Temporal distribution of diagenetic alterations in Miocene sandstones of the “San Mauro formation”, “Cilento group”, Italy

Massimo Civitelli¹ & Salvatore Critelli^1
1Università della Calabria, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Dell'Ambiente, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy.
Corresponding author e-mail: massimo.civitelli@unical.it

This study aims to unravel the main diagenetic events featuring the eo-, meso- , and telo-diagenetic stages of the turbidite sandstones of the “San Mauro formation”, “Cilento group”, Southern Apennines Foreland Basin, Italy. Several diagenetic processes, such as compaction, dissolution, and cementation occurred. Framework grains are compacted, showing common deformation of micas, matrix, and ductile grains. Authigenic minerals occur as both pore-filling cements and as replacement. The main diagenetic minerals are carbonates, mainly as replacement and less as pore-filling cements; small amount of authigenic quartz, as little and discontinuous overgrowths; phyllosilicate cement and epimatrix, mainly of kaolinite and illite; Fe-oxides as interstitial cements or single crystals. The diagenetic events of the “San Mauro formation” are closely related to the detrital composition and the subsidence history characterizing the “Cilento group” within the early to middle Miocene wedge-top basin of the Southern Apennines.

diagenesis, turbidite sandstones, diagenetic evolution, Southern Apennines.