Pliocene and Pleistocene exhumation and uplift of two key areas of the Northern Apennines

Application of different thermochronological methods to two areas of pronounced relief (Apuane Alps and Mt. Falterona) of the Northern Apennines chain documents an average exhumation rate of about 0.7 mm/yr. This result suggests that the general exhumation of the chain is driven mainly by erosion. Nevertheless, the long-term exhumation trend seems to be perturbed by short-term events at higher exhumation rates. The time of increased exhumation rates coincides with onset of intramontane sedimentation, documenting a contribution of tectonics (local normal faulting?) to the surface uplift. The data indicate an eastward shifting of the onset of topographic relief, Early Pliocene in the Apuane Alps and Early Pleistocene in the Mt. Falterona area. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.