The role of strike-slip tectonics in the early to late formation of the southern Calabrian Alpine-Apennine chain system (Calabria, Southern Italy)

The kinematic and the rheological features of some earlytolate-Alpine strike-slip tectonic structures have been hereinvestigated with the aim to contribute to better constrainthe former as well as the recent stages of the arc shapedformation of the southern Calabrian orogenic segment.The development of these strike-slip tectonics have beenalways widely invoked by several authors to explain thedrift of the Calabrian terrane as a consequence and/or as aprecursor of the Alpine back-arc basin expansion. Nevertheless,clear evidences of these deep seated junction bandsare resulted rarely recognizable due to the pervasive activityof the Oligo-Miocene thin skinned thrusting accompaniedby Plio-Pleistocene normal tectonics.