The Pliocene-Quaternary evolution of the western margin of the Calabrian Arc has been investigated by analysing the configuration and distribution of local sedimentary basins and their relationship with shallow and deep tectonic structures. Research focussed on the evolution of the more recent offshore sedimentary basins located to the east of Sicily, along the Alfeo Fault System, using multichannel seismic lines, high-resolution bathymetry and newly acquired single-channel seismic profiles. The chosen study area encompasses a crustal sector where external thrusts of the Calabrian Arc branch into the Malta Escarpment, and this zone has been interpreted as a Subduction Transform Edge Propagator (STEP) Fault. The Western Ionian Sea is bounded by regional faults that controlled the deposition of the Pliocene-Quaternary sequences and define the present-day bathymetry. In this work we identified four main seismic sequences and three main unconformities in the basins, to better understand the geometry and the depositional setting of the basins. In addition, lateral correlation and 3D reconstruction of the sedimentary basins allows us to establish the direct relationship between the Alfeo Fault System activity and the geometry, the thickness, the evolution and filling phases of the sedimentary basins in this area. Results presented show how the Alfeo Fault drove the development of separate basin depocenters in the early stages of tectonic activity, resulting in a single elongated basin in the latest phases. The inferred fault kinematics, the analysis of displacements along strike and sediment thickening suggest a link with the slab geometry, as occurs in other subduction systems that develop subduction related faults. The results and the method applied in this study can also be applied for the interpretation of similar systems with similar geological settings in other areas of the world.

通过分析当地沉积盆地的构造和分布及其与浅、深构造构造的关系，研究了卡拉布里亚弧西缘的上新世-第四纪演化。研究的重点是位于西西里岛东部沿 Alfeo 断层系统的较新近海沉积盆地的演化，使用多道地震线、高分辨率测深和新获得的单道地震剖面。选定的研究区域包括一个地壳部分，卡拉布里亚弧分支的外部推力进入马耳他悬崖，该区域被解释为俯冲转换边缘传播器（STEP）断层。西部爱奥尼亚海以区域断层为界，这些断层控制上新世-第四纪层序的沉积并定义了当今的水深。在这项工作中，我们确定了盆地中的四个主要地震序列和三个主要不整合面，以更好地了解盆地的几何形状和沉积环境。此外，沉积盆地的横向对比和 3D 重建使我们能够建立 Alfeo 断层系统活动与该地区沉积盆地的几何形状、厚度、演化和充填阶段之间的直接关系。所呈现的结果显示了 Alfeo 断层如何在构造活动的早期阶段推动独立盆地沉积中心的发展，从而在最新阶段形成一个拉长的盆地。推断的故障运动学，对沿走向的位移和沉积物增厚的分析表明，这与板块几何形状有关，就像在其他俯冲系统中发生的那样，这些系统会产生与俯冲相关的断层。本研究中应用的结果和方法也可用于解释世界其他地区具有相似地质背景的类似系统。