South-central Europe, including the eastern portions of the Mediterranean basin reflect the regional processes and history of the broader Alpine orogenic belt. This belt is the result of convergence between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate. This convergence is characterized by a range of geological activity, including large-scale translation of crustal blocks, volcanism, regional faulting, earthquake activity, and mountain building.

The Adriatic region (or "Adria") has long been recognized as geologically and tectonically distinct. Recently, some researchers have seen the lithosphere underlying the Adriatic as forming a promontory of the African Plate, carrying deformation and faulting deep into the interior of more-stable south-central Europe. In contrast, other researchers have proposed that this region forms a discrete microplate, rotating counterclockwise about a pole located in northwest Italy.

Nor are the effects of Adriatic motion limited to the immediate vicinity. The Pannonian basin and the surrounding mountain chains, for example, are far removed from any active plate boundary, but significant deformation and fault motion appears to be occurring. The numerous historical earthquake that have been recorded are consistent with far-field stresses imposed on the plate by Adria motion.

The nature of the motion of the Adriatic block, the rates of motion, and the distribution of deformation over both space and time have broad implications for the geologic framework of the region. Of particular societal significance, motion of Adria appears to drive faulting and earthquake activity not only in the circum-Adriatic, but well into the interior of southern and south-central Europe. Seismic activity around the Adriatic is fairly intense; activity is concentrated onshore, especially in the northwest and the southeast coasts of the Sea.