfli, Borel, Marchant, and Mosar (2002)
S2 – Tethyan rift-onset unconformity + breakup unconformity	F2a – Continental rifting F2b – Opening of the oceanic Alpine Tethys	Latest Triassic –Middle Jurassic	Briançonnais, Dauphinois, Southern Alps Austroalpine	Lemoine et al. (1986), Masini, Manatschal, and Mohn (2013)
S3 – Transtensive tectonics on the southern margin of Eurasia	F3 – Transtensive tectonics, opening of North Atlantic ocean	Early Cretaceous	Briançonnais, Dauphinois, Pre-Piemontese, Valais basin	Dercourt et al. (2000), Lagabrielle, Labaume, and de Saint Blanquat (2010)
MS1 HP schistosity	AT1 – Alpine subduction	Latest Cretaceous-middle Eocene	Alps–Apennines System	Dal Piaz et al. (1972, 2003)
S4	F4 – Beginning of collisional Alpine tectonics and related metamorphism	Middle Eocene	Alpine Foreland Basin	Sinclair (1997), Ford et al. (1999), Frey et al. (1974)
MS2 greenschist foliation	AT2 – Start of Exhumation of Alps HP units and subducted slab break off	Latest Eocene  – earliest Oligocene	Alps–Apennines System	Frey et al. (1974), Dal Piaz and Gosso (1994)
S5/DO	F5  – Alpine belt exhumation  – Ligurian phase I	Priabonian	Alpine Foreland Basin, TPB (epi mesoalpine basin)	Mutti et al. (1995)
D1	F6 – Ligurian phase II	Early Rupelian	TPB	Mutti et al. (1995), Dela Pierre et al. (2003), d'Atri, Piana, Barale, Bertok, and Martire (2016)
D2	F7 – BTP reshaping  – W Alps uplifting	Early Burdigalian	TPB	Dela Pierre, et al. (2003), d'Atri et al. (2016)
Development of post-metamorphic foliations	AT3 – Internal W Alps uplifting	Post-Burdigalian	Alps–Apennines System
D3	F8 – N-ward shifting of BTP depocenters	Late Burdigalian-early Langhian	TPB	Dela Pierre, et al. (2003), d'Atri et al. (2016)
D4	F9 – N-ward propagation of S-Padane thrust fronts and BTP narrowing	Early Tortonian	TPB	Falletti et al. (1995), Rossi, Mosca, Polino, Rogledi, and Biffi (2009)
D5 (Messinian erosional surface, MES)	F10 – Intra-Messinian tectonics	Messinian	TPB	Irace, Dela Pierre, and Clari (2005), Dela Pierre et al. (2011)
D6	F11 – Late Messinian base-level minimum	Late Messinian	TPB	Irace et al. (2005), Dela Pierre et al. (2011)
D7	F12 – Pliocene marine flooding	Early Zanclean	Pliocene basins	Violanti (2012), Ghielmi, Minervini, Nini, Rogledi, and Rossi (2013)
D8	F13 – Intra Zanclean tectonics	Late Zanclean	Pliocene basins	Vigna, Fiorucci, and Ghielmi (2010), Ghielmi et al. (2013)
D9	F14 – Gelasian tectonics: Pliocene Basin fragmentation	Gelasian	Quaternary basins	Vigna et al. (2010), Ghielmi et al. (2013), Irace et al. (2017)

Legend: S: main correlatable regional unconformity; MS: main regional tectonic and/or metamorphic foliation; D: main correlatable regional unconformity in the synorogenic basin successions; F: main regional tectonic event (or phase); AT: main regional tectonic event recorded in the Western Alps tectonic belt.

Figure 2. Scheme showing the present distribution of the palaeogeographic and physiographic domains, as well as the geologic units belonging to the other main categories adopted to construct the Map Legend.

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