The relations between structural setting and morphological arrangement have been examined by means of morphotectonic analyses in a study area of Central Italy, located between the Apennine Chain and the Adriatic Sea, and corresponding to part of the Adriatic foredeep.

Previous morphotectonic researches performed on this area at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" made it possible to identify three sectors which differ for their morphological and neotectonic style.

Starting from these results further investigations were carried out with the aim of highlighting the different features of each sector and of defining more precisely the sector boundaries. This study utilized landform analyses that focus on the response of drainage patterns to topographic variations created by structural arrangement in general and active tectonics in particular. Several morphotectonic parameters have been calculated, such as amplitude of relief, asymmetry factor and transverse topographic symmetry factor. Their values showed areal variation in relation with the different sectors experiencing tilting and differential uplift.

Moreover, the statistical analysis of stream directions evidenced that drainage network preferential orientations - and of the first order channels in particular - show a rotation moving from North to South, which suggested the possibility that the boundary between the northern and the central sector is represented by a right-lateral strike slip fault.

References

BELISARIO F., DEL MONTE M., FREDI P., FUNICIELLO R., LUPIA PALMIERI E. & SALVINI F. (1997) - Azimuthal analysis of stream orientations to define regional tectonic lines. Geogr. Fis. Dinam. Quat., Suppl. III, I, 74-75.

CENTAMORE E., CICCACCI S., DEL MONTE M., FREDI P. & LUPIA PALMIERI E. (1996) - Morphological and morphometric approach to the study of structural arrangement of the northeastern Abruzzo (central Italy). Geomorphology, 16, 127-137.

COX R. T. (1994) - Analysis of drainage-basin symmetry as rapid techniqueto identify areas of possible Quaternary tilt-block tectonics: an example from Mississippi Embayment. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 106, 571-581.

CURRADO C. & FREDI P. (1999) - Morphometric parameters of drainage basins and morphotectonic setting of eastern Abruzzo. Mem. Soc. Geol. It. (in press).

KELLER E. A. & PRINTER N. (1996) - Active Tectonics . Prentice Hall (Ed), 338 pp.