An updated seismicity map of the Sicily Channel through improved seismic networks on the Maltese islands and Central Mediterranean

Abstract

The Sicily Channel, bordered by the Sicilian and Tunisian coastlines, the Sicily-Malta escarpment to the east, and the Maghrebian thrust front to the west, is a tectonically interesting region, encompassing a NE-directed extensional process superimposed on the NW-directed thrust of Africa onto Europe. The extension is bathymetrically represented in the form of deep NW-SE oriented grabens in the sea floor, reaching a depth of over 1000 m. The nature of the rifting process is still controversial. The grabens have been investigated from the geophysical and geological aspects, but poorly studied in terms of active seismicity, which is usually referred to as sparse or insignificant in the scientific literature. [excerpt]