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International audience; This article reports results of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/ 14N) stable isotope analysis performed on the bone collagen of a Late Epigravettian human individual and 11 faunal remains from the Upper Palaeolithic deposits of Riparo Tagliente (Verona, Italy). Riparo Tagliente is located in Valpantena on the pre-alpine massif of Monti Lessini, at 250 m a.s.l. Its strategic position, about halfway from the plain and the top of the limestone plateau, has allowed the groups that occupied the site to exploit different ecosystems. The human skeleton comes from an incomplete burial excavated in 1973 and belongs to a young adult male. It is dated between 16,634 and 15,286 cal BP (OxA-10672). The δ13C (−18.4‰) and δ15N (13.0‰) values of the human individual are enriched compared to those of herbivores on average by +1.2‰ in 13C and +10.0‰ in 15N, and to the omnivores on average by +1.4‰ in 13C and +7.2‰ in 15N. Isotopic values would indicate an origin of proteins from terrestrial herbi-vores and high trophic level species. These data match with the results of taphonomic analyses carried out on the bone remains of herbivores, while the study of other species as fish is still in progress. more...

In order to assess the effects of possible future sea-level rise in the Sele plain, the lowlands prone to inundation and the rate of coastal erosion in the years 2050 and 2100 have been discussed and some conclusions are here proposed. The sea level at these two dates was calculated as the combination of three components: response of Italian coastal zones to the past deglaciation, variations in ocean volume due to the global warming and vertical land movements. The morpho-stratigraphical data, chronologically supported by C-14 and by archeo-tephro-stratigraphical dating, have allowed the identification of paleo-sea levels of the upper Pleistocene and Holocene (Amato et al. 2011). Such paleo-sea levels compared with those of the tectonically stable areas (Lambeck et al. 2011), permitted the detection of the different vertical land movements in the study area. In particular, in the SE sector of the coastal plain, the Holocene paleo-sea levels are slightly higher (ca. 1-2 m). These values could be considered due to a gentle uplift of the area during Holocene times (0.22 mm/year). In the central sector of the plain, near the Sele river mouth and in the NW sector, between the Sele and Tusciano river mouths, the altitude of the Late Quaternary coastal and lagoonal deposits are slightly lower (ca. 2-3 m). These values could be related to a gentle subsidence of the area during the Holocene (0.4 mm/year). The sea level rise of 5.9 mm/year (IPCC 2007) and 14 mm/year (Rahmstorf 2007) was considered to represent the maximum trends in the ocean volume variation at global scale. The third component, the glacio-hydro-isostasy, was represented by the value of 0.44 mm/year identified by Lambeck et al. (2011) at the Sele plain. The sum of these three components allowed to identify three sea-level scenarios slightly different for the northern and the southern sector of Sele plain, with values ranging from 357 to 1,526 mm and from 307 to 1,424 mm, respectively. For each scenario a simple approach was used, mainly based on the topographic elevation analysis of study area, applied to identify the extension of possible areas of inundation. It corresponds to a minimum value of about 0.42 km(2) for the 2050 AD and a maximum value of 7.6 km(2) for the 2100. Furthermore, according to the methodology proposed by Davidson-Arnott (2005), also the beach erosion was evaluated. The computations showed a potential mean landward retreat of the shoreline ranging from 19 to 93 m. more...

This paper provides new relative sea level data inferred from coastal archaeological sites located along the Turkish coasts of the Gulf of Fethye (8 sites), and Israel, between Akziv and Caesarea (5 sites). The structures selected are those that, for effective functioning, can be accurately related to sea level at the time of their construction. Thus their positions with respect to present sea level provide a measure of the relative sea level change since their time of construction. Useful information was obtained from the investigated sites spanning an age range of ˜2.3–˜1.6 ka BP. The inferred changes in relative sea level for the two areas are distinctly different, from a rise of 2.41 to 4.50 m in Turkey and from 0 to 0.18 m in Israel. Sea level change is the combination of several processes, including vertical tectonics, glacio–hydro-isostatic signals associated with the last glacial cycle, and changes in ocean volume. For the Israel section, the present elevations of the MIS-5.5 Tyrrhenian terraces occur at a few meters above present sea level and vertical tectonic displacements are small. Data from GPS and tide gauge measurements also indicate that any recent vertical movements are small. The MIS-5.5 shorelines are absent from the investigated section of the Turkish coast, consistent with crustal subsidence associated with the Hellenic Arc. The isostatic signals for the Israel section of the coast are also small (ranging from −0.11 mm/yr to 0.14 mm/yr, depending on site and earth model) and the observed (eustatic) average sea level change, corrected for this contribution, is a rise of 13.5 ± 2.6 cm during the past ˜2 ka. This is attributed to the time-integrated contribution to sea level from a combination of thermal expansion and other increases in ocean volume. The observed sea levels from the Turkish sites, in contrast, indicate a much greater rise of up to 2.2 mm/yr since 2.3 ka BP occurring in a wide area between Knidos and Kekova. The isostatic signal here is also one of a rising sea level (of up to ˜1 mm/yr and site and earth-model dependent) and the corrected tectonic rate of land subsidence is ˜1.48 mm/yr. This is the primary cause of dramatic relative sea level rise for this part of the coast. more...

