Crustal motion along the Calabro-Peloritano Arc as imaged by twelve years of measurements on a dense GPS network

In this work, we show the results of 12 years of continuous and survey-mode GPS measurements carried out along the western part of the Calabro-Peloritano Arc, from 1996 until the more recent acquisitions in 2008. The results highlight that a NW–SE-oriented ~ 0.15 μstrain/yr extension across the Messina Strait and the Aeolian–Tindari–Letojanni fault system is active. Moreover, a N–S compressive strain-rate (~ 0.65 μstrain/yr) is acting across Vulcano and Lipari Islands coupled with an extensional strain-rate of ~ 0.15 μstrain/yr in the E–W direction. Finally, taking into account the observed horizontal velocity field, an analytical inversion was performed to obtain a reliable model of deformation of the investigated area. The main results are consistent both with focal mechanism solutions and the current structural setting of the investigated area.