List of Figures

1. Topography-bathymetry and geological map of the Mediterranean area.
2. Lithospheric scale cross-section through the Central Mediterranean
3. Simplified structural map of Italy (modified from Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 1992; Scrocca, 2006).
4. Earthquake hypocentres and Centroid moment sensor solutions
5. Crustal and lithospheric thickness
6. Bouguer anomalies and heat flow density
7. Lithospheric scale cross sections through Alps and Apennines
8. Alps and Apennines subduction zones and orogens
9. Alps and Apennines water divide
10. Total Alkali vs. Silica (TAS) diagram (Le Bas et al., 1986) for the Cenozoic igneous rocks of Italy.
11. Magmatic activity of the Italian area at different time spans, from 65 Ma to Present (a-h).
12. Lateral migration of topography in the Apennines.
13. Relation between the regional monocline, the accretionary prism front, the divide and the highest topography.
14. Timing of thrusting at the front of the Apennines accretionary prism
15. Long term subsidence rates for the Po Plain.
16. Lithospheric scale cross-section from Corsica to the Adriatic (modified after Carminati et al., 2004) and present-day vertical motions.
17. Seismic cross sections through Alps and Apennines (modified after Doglioni et al., 2007).
18. Sr-Nd isotopic ratios of the Italian Cenozoic igneous rocks
19. Pb-Sr-Nd isotopic ratios of the Italian Cenozoic igneous rocks
20. Primitive mantle-normalized multielemental diagram of the most mafic Italian Cenozoic igneous rocks
21. The W-directed Apenninic subduction started in the western Mediterranean in the Eocene(?)-Early Miocene along the retrobel belt of the Alps-Betics orogen (in green).
22. Within the Cenozoic evolution of the Mediterranean, Italy was shaped by the Alpine and Apeninnes subduction zones.
23. The western Mediterranean shows large asymmetric scale boudinage of the lithosphere in the back-arc extensional setting which developed particularly in the last 30-40 Ma.
24. Seismic anisotropy in the central-western Mediterranean and P-wave mantle tomography at the depth of 150 km (after Lucente et al., 2006).