GEOLOGY OF THE ALPI APUANE AND THEIR MARBLES: AN UPDATE OVERVIEW

The Alpi Apuane are renowned globally for their marble deposits, notably the famed white Carrara marble, quarried there for over two millennia. The occurrence of marble within a region predominantly composed of non-metamorphic rock types has captivated geological interest since the early 19th century. Consequently, this area was the site of Italy’s earliest modern geological maps and remains a crucial zone for structural and tectonic research. Following a general tectonic introduction, this study provides a current geological synthesis of the Alpi Apuane, emphasizing structures, tectono-metamorphic development, and the chronology of deformation events. Furthermore, the microstructural variability of the marbles will be illustrated and correlated with the different kinematic and dynamic stages of the wedge at the crustal scale.