Tectonic coupling of oceanic and continental units in the Southwestern Alps (Western Liguria, Italy) revealed by structural mapping

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe described the structural architecture of a key area along the Western Ligurian Alps where a stack of oceanic and continental units showing Low- to very Low-grade metamorphic imprint is exposed. We combine a new dataset by integrating stratigraphic, structural and metamorphic data to produce an original 1:12.500 geological map. The high-resolution mapping along with multiscale structural analysis revealed a large-scale superposition of fold and thrust systems extending for more than 50 km2. These field data and available thermobarometric estimates provide constraints to decipher the tectonic evolution of the Southwestern Alps and highlight the shallow crustal coupling of continental and oceanic units during top-to-the-southwest thrusting, the latter was strongly evident in the investigated area.

Keywords

• Continental and oceanic units
• tectonic evolution
• structural mapping
• Western Liguria
• Southwestern Alps