Regional scale surface of the top of the Variscan basement in the central sector of Italy.

In this study, we combined regional geology and geostatistical analytical processing to model the top surface of the Variscan basement in Italy. This surface, which is overlain by the preAlpine sedimentary cycle (Upper Carboniferous – Permian) followed by the Alpine Mesozoic and Tertiary cycles, covers a significant portion of the Italian peninsula and the Adriatic Sea. We integrated crustal seismic profiles, deep well litho-stratigraphic information and small-scale geological maps of Italy. A regional scale map of the depth of the investigated surface was thus produced using geostatistical processing. The level of reliability of our map varies depending on the distribution of subsurface data from wells and seismic profiles. However, this method is easily replicable, providing quick updates when new data become available. The map can help to identify areas with high potential for natural deep georesources and guide the exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]