Rendiconti online Soc. Geol. It., Vol. 15 (2011), pp. 124-125. Inversion tectonics in southern Apennines: an example from the Chianello Mt (Campania, southern Italy) STEFANO VITALE * ,SABATINO CIARCIA * ,FRANCESCO DATI * ,ALESSANDRO I ANNACE * &STEFANO MAZZOLI * RIASSUNTO Tettonica d’inversione nell’Appennino meridionale: un esempio dal Monte Chianello (Campania, Italia meridionale). La successione carbonatica del Cretacico-Miocene inferiore affiorante al Monte Chianello è caratterizzata da un complesso pattern deformativo. Le strutture più antiche riconoscosciute sono fratture estensionali e faglie normali coniugate, deformate da pieghe e thrust. Numerose evidenze indicano una inversione del campo deformativo. Probabilmente le strutture estensionali precoci si sono formate durante la fase di forebulge e foredeep, mentre le strutture da raccorciamento indicano l’inclusione successiva della successione nel cuneo tettonico appenninico. KEY WORDS: Carbonates, forebulge, foredeep, structural analysis. INTRODUCTION In the Apennines several studies remarked the role of the inver- sion tectonics during the orogen building where early extensional structures can be successively deformed or reversed in the subse- quent migration of the thrust front or by out-of-sequence thrusts (e.g. SCISCIANI et alii, 2001; TAVARNELLI &PEACOCK, 2002; DE PAOLA et alii, 2006). Aim of this paper is to analyze the de- formation evolution of the carbonate succession cropping out in the Chianello Mt (southern Italy) in order to recognize an early extensional tectonic stage predating the well-known thrusts and folds affecting the Apennine platform domain since the Miocene time (BONARDI et alii, 2009). In the investigated area facing the Cilento (fig. 1), the Cretaceous-Lower Miocene platform carbonates form a NW-SE ridge from the Soprano Mt to the Chianello Mt tectonically cove- red by the Parasicilide Unit (CIARCIA et alii, 2009, 2011; VITALE et alii, 2010, 2011). STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS A complex deformation pattern characterizes the analyzed suc- cession resulting from the superposition of several sets of struc- tures such as fractures, faults and folds. These include: (i) early normal faults and associated pervasive fractures and veins; (ii) folds and thrusts; (iii) trascurrent faults and rare associated folds; (iv) late normal faults. The whole succession is affected by pervasive fractures orthogo- nal to bedding and associated conjugate normal faults (fig. 2a). The fractures form two sets orthogonal between them with NNE-SSW and WNW-ESE directions. * Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Napoli Federico II. Correspond author: Vitale S.; email: stefano.vitale@unina.it. Folds and thrusts deform the previous structures, meso-scale folds indicate a tectonic vergence ranging between N (fig. 2b) and E, however macro-scale folds point out a NE tectonic transport (fig. 1). Two systems of strike-slip faults affect this succession, the first characterized by N-S dextral and NE-SW and NW-SE sinistral kinematics; the latter formed by dextral E-W and sinistral NW-SE and N-S faults. Locally these faults produced folds with a vertical axis. Finally late normal faults affect the whole succession with a mean NE-SW extension. Fig. 1 – Tectonic sketch of the Cilento area. From VITALE et alii (2011), modified. 124