Pattern of deformation around the central Aeolian Islands: evidence from multichannel seismics and GPS data

The tectonics of the central Aeolian Islands, which are located within the Tyrrhenian backarc basin, has been investigated through a marine seismic reflection survey. We find that compressional structures dominate around the islands, whereas extensional faults occur only to the north of Salina and Filicudi, towards the Marsili basin. This pattern of deformation, although different from previously reported, is in agreement with the strain field and stress regime obtained from GPS measurements and seismological data. Age constraints suggest that contractional deformation was active since middle Pleistocene, being coeval with the building of the volcanic edifices of the Aeolian Islands, and is superimposed on pre-existing extensional deformation. Compressional and extensional regimes, therefore, can coexist within a backarc setting. Seismic profiles show that the Tindari-Letojanni fault, considered as a major tectonic element, does not extend to the north towards the island of Vulcano as a throughgoing fault; rather, deformation is accommodated in a broader belt displaying greater structural complexity.