This internship report summarizes Giuseppe Violo's internship focused on analyzing and interpreting seismic data from the Sicily Channel area. The report provides geological context on the tectonic and stratigraphic settings of the Sicily Channel. Key activities included digitizing over 100 seismic lines, applying image processing techniques, and interpreting the data using software tools to identify stratigraphic horizons and structural features. The goal was to build a 3D geological model of the study area to improve understanding of the complex geology formed by the interaction of rifting and accretionary processes in the Sicily Channel.

1. INTERNSHIP REPORT
Studente: Giuseppe Violo
Matricola: N96/194

2. Sicily Channel 2
Sicily Channel
Summary
1 Objective.................................................................................................................................................... 3
2 Definition of the area ................................................................................................................................ 3
Tectonic Settings ............................................................................................................................... 42.1
Stratigraphy Settings ........................................................................................................................ 72.2
3 Definition of study area............................................................................................................................. 8
Materials and methods ..................................................................................................................... 93.1
4 References............................................................................................................................................... 15
List of Figures
Figura 1.1 Work Flow Chart............................................................................................................................... 3
Figura 2.1 - Location map of the area ............................................................................................................... 3
Figura 2.2 - Simplified tectonic map of the Sicily Channel ................................................................................ 4
Figura 2.3 - Line drawing of a seismic section across the Sicily Channel........................................................... 4
Figura 2.4 - Seismic reflection profile of the Sicily Channel .............................................................................. 4
Figura 2.5 - Physiographic map of the Sicily Channel........................................................................................ 5
Figura 2.6 - Bathymetry of the Sicily Channel ................................................................................................... 6
Figura 2.7 – Velocity vector analysis ................................................................................................................. 6
Figura 2.8 - Stratigraphy and facies domains of Sicily offshore ........................................................................ 7
Figura 3.1 - Blocks in the area. .......................................................................................................................... 8
Figura 3.2 – Seismic line and shot point created............................................................................................... 9
Figura 3.3 - Screen shot from Gimp software. ................................................................................................ 10
Figura 3.4 - Seismic lines map. ........................................................................................................................ 11
Figura 3.5 – Seismic tracks, screen shot from ArcGis software....................................................................... 11
Figura 3.6 - Screen Shot from ImageJ software............................................................................................... 12
Figura 3.7 - Example how to produce a complete seismic line....................................................................... 12
Figura 3.8 - Screen Shot from Opendtect........................................................................................................ 13
Figura 3.9 - Model basin example. .................................................................................................................. 13
Figura 3.10 – Simplified flow-chart.................................................................................................................. 14
Prepared by:
Giuseppe Violo
Matricola N96/194
July 2014

3. Sicily Channel 3
1 Objective
The internship is focused on geological overview of the Sicily Channel. In particular, the study of the area
was conduced through the analysis, digitization and in the end the interpretation of 2D multichannel
seismic profiles and the use of wells data, available by the Ministry of Economic Development (ViDEPI
project) to calibrate the seismic horizons interpreted. As concern the stratigraphy and the tettonic setting
has been performed a deep and accurate bibliographic study.
Figura 1.1 Work Flow Chart.
2 Definition of the area
The Sicily Channel is located within a south central segment of the Apennines-Maghrebides belt developing
in the central western Mediterranean sea, comprise between the sicilian and tunisian coastlines.
Figura 2.1 - Location map of the area showing the morphology of the Sardinia Channel, northwestern Sicily offshore and Straits of
Sicily and the principal mainland localities.

