Study on Sardinia's geological history
A study published in 2023 in the journal Tectonics by researchers from the INGV has reconstructed the geological journey of southern Sardinia from the European continental margin, based on the fossil magnetization of its rocks. The research indicates that Sardinia and Corsica were once part of the same segment of the European margin, adjacent to present-day Provence.Tectonic movement over millions of years
Around 30 million years ago, the crust fractured, opening a marine basin that gradually detached this block from the continent through plate tectonics. The movement occurred at a rate of a few centimeters per year, akin to the growth of a fingernail, and over millions of years, this slow motion displaced the lithosphere over hundreds of kilometers.Differential movement of the island
However, southern Sardinia rotated more significantly than the northern part of the island and Corsica, indicating that the entire region did not move as a rigid piece. This differential movement suggests complex interactions between the tectonic plates and the underlying mantle.Volcanic activity during separation
This separation was accompanied by intense volcanic activity. Between approximately 29 and 13 million years ago, the west of the island erupted lavas, ashes, and large sheets of rock fused by heat, known as ignimbrites, during sometimes highly explosive eruptions.
