Geodynamics of the central-western Mediterranean region: plausible and non-plausible driving forces

Abstract The observed deformation pattern in the central-western Mediterranean area, in particular the development of the Northern, Central and Southern Tyrrhenian basins in three well distinct phases, can hardly be explained as an effect of the gravitational sinking of subducted lithosphere, a hypothesis often advanced in literature. A more plausible and coherent explanation of the spatio-temporal distribution of major tectonic events in the study area can instead be achieved by supposing that tectonic activity has mainly been driven by the convergence of Africa and Eurasia and the roughly westward displacement of the Anatolian-Aegean-Pelagonian belt. The development of Arc-Trench-Back Arc systems is interpreted as an effect of extrusion processes, that in some constricted contexts have represented the most convenient shortening process for accommodating plate convergence.