We present a high resolution DTM of the Palinuro Seamount (PS, Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) resulting from the
processing of multibeam swath bathymetry records acquired during the second leg of the “Aeolian 2007”
cruise. PS consists of several superimposed volcanoes aligned along a N100°E strike and measures
55×25 km. The western and the central sectors result from the coalescence of collapse structures (calderas)
with younger volcanic cones. The eastern sector reveals a more complex and articulated structure. In the
central sector, a volcanic crater with a well-preserved rim not obliterated by erosional events suggests a
volcanological rejuvenation of this sector. The presence of flat surfaces on the top of the seamount may be
due to the formation of marine terraces during the last sea-level lowering. Lateral collapses on the northern
and southern flanks of the seamount are probably related to slope instability, as suggested by the presence of
steep slopes (25–40°). The main fault affecting PS strikes N65°E and shows a right lateral component of
movement. E–W and N10°E striking faults are also present.
Assuming that theN100°E deep-seated fault,which is responsible for theemplacement of PS,movedwith sinistral
slips, we interpret the N65°E and the N10°E faults as right-lateral (second order) shear and left-lateral (third
order) shear, respectively. Due to the particular location of the Palinuro Seamount, the data presented here allow
us to better understand the volcanism and the geodynamic processes of the Tyrrhenian Sea