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Interpreting volcano-sedimentary processes in meta-ophiolite complex: a case study from Southern Italy

Federica Barilaro1,2, Andrea Di Capua2, Giuseppe Cianflone1,3, Gianluca Robertelli1, Giovanni Turano1, Fabrizio Brutto1, Giuseppe Ciccone1, Alessandro Foti1, Vincenzo Festa4, Rocco Dominici 1,3

  • Affiliations:  1University of Calabria, Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, Arcavacata di Rende (CS),  Italy; 2CNR -- IGAG, Milano, Italy; 3E3 Earth, Environment, Engineering spin-off, University of Calabria; 4Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, University of Bari, Bari, Italy 

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Tuesday 16:30 - 18:30, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 166

  • Programme No: 3.5.25

  • Theme 3 > Session 5

Abstract

Volcano-sedimentary successions, derived from magma outflows at mid-oceanic ridges and hot spots, largely dominate the oceanic submarine floor. However, their occurrence at great depths limits our understanding of the processes driving their emplacement. As a result, much of our knowledge comes from studying ophiolite complexes in orogenic belts. These ophiolite sequences are often accreted onto orogenies after undergoing metamorphism during ocean closure and subduction stages. Consequently, their original volcanic and volcaniclastic features may have been altered by metamorphic processes. This study addresses the challenges of deciphering volcano-sedimentary features and their emplacement mechanisms in a thick meta-ophiolite complex exposed in the Gimigliano area (Calabria, Southern Italy). The complex consists of metabasite rocks resting on a serpentinized oceanic floor and overlain by metasedimentary covers. This succession accumulated during the Jurassic opening of the Tethyan Ocean and were subsequently subjected to green-schist metamorphism, likely during the Cretaceous-Paleogene period. Detailed fieldwork, including field observations and stratigraphic log measurements, was combined with petrographic analyses of thin sections and XRD studies. This work redefines the stratigraphy of the meta-ophiolite complex, with a particular focus on reinterpreting the metabasite rock sequence through a volcano-sedimentary approach. The analysis identified effusive and volcaniclastic features and associated facies, suggesting that the metabasite rock sequence in Gimigliano could represent a succession of sheet basalts intercalated with primary volcaniclastic deposits formed by water-magma interactions. Future research will deepen our capability of recognizing volcano-sedimentary sequences in meta-ophiolites, often overlooked in the geological records, enhancing our understanding of volcanic processes occurring on oceanic floors.