Paleomagnetic evidence of large fault displacement around the Po basin—Reply

Abstract

The supposed Tuscan Autochtho~ (i.e. the Monticiano area) was chosen for ,paleomagnetic research in order to establish, whether the detailed movement pattern deduced from paleomagnetic data of NW Umbria was representative for the entire Northwestern Apennines. As it could not be excluded that the offset to the west of the Umbrian paleomagnetic data relatively to the African and Southern Alpine data was the result of a rotational décollement to its basement of the whole Umbrian sequence (VandenBerg et al., 1978; VandenBerg and Wonders, 1976). In their comment, Kligfield and Channel1 question the autochthony of Tuscany, i.e. the Monticiano area, and therefore question our conclusion that the offset of the Umbrian pattern is representative for the entire Northwestern Apennines indeed. We have proposed a two phase differential movement for the Northwestern Apennines and the Southern Alpine block, Kligfield and Channel1 raise doubt about the second (Tertiary) phase only, stating that the Monticiano area probably is not autochthonous and therefore a rotational décollement remains to the possibilities.