Misplaced Pages

Geology of the Alps
Tectonic subdivision
Helvetic Zone Penninic nappes Austroalpine nappes Southern Alps
Formation and rocks
Bündner schist flysch molasse
Geological structures
Aarmassif Dent Blanche klippe Engadine Line Engadine window Flysch zone Giudicárie line Greywacke zone Hohe Tauern window Molasse basin Penninic thrustfront Periadriatic Seam Ivrea zone Lepontin dome Rechnitz window Rhône-Simplon line Sesia unit
Paleogeographic terminology
Valais Ocean Briançonnais zone Piemont-Liguria Ocean Apulian or Adriatic plate Alps portal Geology portal
v t e

The Adriatic or Apulian plate is a small tectonic plate carrying primarily continental crust that broke away from the African plate along a large transform fault in the Cretaceous period. The name Adriatic plate is usually used when referring to the northern part of the plate. This part of the plate was deformed during the Alpine orogeny, when the Adriatic/Apulian plate collided with the Eurasian plate.

The Adriatic/Apulian plate is thought to still move independently of the Eurasian plate in NNE direction with a small component of counter-clockwise rotation. The fault zone that separates the two is the Periadriatic Seam that runs through the Alps. Studies indicate that in addition to deforming, the Eurasian continental crust has actually subducted to some extent below the Adriatic/Apulian plate, an unusual circumstance in plate tectonics. Oceanic crust of the African plate is also subducting under the Adriatic/Apulian plate off the western and southern coasts of the Italian Peninsula, creating a berm of assorted debris which rises from the seafloor and continues onshore. This subduction is also responsible for the volcanic interactions of southern Italy.

The Adriatic Sea, Istria, the eastern Italian Peninsula, Malta, and the coastal part of Slovenia are on the Adriatic/Apulian Plate. Mesozoic sedimentary rocks deposited on the plate include the limestones that form the Southern Calcareous Alps.

See also

• Jabuka–Andrija Fault

References

1. R. Devoti; C. Ferraro; E. Gueguen; R. Lanotte; V. Luceri; A. Nardi; R. Pacione; P. Rutigliano; C. Sciarretta; F. Vespe (March 2002). "Geodetic control on recent tectonic movements in the central Mediterranean area". Tectonophysics. 346 (3–4): 151–167. Bibcode:2002Tectp.346..151D. doi:10.1016/S0040-1951(01)00277-3.

v t e Geology of Europe
Countries	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Faroe Islands Estonia Finland Åland Islands France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy (Sicily) Kazakhstan Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Jan Mayen Svalbard Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Gibraltar Alderney Guernsey Jersey Isle of Man
Geologic regions	Orogens Acadian Alpine Belomorian Cadomian Caledonian Carpathian Dalslandian Gothian Grampian Hallandian-Danopolonian Hellenic Laxfordian Lopian Saamian Scandian Scourian Timanide Svecofennian Sveconorwegian Uralian Variscan Mountain ranges Alps Apennines Caucasus Dinaric Alps Harz Massif Central Ore Mountains Pyrenees Scandinavian Mountains Sudetes Urals Western Carpathians Oceanic basins Atlantic Ocean Arctic Ocean Bay of Biscay Black Sea Mediterranean Sea Norwegian Sea Intracontinental basins and grabens Aquitaine Basin Barents Basin Baltic Sea Basin Central Lowlands Dnieper–Donets Rift Ebro Basin European Cenozoic Rift System Hellenic Trench Limagne Graben Mezen Basin Molasse Basin Moscow Basin North Sea Basin Oslo Rift Pannonian Basin Paris Basin Peri-Caspian Depression Timan-Pechora Basin White Sea Rift System Tectonic plates and microcontinents Adriatic plate Aegean Sea plate Anatolian plate Eurasian plate Iberian plate Jan Mayen Microcontinent Moesian plate Pelso plate Tisza plate Terranes Armorican terrane Avalonia Baltica Cimmeria East European Craton Fennoscandian Craton Sarmatian Craton Volgo–Uralia
UNESCO World Heritage Sites	Aeolian Islands Aggtelek Calanques de Piana Curonian Spit Dolomites Durmitor Geirangerfjord Giant's Causeway Glarus High Coast Jungfrau-Aletsch Jurassic Coast Komi Kvarken Laponia Messel Pit Meteora Monte Perdido Monte San Giorgio Mount Etna Nærøyfjord Pirin Plitvice Rhine Gorge Scandola Škocjan St Kilda Stevns Klint Surtsey Thingvellir

v t e Tectonic plates
Major plates	African Antarctic Eurasian Indo-Australian Australian Indian North American Pacific South American
Minor plates	Amurian Arabian Burma Caribbean Caroline Cocos Indian Nazca New Hebrides Okhotsk Philippine Scotia Somali Sunda Yangtze
Microplates	Adriatic Aegean Sea Anatolian Balmoral Reef Banda Sea Bird's Head Capricorn Coiba Conway Reef Explorer Futuna Galápagos Gonâve Gorda Greenland Halmahera Iberian Iranian Juan de Fuca Juan Fernández Kerguelen Kermadec Lwandle Madagascar Malpelo Manus Maoke Mariana Molucca Sea Niuafo’ou North Andes North Bismarck North Galápagos Okinawa Panama Pelso Philippine Mobile Belt Rivera Rovuma Sangihe Seychelles Shetland Solomon Sea South Bismarck South Sandwich Timor Tisza Tonga Trobriand Victoria Woodlark
Ancient plates	Baltic Bellingshausen Charcot Cimmeria Farallon Insular Intermontane Izanagi Kula Lhasa Malvinas Moa Phoenix Kshiroda
Oceanic ridges	Aden Ridge Carlsberg Ridge Central Indian Ridge Chile Ridge Cocos Ridge East Pacific Rise Explorer Ridge Gakkel Ridge Galápagos Spreading Center Gorda Ridge Juan de Fuca Ridge Mid-Atlantic Ridge Knipovich Ridge Kolbeinsey Ridge Mohns Ridge Reykjanes Ridge Pacific–Antarctic Ridge South American–Antarctic Ridge Southeast Indian Ridge Southwest Indian Ridge
Ancient oceanic ridges	Aegir Ridge Alpha Ridge Antarctic–Phoenix Ridge Kula–Farallon Ridge Mid-Labrador Ridge Pacific–Farallon Ridge Pacific–Kula Ridge
Geology portal List Category Commons

• Tectonic plates
• Adriatic Sea
• Geology of the Alps
• Geology of Austria
• Geology of Croatia
• Geology of Italy
• Geology of Malta
• Geology of Slovenia
• Geology of Switzerland