The northwestern region of the Sicily Channel hosts a great number of morphological highs, the widest of which is the Adventure Plateau that is part of the Sicilian Maghrebian Fold and Thrust Belt system, formed since the Neogene. The Adventure Plateau was shaped in the Early Pliocene by an extensional phase that produced high-angle normal faults mostly WNW-ESE to N-S oriented. Through these faults, magmatic fluids ascended and produced widespread volcanic manifestations often associated to fluid flow processes. The interpretation of multibeam echosounder, seismic reflection (sparker, airgun) and well-log data allow us to identify several features related to the presence of fluids in the study area. The morpho-structural analysis showed a NW–SE oriented fault system and a string of pockmarks that follow the same trend. A detailed well-log analysis confirmed the presence of oil traces, at a depth of ~ 250 m, and gas (i.e., CO₂) at a depth of ~ 450 m. The seismo-stratigraphic analysis highlighted seismic signals located below the pockmarks, (e.g. seismic chimneys, bright spots) which suggest the presence of fluids that would rise to a few meters’ depth. Based on the observations, two sources and two corresponding rising mechanisms have been identified. Morphometric analysis of pockmarks has been performed to delineate their possible interaction with the bottom currents. A fluids pathway model has been reconstructed, revealing the source of fluids emissions at depth in the Adventure Plateau, and providing new insights into the identification of fluid leakage pathways.

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).

Pockmarks, seafloor depressions, provide valuable insights into subsurface fluid migration and geological processes, representing a critical factor in seafloor morphological evolution. This study investigates the distribution and morphology of pockmarks in the Northwestern Sicily offshore (Sicily Straits) by integrating 2D seismic reflection profiles, multibeam bathymetric data, and advanced analytical techniques. Our primary aim is to discriminate actively degassing pockmarks and examine their spatial relationships with geological structures and stress-field-oriented tectonic features. While previous studies emphasized the role of subsurface fluid migration mechanisms, our findings highlight a significant correlation between pockmark locations and structural highs, with pockmarks clustering along the flanks of folds demarcated by fault zones. This spatial association suggests that structural elements act as primary conduits for fluid migration, focusing fluid escape at specific seafloor locations. To achieve these insights, we employed machine learning-based seismic attribute analysis and bathymetric processing. One toolchain automatically extracted seismic anomalies indicative of fluid pathways, such as bright spots, acoustic blanking zones, and gas chimneys. Another toolchain used morphometric wavelength analysis to classify and map pockmarks, enabling detailed morphological and spatial characterization. Our results reveal that while oceanographic processes such as the Adventure Bank Vortex play a role in shaping the morphology of elongated pockmarks, their spatial distribution is primarily influenced by structural controls. These findings refine the previous interpretations and provide a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between tectonic and oceanographic factors in shaping pockmark fields. This study underscores the importance of integrating structural, morphometric, and fluid-migration analyses to comprehensively assess pockmark dynamics and their implications for seabed evolution and geohazards.

It has long been recognized that the central Adria Plate, as well as the Dinaric-Hellenic sector, contains a vast volume of Triassic salt associated with diapirism and it is well know that Triassic evaporites developed in the Mediterranean Sea region over epicratonic platforms. Nearby the Apennines and Dinaric-Hellenic front, several authors highlighted the presence of Triassic salt structures such as pillows, diapirs and salt walls, mostly triggered by Neogene tectonic shortening associated with the accretion of these opposite Chains. Nevertheless, in the Apulian foreland, representing the southernmost termination of the Adria plate the Northern Ionian Sea, Triassic evaporitic deposits have never been mapped due to the lack of explorative wells in this deepwater offshore sector. Based on seismic reflection profiles, we illustrate new evidences of Triassic evaporites in the Apulian foreland subsurface associated with two squeezed diapirs as evidence of regional shortening episodes, probably enucleated from inherited Mesozoic salt structures such as pillows and/or salt domes, thus implying new constrains on the paleogeographic reconstruction of the Northern Ionian Sea. The identification of halokinetic-related sequences up to the Plio-Quaternary foreland shallow sediments allows to constrain the evolution of the two diapirs. It results that they are reactivated till Plio-Pleistocene times in response to the compressive stress trasmitted by the Southern Apennines/Calabrian Arc and Hellenides to the Apulian foreland. Later, after Middle Pleistocene, they were dismembered by extensional tectonics related to Adria plate flexuring, as they represent areas of weakness. These observations make the regional geological contest one of the foundamental features controlling the Plio-Pleistocene Triassic evaporitic squeezing in the southern Adria Plate.

This study explores fault activity and fluid migration in the NW Sicily Channel, focusing on the Adventure Plateau, using 2D seismic data, multi-attribute seismic analysis, and machine-learning-based fault detection. We assess the structural controls on fluid escape pathways and pockmark formation by applying seismic attributes such as fault probability, similarity, dip variance, and textural entropy. Our findings reveal that pockmarks are spatially confined near structural highs, where near-vertical faults cross-cut the Terravecchia Formation and extend to the seafloor. Additionally, polygonal faults – despite hosting gas/fluids – do not contribute to pockmark formation, suggesting that tectonic discontinuities, rather than sediment compaction alone, govern active seepage. To enhance fault characterization, we introduce a machine-learning-derived Fault Probability Section, providing a quantitative assessment of fault likelihood, surpassing traditional seismic interpretation. Our study proposes that pockmarks serve as proxies for active faulting, offering a new approach for offshore fault characterization. This method holds implications for seismic hazard assessment, hydrocarbon exploration, and geohazard monitoring.