Evolution of a transfer-related basin: the Ardea basin (Latium, central Italy)

During the Messinian-Pleistocene, the Peninsular Tyrrhenian margin underwent a NE-SW orientated stretching regime, with the formation of a NW-SE normal fault system and basins which are linked by NE-SW transfer fault zones. These fault zones border narrow and deep asymmetric basins. This paper uses geological and geophysical analysis (structural and stratigraphical data, seismic lines and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) data) to look at the evolution of one of these transfer-related basins, located south of Rome (Ardea basin). Comparison with other similar features indicates that the common characteristics of these transfer structures are: (i) the slip vector along the transfer fault is mostly dip-slip, which means that the local extensional direction is orthogonal to the regional extensional direction; (ii) development of a narrow and deep half-graben basin.