METEOR M191

The origin and role of volcanism in passive continental rifts remains poorly understood relative to other volcano-tectonic settings. The western Sicilian Channel in the central Mediterranean Sea represents an area of pronounced crustal extension with a variety of volcanic landforms closely associated with extensional faults. The main goal of our study is to analyse how volcanism has developed in conjunction with tectonic structures in the western Sicilian Channel. We will address this goal by mapping and sampling unexplored submarine volcanic formations along the Sicilian Channel Rift Zone and Capo-Granitola-Sciacca Fault Zone. Our study will provide new insights into the role of magmatism in regions of continental extension, and will allow us to develop a tectonic and magmatic framework for the western Sicilian Channel.