Geology and Jurassic paleogeography of the Mt. Primo-Mt. Castel Santa Maria ridge and neighbouring areas (Northern Apennines, Italy)

This paper presents the results of a geological mapping project across the Mt. Primo ridge and neighbouring areas (Umbria-Marche Domain – Northern Apennines), where a thick Meso-Cenozoic carbonate succession is exposed. A geological map on the 1:15,000 scale, illustrates the main stratigraphic, paleogeographic and structural features of the area. The geometries of Jurassic stratigraphic units, were mainly controlled by the complex submarine topography resulting from an Early Jurassic extensional phase. The three-dimensional distribution of Jurassic rocks in turn conditioned the structural evolution of this part of the Apennines during the chain building phase.