In 2005, the National Geological Survey of Italy released the new sheet, 557 Cagliari (1:50.000 scale). A coastal barrier marine formation at Is Arenas (Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy), containing Strombus bubonius, was reassigned a Holocene age, in contradiction with extensive literature published over the past century indicating an MIS 5.5 age. In 2007, spurred by this controversy, a short note was published in Il Quaternario demonstrating the stratigraphic difficulties in attributing the age of this formation to the Holocene. Later, another paper signed by numerous Italian geologists was published in Il Quaternario criticizing the Holocene attribution. The tectonic consequences of assigning a Holocene age to these deposits are of great significance, as their elevation could only be explained by strong uplift over the past few thousand years. Such a tectonic setting would imply a radical change in the recent geodynamic history of Sardinia, which is considered to be among the most stable areas of the Mediterranean basin. This paper provides further geochronological data for a MIS 5 age for the deposits at Is Arenas. Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) analyses were performed on 4 fossil shells sampled along the fossil baymouth bar. The results established an MIS 5 age. The amino acid racemization (AAR) and U-series data that first determined a correlation with the last interglacial, Tyrrhenian age of this ancient shoreline is reviewed, with additional documentation provided by the fossil marker S. bubonius. more...

Published and new sea level data are used to provide projections of sea level change in Italy for the year 2100 by adding new isostatic and tectonic component to the IPCC and Rahmstorf projections. Comparison of the observations from more than 130 sites (with different geomorphological and archaeological sea level markers) with the predicted sea level curves provides estimates of the vertical tectonic contribution to the relative sea level change. The results are based on the most recent ANU model for the ice sheets of both hemispheres, including an alpine deglaciation model. On the basis of the eustatic, tectonic and isostatic components to the sea level change, projections are provided for marine inundation scenarios for the Italian coastal plains for the year 2100, that today are at elevations close to current sea level. more...

Olbia Gulf, located in northeastern Sardinia, is bordered by granite, metamorphic rock, and limestones (Capo Figari and Tavolara Island). It has been an important merchant harbour for three thousand years. Tidal notches in limestone, considered one of the best sea level markers, are present between 5.1 and 8.6 m a.s.l. A fossil beach deposit on Tavolara Island is of Tyrrhenian age (MIS 5.5, 125 ka). Between 1999 and 2001, during the building of a new Olbia harbour tunnel, many shipwrecks hidden under recent fine sediments have been discovered. The archaeological excavation (380 x 20 m, to the surface of the carbonate bedrock at 4 m depth) was done by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici per le provincie di Sassari e Nuoro (Olbia branch). During the archaeological excavation campaign, thousands of ceramics, other materials which were not in situ , and 24 shipwrecks of different age and size were recovered. Eleven of these wrecks were sunk while they were still in the harbour during an attack by the Vandals in the middle of the fifth century. This attack determined the beginning of a sharp decline of Olbia, and gives a clear picture of one of the turning points of the Mediterranean cultural evolution: the end of the Roman Empire. Considering −1.4 m as the average altitude of the shipwrecks on the silty bottom of the Olbia Harbour and comparing this value with the predicted sea level curve from the Lambeck model calculated for northern Sardinia (−1 m ca. 1500 cal BP), it appears clear that the ships were at the margin of the harbour in water depth of less than 0.5 m. This confirms: a) the previous archaeological interpretation; and b) that the northern Sardinian coast was stable during the last millennia. Due to the tectonic stability of the coastal area, the evolution of the shoreline from the Bronze age (4 ka cal BP) up to 21.5 ka cal BP (LGM, last glacial maximum) is reconstructed. more...

