- journal_title：Geological Society of America Bulletin
- Contributor：Sveva Corrado ; Luca Aldega ; Maria Laura Balestrieri ; Rosanna Maniscalco ; Mario Grasso
- Publisher：Geological Society of America
- Date：2009-
- Format：text/html
- Language：en
- Identifier：10.1130/B26420.1
- journal_abbrev：Geological Society of America Bulletin
- issn：0016-7606
- volume：121
- issue：11-12
- firstpage：1475
- section：STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY
Temperature-dependent clay-mineral assemblages, vitrinite reflectance, and apatite fission-track data have been used to investigate levels of diagenesis and time of exhumation of the double-verging Sicilide-Antisicilide accretion-ary wedge in Eastern Sicily. The integration of organic and inorganic thermal indicators allowed us to distinguish parts of the accre-tionary wedge with different thermal signature and evolution. We recognize a warmer core made up of the Mount Soro and Troina units and two colder rims (Antisicilide and far-traveled Sicilide units). The Antisicilide unit was thrust back toward the hinterland, and the far-traveled Sicilide units were gravity-driven toward the Hyblean Plateau.
In detail, the highest percentages of vitrinite reflectance (VRo) values (0.60%–0.96%) and percentages of illite layers in illite-smectite (I-S; 60%–85%) are found in the Mount Soro and Troina units. Apatite fission-track data, together with the paleotemperature estimates from vitrinite-reflectance data and clay-mineral–based geothermometers, indicate that fission tracks were partially to totally annealed during wedge accretion and that the subsequent exhumation occurred mainly in Burdigalian times.
Low VRo values (0.35%–0.50%) and percentages of illite layers in I-S (30%–60%) occur in early thrust-top deposits (Reitano Flysch) that unconformably overlie the Sicilide Complex, as well as the far-traveled Sicilide and Antisicilide units. Apatite fission-track data for the Antisicilide unit confirm low paleo-temperature values. Thus the far-traveled Sicilide and Antisicilide units were probably at higher structural levels in the original accretionary prism and were remobilized since late Aquitanian–Burdigalian times.