Luminescence dating of Late Pleistocene faults as evidence of uplift and active tectonics in Sardinia, W Mediterranean

Abstract

© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Precise dating of the activity of Late Pleistocene to Holocene neo-tectonic structures is crucial to quantify the rate of deformation in low-seismicity regions. Sardinia is a relatively stable continental fragment set in the middle of the tectonically active Western Mediterranean belt. This paper provides evidences of significant uplift of northwest Sardinia that support an ongoing tectonic activity since the Marine Isotopic Stage 7 (MIS 7; ca. 220 ka). In particular, it documents for the first time Late Pleistocene to Holocene tectonics based on luminescence dating of travertine sealing a major NNE-SSW fault.