During the GEOITALIA 2009 Italian Forum on Earth Science, a Session on relative sea-level changes reconstructed using archaeological and geomorphological markers was held. The main aim of this session was to enable researchers working on this important issue in the central Mediterranean area to present their latest findings, particularly as concerns the relations between tectonics and sea level. Many session contributions were dedicated to coastal sectors located in the central Mediterranean area, including the coastline and offshore territory of Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. Studies in Tunisia, Libya, Turkey and Israel were also presented. The contributions included in the issue can be grouped within four broad approaches to the relative sea level investigation, with a prevailing, but not exclusive, focus on field studies of the relation between tectonics and sea level. The main two groups are more specifically dedicated to the coastline environment and make use of archaeological (group one) or geomorphological and biological (group two) markers to establish past shoreline displacement. A smaller group includes two studies carried offshore using morphometric properties extracted from marine geophysical data to detect marine terraces and past sea-level changes. A final paper by Lambeck and co-workers, as stated above, uses geophysical models for predictions of sea-level change. In the following, the main results obtained by individual contributions within the four groups are briefly summarized. more...

A continuously cored borehole was used to analyse Holocene relative sea-level changes in the Pescara coastal plain, located along the central Adriatic coast (Abruzzo, central Italy). The core was retrieved from the uppermost 19 m deposits, 600 m from the present-day shoreline. Sedimentological and palaeontological analyses identified a transition from fluvial strata to brackish-water, lagoon and foreshore deposits. Five biological sea-level markers were sampled and their ages, constrained by AMS 14 C dating, span between 2.39 and 7.68 ka cal BP. Heights (m above mean sea level) of the collected samples have been corrected, taking into consideration uncertainties of the vertical positioning with respect to palaeo-sea level. Vertical tectonic displacements have been evaluated through the comparison of relative sea-level data with the site-specific predicted Holocene sea-level curve. Correlations with available morphotectonic and stratigraphic data also were used. The results suggest negligible rates of vertical tectonic displacement during the Holocene, at least along a coastal strip of 40 km located between Pescara and Sangro river mouths (Abruzzo). more...

New data of sea level changes for the Mediterranean region along the coasts of northern Africa are presented. Data are inferred from archaeological sites of Punic-Roman age located along the coast of Tunisia, between Tunis and Jerba island and along the western coast of Libya, between Sabratha and Leptis Magna. Data are based on precise measures of presently submerged archaeological markers that are good indicators of past sea-level elevation. Nineteen selected archaeological sites were studied in Tunisia and four in Libya, all aged between ∼2.0 and ∼1.5 ka BP. The functional elevations of significant archaeological markers were measured with respect to the sea level at the time of measurements, applying corrections for tide and atmospheric pressure values. The functional elevations of specific architectural parts of the sites were interpreted, related to sea level at the time of their construction providing data on the relative changes between land and sea. Observations were compared against sea level change predictions derived from the glacio-hydro-isostatic model associated with the Last Glacial cycle. The results indicate that local relative sea level change along the coast of Tunisia and Libya, has increased 0.2 ÷ 0.5 m since the last ∼2 ka. Besides minor vertical tectonic movements of the land, the observed changes are produced by eustatic and glacio-hydro-isostatic variations acting in the Mediterranean basin since the end of the last glacial maximum. more...

