Present-day 3D structural model of the Po Valley basin, Northern Italy
Résumé
A 3D structural model of the Po Valley basin (Northern Italy) was built by integrating the dataset available from the public domain (DEM, wells, isobath-maps, cross-sections, outcrop-trends). The model shows the complex foredeep-foreland architecture across the basin, from the Moho level to the topography while illustrating the top Basement, top Triassic, top Mesozoic and base-Pliocene surface- grid structures. The results, by model slicing and isopach-map reconstruction, suggest that the deep Moho architec- ture and the original tectonics of the ancient Adria-Po Valley passive continental margin are key factors in controlling the current structures type, orientation and distribution, at any of the shallowest levels across the basin. In particular, the analysis of the ␣nal 3D Mesozoic geometries against the pre and post- Alpine trends con␣rms the structural interference between the mutually perpendicular TriassiceJurassic extensional structures and the Tertiary compressional ones, this being evident from the regional to the oil-␣eld scale. Despite the model uncertainty, mainly related to its dimension versus the original non-homogeneous dataset quality and distribution, the ␣nal geo-volume offers, for the ␣rst time in the region, a continuous three-dimensional visualization of the Po Valley tectonic architecture. It provides, simultaneously, a powerful tool for the reviewing of the basin structures and the potential support to future applications for both industry and academia.