4. Sicily Channel 4
Tectonic Settings2.1
After the Paleogene Alpine orogeny the Mediterranean area was characterized by compressional
movements that began with the latest Oligocene-Early Miocene counter clockwise rotation of Corsica-
Sardinia block, believed to represent a volcanic arc, and its collision with the African continental margin
(Bellon et al., 1977; Channel et al., 1979; Dercourt et al., 1986). This collision is generally considered the
main cause for most of the contractional deformation in the Southern Apennine-Sicilian thrust- belt.
Figura 2.2 - Simplified tectonic map of the Sicily Channel (modified after Tricart et al., 1994). Pliocene–Pleistocene tectonics is
marked both by the ENE-trending Maghrebides-Sicily-Apennines accretionary prism and by contemporaneous NW-trending rift. The
black and red arrows indicate the direction of compression and extension, respectively. Lines AB and CD indicate the location of the
seismic profiles. The stars indicate the main volcanic centers of Linosa and Pantelleria. AP—Adventure plateau; P1b—Pamela 1bis
well; GB—Graham Bank; NB— Nameless Bank.
Figura 2.3 - Line drawing of a seismic section across the Sicily Channel, after Torelli et al. (1995). E—middle–upper Eocene; K—
Cretaceous; M— Messinian
Figura 2.4 - Seismic reflection profile of the Sicily Channel showing the coexistence of the rift and the accretionary prism, both
processes de- forming the seafloor (Seismic section CROP M24, Scrocca et al., 2003). Red lines normal faults, black lines thrust faults.

5. Sicily Channel 5
The Sicily Channel is cut by three main NW-trending, elongated depressions (Pantelleria, Malta and Linosa
grabens) formed by continental rift-related processes started since the Early Pliocene (Reuther and
Eisbacher 1985; Boccaletti et al. 1987; Cello 1987; Civile et al. 2010). Continental rifting is controlled by sub-
vertical faulting.
Figura 2.5 - Physiographic map of the Sicily Channel, with the location of the Adventure Plateau (AP). In the inset box, the main
tectonic domains characterizing the southern Italian peninsula area shown. SMTF indicates the Sicilian–Maghrebian Thrust Front,
AP indicates the Adventure Plateau, ETF indicates the Egadi Thrust Front.
The rifting process was accompanied by wide-spread basic volcanic activity mainly concentrated on the
islands of Pantelleria and Linosa.
Four main volcanic centres, Tetide, Anfitrite, Galatea and Cimotoe, have been recognized in the Adventure
Plateau and considered being Plio–Pleistocene age (Calanchi et al. 1989).
The volcanism took place substantially during the Pliocene–Pleistocene.
Two distinct foredeeps of the Sicilian–Maghrebian Fold-and-Thrust Belt can be recognized in the Sicily
Channel: the NE-trending Adventure Foredeep located to the west; the Pliocene-Quaternary WNW-ESE
trending Gela foredeep, lying to the east, and limited by the frontal thrusts of the chain, i.e., the Gela
Nappe.

6. Sicily Channel 6
Figura 2.6 - Bathymetry of the Sicily Channel and surrounding areas. PG—Pantelleria graben; LG—Linosa graben; MG— Malta
graben. Data from the GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans) Digital Atlas (IOC, IHO, and BODC, 2003).
Figura 2.7 – Velocity vector analysis. The blue vectors represent the velocities of GPS stations reported in a fixed CAGL (Cagliari)
reference frame (data from Hollenstein et al., 2003), and they imply active northwest-southeast contraction of NOTO (Noto) and
LAMP (Lampedusa) relative to CAGL in Sardinia. The red vector is the relative motion velocity of NOTO with respect to fixed LAMP,
and it represents the rifting rate in the Sicily Channel. This confirms the coexistence of two presently active tectonic settings, such as
a northwest-southeast-trending compres- sion and a northeast-southwest-trending extension in the same area. Map gener- ated
with the Generic Mapping Tools of Wessel and Smith.

7. Sicily Channel 7
Stratigraphy Settings2.2
The most evident unconformity found during the interpretation of seismic lines was between the
Terravecchia and S.Cipirello Formations.
The Terravecchia Formation is characterized by evaporitic deposits that take place during the
Tornonian-Messinian ages. Instead, the S.Cipirello Formation, composed by marls, append during the
Serravvallian age.
Figura 2.8 - Stratigraphy and facies domains of Sicily offshore (time scale accordingto Harlandet al., 1990).
Terravecchia F.M.
S.Cipirello F.M.

