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The geological setting of the Central Adriatic Basin is characterized by the presence of several sedimentary features originated during the growing up of the Dinaric and Apennine Chains. The migration of these fronts towards the axis of the Adriatic Sea, determined the Plio-Quaternary clastic sequence (Channel et al., 1979). During the Lower Pliocene, the migration of the Apennine Chain produced the west-ward tilting of the Adriatic foreland, causing a sedimentary wedge and a thickness of sub-horizontal Pliocene deposits, covered by the Quaternary prograding sequence. These last are visible on the seismic profile ADRIA 95 located in the western portion of the Central Adriatic Basin. The profile was partially processed by Geletti et al. (2008) and now we decided to improve the elaboration of the seismic signal to better define the reflectors characterizing the Plio-Quaternary sequence, the recent deformation of the shallower layers and some bright spots, probably associated to gas presence. We applied a standard processing flow, testing in particular multiple reflections attenuation methods, pre-stack deconvolution techniques, stacking velocity analysis and depth migration within the first 2 sec TWT of the recording trace. The bright spots have been focused by seismic attributes analysis.

Novel P- and S- wave seismic reflection datasets integrated by topographical, geomorphological, stratigraphic data provide new elements to interpret structure and evolution of a hazardous sector of the North Anatolian Fault (NAF), next to the westernmost segment activated by the 1999 earthquakes. The study area is the Hersek Peninsula, located at the southern margin of Marmara Sea. Multi-component seismic reflection data image the late glacial erosion surface unconformity and overlying sedimentary sequence. The integration with geomorphological data shows two distinct domains: a deltaic system that evolved from south to north with a progressive rotation towards west and a northern sector of the peninsula underlain by an anticline, resulting from tectonic transpression which is responsible for the uplift and tilting of the northern tip. An 8° bend of the NAF in this sector is responsible for transpression and uplifts, as validated also by numerical and analogue simulation. Such structural features match those observed in the evolution of strike-slip fault system, that evolve from large shear zone with fault stepovers, to en-echelon faults and pull-apart basins and finally to localized ruptures. Concentration of stress in single rupture zones can be used as an indicator of increasing seismic hazard.

A large seismic dataset has allowed us to regionally study the West Mediterranean Sea with particular focus on the West Sardinia and South Balearic continental margins and adjacent oceanic basins. The main seismic and geological evidences are related to the presence of the Messinian Trilogy in the deep basins and lower slopes, and coeval erosional truncation on the intermediate and upper margins. During the deposition of the upper Messinian sequence (UU), a thin salt layer has been highlighted, thanks to the high resolution of recent profiles. This salt layer, precipitated during the initial re-filling of the Mediterranean Sea, has been correlated to an erosional surface on the lower slope inner the UU and interpreted as the effect of a temporary sea level drop. The underlying salt layer (MU) shows halokinetic deformations in the deep basins which started since the Upper Messinian and developed principally during the Pliocene, sometimes until the Present, as testified by sea bottom piercings. The halokinetics has affected by different intensity, on the base of its original thickness, of the sediments and water load, and of the proximity of the lower slopes, where the sliding of salt toward the deep basin determined compressive stress and enhancing diapirism.

A set of seismic reflection lines had been interpreted on the Southem Tyrrhenian Margin in order to reconstruct the last evolution joined to the young phase of the Maghrebian-Calabrian Belt and the Tyrrhenian opening. Before that a reprocessing of two particularly significant CROP lines was applied, paying special attention to the deep seated reflectors.