Seismo-stratigraphic Study of the Plio-pleistocene Deposits of the Central Adriatic Sea, Italy

An integrated 3D Seismo-Stratigraphic Study was carried out on a portion of the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy), offshore the coast of the Abruzzo region, aimed to define and understand in detail the Plio-Pleistocene stratigraphic succession, the evolution of this area through this specific geological time, and the implication from and E&P perspective. The study is based on good quality 3D data, wells and regional 2D seismic lines. The stratigraphic succession of the foredeep Plio-Pleistocene deposits presented in this work, shows a general shoaling up trend in which the vertical evolution from deep water deposits into deltaic and nearshore strata is related to the progressive displacement of the main depocentres eastward produced by thrust propagation toward the outer margin of the foredeep basin. In this note, in particular, the Middle/Upper Pliocene and Pleistocene part is described in its main seismo-stratigraphic characteristics. A detailed 3D seismic facies analysis has infact allowed to identify, interpret and understand from a depositional point of view several interesting geological “objects” at different scale: in particular, possibly for the first time in this area, well developed sediment drifts, related to bottom currents and associated to deep water channel complexes, were described.