New kinematic reconstructions of the Adriatic Plate as a key to understanding subduction processes in the Western Mediterranean KAPMED

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Eline Le Breton; Professor Dr. Mark R. Handy; Professor Dr. Kamil Marek Ustaszewski, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Palaeontology ; Geophysics
• Term: from 2014 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 263778326

We aim to generate new kinematic reconstructions of the Western Mediterranean region, focussing on the independent motion of the Adriatic microplate for key time slices in the evolution of the Alpine mountain chains. This will involve reconstructing the motion path of the Adriatic microplate by combining geological and geophysical information from the Alps, Apennines and Dinarides. These reconstructions will then be used to map changes in the location of subduction zones onto existing tomographic images of slabs in the mantle transitional zone. This will enable us to compare the amount and age of lithosphere subducted in the plate kinematic model with the observed areal extent of slab anomalies in the mantle. This 3D kinematic model will be of central importance to understand the forces driving subduction in mobile and complex tectonic systems.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants