The well-known uncertainties in subsurface velocity field definition call for the integration of all the available data, including vintage seismic profiles, which, despite typically being in raster or paper format, often contain velocities derived from stacking and associated interval velocities. This study aims to build a velocity model for the time-to-depth conversion of an interpreted seismic reflection profile by using the interval velocity reported on a vintage, paper-format seismic profile and contribute to improving the subsurface geological model of the Sicily Channel, Central Mediterranean. Spline interpolation is used for velocity model building of the shallower part (3.5 sec TWT) of the seismic profile CS89-01, derived from the stacking velocities of 31 Common Depth Point (CDP) gathers. This was followed by the Gaussian convolution operator and a data exclusion filter to improve the accuracy of the velocity model. The time-to-depth-converted seismic reflection profile is a regional cross-section that covers almost the entire Sicily Channel, crossing part of the northern margin of the African Plate, from Tunisia to eastern Sicily. This study provides a new subsurface velocity field that can be applied, or taken into account, to most parts of the Sicily Channel when structural and stratigraphic interpretations are carried out at specific sites and where uncertainties in subsurface geological model exist (e.g., in the present study, the volcanic bodies in the Pantelleria Graben and Lampedusa High).

The energy transition is an issue of fundamental importance in the current global context, as an increasing number of countries are committed to searching for minerals and elements essential for the storage, distribution, and supply of energy derived from new renewable and sustainable sources. In some countries, these elements (such as boron, lithium, and strontium) are considered to be critical raw materials (CRMs) because of their limited occurrence within their own borders and are commonly found in minerals and geothermal–formation waters, especially in brackish to brine waters. In the Italian territory, CRM-rich waters have already been identified by previously published studies (i.e., with mean concentrations in the Salsomaggiore Terme of 390 mg/L of boron, 76 mg/L of lithium, and 414 mg/L of strontium); however, their extraction is hampered by several knowledge gaps. In particular, a comprehensive understanding of the origin, accumulation processes, and migration pathways of these CRM-rich waters is still lacking. These factors are closely linked to the geological framework and evolutionary history of each specific area. To address these gaps, we investigated the Salsomaggiore Structure that is located at the northwestern front of the Apennine in Italy by integrating geological data with hydrogeochemical results. We constructed new preliminary distribution maps of the most significant CRMs around the Salsomaggiore Structure, which can be used in the future for the National Mineral Exploration Program drawn up in accordance with the European Critical Raw Materials Act. These maps, combined with the interpretation of seismic reflection profiles calibrated with surface geology and wells, allowed us to establish a close relationship between water geochemistry/CRM contents and the geological evolution of the Salsomaggiore Structure. This structure can be considered representative of the frontal ranges of the Northwestern Apennine and other mountain chains associated with the foreland basin systems.

Although foreland regions are often perceived as stable zones, the Sicily Channel—situated in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and Tunisia and regarded as the continental foreland of the Sicilian Maghrebian chain—reveals significant tectonic complexity. It comprises three major tectonic troughs (Pantelleria, Malta, and Linosa grabens) formed by the ongoing extension of Africa. This area includes a foreland-foredeep-chain system encompassing the Pelagian foreland, the Gela foredeep Basin, and the offshore section of the Neogene-Quaternary Sicilian-Maghrebian chain. Based on an extensive review of available literature, including previously published multichannel seismic reflection profiles and structural maps, we provide a detailed analysis of the stratigraphic architecture and key tectonic features that have influenced the Sicily Channel during the Plio-Quaternary. Furthermore, we assess the timing of these events to gain a comprehensive understanding of the region's Plio-Quaternary tectonic evolution. Our findings demonstrate that the Sicily Channel is not merely a simple rifted foreland zone but is characterized by recurrent extensional and compressional phases during the late Neogene/Plio-Quaternary. This evidence indicates that distinct tectonic regimes can coexist within a foreland area, reinforcing the idea that foreland zones actively record dynamic processes driving lithospheric deformation and are prone to tectonic reactivation

The Malta Graben in the Sicily Channel represents a key structure for understanding how continental forelands accommodate regional convergence. Through a multidisciplinary analysis of seismic reflection profiles combined with bathymetric, seismological, and geodetic datasets, we show that the Malta Graben evolved from a dextral transtensional basin during the Lower Pliocene into a complex kinematic junction characterized by the coexistence of transtension and localized positive inversion in recent times. This inversion is expressed as a prominent seabed bulge, driven by the large-scale NE-directed African Plate push as well as by the regional stress field related to Capo Granitola-Sciacca and Scicli-Ragusa left-lateral strike-slip zones. We suggest that this complex configuration promotes the partitioning of resulting crustal strain into lateral escape toward the Ionian domain. This process is favored by the lower confinement and high-accommodation potential provided by the distal influence of the Ionian slab roll-back. Our findings also demonstrate that the Sicily Channel is not merely a simple rifted foreland zone but is characterized by recurrent extensional and contractional phases during the late Neogene/Plio-Quaternary. This evidence indicates that distinct tectonic regimes can coexist within a foreland area, reinforcing the idea that foreland zones actively record dynamic processes driven by lithospheric plate movement and are prone to tectonic reactivation.

In the collisional setting of the Northern Ionian Sea, the Calabrian Accretionary Wedge, which represents the Southeastward prolongation of the Southern Apennines, is facing directly the subducting Apula plate, which is mainly made of Mesozoic to Tertiary Carbonate Platform. The aim of this contribution is to illuminate the structures and stratigraphic relationships between the frontal part of the orogenic belt, the foredeep and adjacent Apulian foreland. Because of the lack of exploration wells in these deep offshore basins, a detailed seismic facies analysis of six multichannel seismic profiles has been carried out to define the tectonic-sedimentary evolution of the study area.Seismic interpretation allows to identify four main structural domains. The highly tectonized accretionary wedge is characterized by compressive tectonics. A narrow foredeep basin is filled by a thick (1,5–0,9 s TWT) Pliocene-Holocene subhorizontal succession and lies above buried normal faults. A massive carbonate succession of the Apulian Platform, shows reef and carbonate platform margin facies. A layered carbonate succession of the Apulian Platform is characterized by ‘'intra-platform'’ facies and located in the easternmost portion of the area. Seismic stratigraphic analysis allows to define two main regional unconformities with characteristic relationships with structural trends: i) the Messinian unconformity, related to a regional and significant erosion associated to paleokarst processes on the exposed Mesozoic Apulian Platform, is cut by an array of normal faults affecting the entire Apulian foreland and by reverse faults in the accretionary wedge; ii) the middle Pliocene Unconformity, an angular and erosive unconformity truncating the Lower Pliocene reflectors, is affected by normal faults in the foreland and by compressive tectonics in the Calabrian wedge that is progressively advancing.Seismic data analyses shows that the compressive tectonics is currently active in the Calabrian Accretionary Wedge and concentrated in the innermost domains where thrust faults deform the sea floor. The Mesozoic Apulian Platform is affected by normal faulting driven by flexural bending since Lower Pliocene. The new structural map shows that transpressive and positive inversion tectonics is a common deformational style in the foreland that can be associated with the Dinaric-Hellenic subduction, which is synchronous with respect to Calabrian subduction. According to these observations, the compressive tectonics affecting the Apulia plate can be interpreted as related to both the Calabrian and Dinaric-Hellenic shortening processes. The interference of these two orogenic wedges with the Apulia Plate plays an important role in defining the tectonic evolution of the Northern Ionian Sea.

Women significantly contribute to the development in geospatial technologies and their applications for remote sensing, showing scientific excellence and innovative approaches in different environmental domains. This research article presents a review of the contribution of women to geospatial studies and their potential to further the course of sustainable development by way of a critical literature review and capacity-building analysis. The results show that women researchers lead in introducing new methodologies on geospatial technologies, from developing new methods for monitoring with drones to further developing machine learning applications in environmental assessment. Women-led research covers important topics in wetland monitoring, studies of the effects of climate change, water quality management, and precision agriculture. These contributions contribute directly to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG5 (Gender Equality) and SDG6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). This study concludes that participation by women in geospatial science is highly necessary in solving complex problems of the environment with divergent viewpoints and their solutions. Further recommendations include an increase in targeted training, the use of inclusive approaches in research, the provision of mentorship opportunities, and integrating the leadership of women into environmental policy frameworks in view of achieving sustainable development goals.