The Piànico tephra: an early Middle Pleistocene record of intraplate volcanism in the Mediterranean |
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| Authors: | Daniele L Pinti Xavier Quidelleur Pierre Lahitte Cyril Aznar Sergio Chiesa Pierre-Yves Gillot |
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| Institution: | Laboratoire de Géochronologie Multitechniques, CNRS FRE 2566 ORSAYTERRE et UMR 7577, Universitéde Paris SUD XI, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France;;CSGAQ –CNR, Sezione di Bergamo, Piazza Cittadella 4–24129, Bergamo, Italy |
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| Abstract: | ABSTRACT Distal tephra are a valuable record of the volcano-tectonic evolution of an area under study. Here, we document the case of the Early Middle Pleistocene rhyolitic tephra of Piànico, discovered in the Southern Italian Alps. The geochemical characteristics of Piànico are unique among the distal tephra outcropping in Italy and indicate an intraplate volcanism at the source. The alkali composition and trace elements show a striking resemblance with the rhyolitic complex of the Euganean Hills, located 170 km from Piànico. However, these rhyolites are much older (Oligocene). Alternatively, the source of this intraplate volcanic episode could be located in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. |
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