8. Sicily Channel 8
3 Definition of study area
The study area is located between the cities of Agrigento and Ragusa, placed in the south-est coast of Sicily.
Figura 3.1 - Blocks in the area.

9. Sicily Channel 9
Materials and methods3.1
The study was carried out using a dataset composed of about 100 multichannel seismic reflection profiles,
acquired in the Sicily Channel by several oil companies and some institutional scientific projects.
The first step: creating of a shape file of shotpoints per each seismic line from official map (downloaded
from Ministry website). After that were obtained the spatial coordinates with arcGis tools.
Figura 3.2 – Seismic line and shot point created.

10. Sicily Channel 10
Second Step: digitization of the seismic line start applying several treatments at the raw data (PDF or JPEG).
This process is necessary before to analyse or interpret the seismic lines with the appropriate softwares.
To perform the digitization were used several software:
• GIMP (cropping and resizing): this software has allow to crop and correct the image color
(grayscale image). After that it has been possible to change the size and resolution of the image
(image scale) and the number of pixels that depend from the number of tracks for shot;
Figura 3.3 - Screen shot from Gimp software.

11. Sicily Channel 11
• ArcGis (georeferencing): used to create and add the shotpoints on a map. Futhermore with arcGis
were georeferenced the seismic lines. This operation is very important because each seismic lines
must have the correct geographic coordinates to be interpreted with the appropriate software.
Figura 3.4 - Seismic lines map.
Figura 3.5 – Seismic tracks, screen shot from ArcGis software.

12. Sicily Channel 12
• ImageJ (image processing, analysis and filters): useful to reduce the noise through the use of
adequate band-pass filter. The different seismic lines have, at the times, a strong heterogeneity in
terms of acquisition parameters probably due to the different way of acquisition of the different
companies.
Figura 3.6 - Screen Shot from ImageJ software.
Next steps (Interpretation):
The Software useful to perform the interpretation of the seismic lines digitized are:
• Seismic Unix Sofware; this software allow to merge several images (2 or more) in a unique and
entire image. In this case were combine the single seismic lines image in a composite seismic
image.
Figura 3.7 - Example how to produce a complete seismic line.
• Tiff to Seg-Y Tools: with this tool the .tiff files were converted in the final SEG-Y files;

13. Sicily Channel 13
• Kingdom or Opendtect Software: these are two of the most important software used in the oil
and gas industry to interpret the stratigraphic (seismic horizon) and structural (faults and folds)
features that can be recognized in a seismic section.
Figura 3.8 - Screen Shot from Opendtect.
The final idea, is to try to build a 3D model of the study area with all data that will be interpreted during the
thesis work.
Figura 3.9 - Model basin example.

14. Sicily Channel 14
Figura 3.10 – Simplified flow-chart.

15. Sicily Channel 15
4 References
Geological Society of America Special Papers Coexisting geodynamic processes in the Sicily Channel
Giacomo Corti, Marco Cuffaro, Carlo Doglioni, et al. Geological Society of America Special Papers 2006;409;
83-96 doi:10.1130/2006.2409(05);
Hydrocarbon Systems in the Onshore and Offshore Sicilian Fold and Thrust Belt: New Constraints from
Geochemical Data Carlo Caldarelli and D. SmithSearch and Discovery Article #30202 (2012) Posted March
12, 2012;
Seismic stratigraphy and structural setting of the Adventure Plateau (Sicily Channel)
D. Civile • E. Lodolo • H. Alp • Z. Ben-Avraham • A. Cova • L. Baradello • D. Accettella • M. Burca • J.
Centonze Received: 22 August 2013 / Accepted: 8 November 2013 / Published online: 19 November 2013 Ó
Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013;
Paleogeography and structure of the central Mediterranean: Sicily and its offshore area
R. Catalano, P. Di Stefano, A. Sulli, F.P. Vitale
Dipartimento di Geologia e Geodesia, Universit~ di Palermo, Via E. Toti 91, 90128 Palermo, Italia
Paleogeography and structure of the central