Crustal motion along the Calabro-Peloritano Arc as imaged by twelve years of measurements on a dense GPS network

Abstract

In this work, we show the results of 12 years of continuous and survey-mode GPS measurements carried out along the western part of the Calabro-Peloritano Arc, from 1996 until the more recent acquisitions in 2008. The results highlight that a NW-SE-oriented similar to 0.15 mu strain/yr extension across the Messina Strait and the Aeolia Tindari-Letojanni fault system is active. Moreover, a N-S compressive strain-rate (similar to 0.65 mu strain/yr) is active across Vulcano and Lipari Islands coupled with an extensional strain-rate of similar to 0.15 mu strain/yr in the E-direction. Finally, taking into account the observed horizontal velocity field, an analytical inversion was performed to obtain a reliable model of deformation of the investigated area. The main results are consistent both with focal mechanism solutions and the current structural setting of the investigated area. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.