Geomorphological analysis of drainage changes in the NE Apennines piedmont area: the case of the middle Tavo River bend (Abruzzo, Central Italy)

Abstract

This work presents a tectonic geomorphology analysis of a river bend in the middle Tavo River valley, in the piedmont area of the NE Apennines (Abruzzo Region), between the eastern slope of the chain (Gran Sasso Massif) and the Adriatic coast. The main map (1:15,000 scale) was obtained through a morphometric, geological, and geomorphological analysis, and was composed of four sections including orography and hydrography at basin scale, main map at local scale, geomorphological cross-section and longitudinal profiles, and morphoneotectonic analysis. This study provides a basis for the recognition of morphostructural and morphotectonic features that control the drainage evolution of the Tavo River. Specifically, the study is focused on the Tavo-Saline basin characterized by possible capture processes, and the evolution of the watershed with the Pescara basin. The results from this study can contribute to the understanding of the evolution of the NE Apennines piedmont area since the Middle Pleistocene.

Keywords

• morphotectonics
• fluvial terraces
• longitudinal profiles
• drainage evolution
• river bend
• capture process