Although the Calabria region in southern Italy experienced Quaternary uplift, intense Holocene subsidence is documented at ancient Sybaris, one of the most powerful among the Greek colonies collectively known as Magna Greacia . Sybaris flourished along the Ionian Sea coast of north-eastern Calabria since 2.7 ka BP and until the end of the Roman empire, when it went progressively concealed below the ground. Study of the Latest Pleistocene–Holocene evolution of this area involved analysis of the relative sea-level history for individual borehole logs, based on re-calibration of published ages and stipulation of nominal sea-level positions related to each marker. For investigation of the short-term evolution, a novel compilation of geological and archaeological sea-level markers was supported by new radiometric ages. Appraisal of the position of dated markers, when compared to a sea-level curve built on purpose for this coast using an updated glacio-hydro-isostatic model, indicates a locally intense difference in vertical motion between boreholes located away from, or close to, the ancient town. Specifically, whereas data from the basement of the archaeological layers document large subsidence, more distant sites behaved differently. A site ∼2 km to the NW of the settlement was apparently stable throughout the Holocene, and a site ∼6 km to the SE experienced uplift at ∼1.5 mm/y since 0.6 ka BP. In addition, analysis reveals temporal changes in subsidence pattern in the archaeological area. Large (5–6 mm/y) Early Holocene subsidence at Sybaris slowed to ∼1.5 mm/y during the middle part of the Holocene. The slowing-down trend continued during and after historical occupation at ∼0.8 mm/y, a value similar to the long-term (35–40 ka BP) rate established from the deepest borehole samples. These data are interpreted as suggesting that sediment compaction affected the basement of Sybaris during the Early Holocene, and progressively ceased during historical times, when a tectonic signal prevailed. During historical time, the spatial difference in vertical motion is chiefly attributed to differential growth of nearby folds documented by morpho-tectonic studies on-land and seismic profiles analysis in the offshore of Sybaris. Whereas location above a syncline caused tectonic subsidence at Sybaris, the regions to the north and south record stability or uplift that reflects transition to growing anticlines. In the short term (1–10 ka scale), these local tectonic processes prevail over the regional uplift pattern, which is expressed at the 100 ka scale or over. more...

The northern Adriatic plate underwent Permian-Mesozoic rifting and was later shortened by three orogenic belts (i.e., Apennines, Alps and Dinarides) developed along three independent subduction zones. The inherited Mesozoic horst and graben grain determined structural undulations of the three thrust belts. Salients developed in grabens or more shaly basins, whereas recesses formed regularly around horsts. A new interpretation of seismic reflection profiles, subsidence rates from stratigraphic analysis, and GPS data prove that the three orogens surrounding the northern Adriatic plate are still active. The NE-ward migration of the Apennines subduction hinge determines the present-day faster subsidence rate in the western side of the northern Adriatic (> 1 mm/year). This is recorded also by the SW-ward dip of the foreland regional monocline, and the SW-ward increase of the depth of the Tyrrhenian sedimentary layer, as well as the increase in thickness of the Pliocene and Pleistocene sediments. These data indicate the dominant influence of the Apennines subduction, which controls the asymmetric subsidence in the northern Adriatic realm. The Dinarides front has been tilted by the Apennines subduction hinge, as shown by the eroded Dalmatian anticlines subsiding in the eastern Adriatic Sea. GPS data suggest that southward tilting of the western and central Southern Alps, whereas the eastern Southern Alps are uplifting. The obtained strain rates are on average within 20 nstrain/year. The horizontal shortening obtained from GPS velocities at the front of the three belts surrounding the northern Adriatic plate are about 2-3 mm/year (Northern Apennines), 1-2 mm/year (Southern Alps), and < 1 mm/year (Dinarides). The shortening directions tend to be perpendicular to the thrust belt fronts. The areas where the strain rate sharply decreases along a tectonic feature (e.g., the Ferrara salient, the Venetian foothills front) are proposed to be occupied by locked structures where stress is accumulating in the brittle layer and thus seismically prone. Finally, we speculate that, since the effects of three independent subduction zones coexist and overlap in the same area, plate boundaries are passive features. more...

The penultimate interglacial period was punctuated by three sea-level highstands. Uranium–thorium ages obtained from speleothems in Italian caves show that the relationship between the timing of the peaks in sea level and Northern Hemisphere insolation is dependent on the previous extent of continental ice sheets. Earth’s climate has oscillated between short-lived interglacial and extended glacial periods for the past million years. Before the last interglacial, absolutely dated markers of sea level become increasingly rare; hence, our knowledge of sea-level change driven by the waxing and waning of continental ice sheets before that time is largely based on proxy records from deep-sea cores1,2,3 that lack direct age control. Here we present precise U–Th ages for a remarkable collection of submerged speleothems4,5 from Italy, which record three sea-level highstands during the penultimate interglacial period, Marine Isotope Stage 7, from 245,000 to 190,000 years ago. We find that sea level rose above −18 m (relative to modern sea level) several thousand years before maximum Northern Hemisphere insolation during the first and third highstands. In contrast, the second highstand, Marine Isotope Stage 7.3, is essentially synchronous with the insolation maximum, and sea level during this highstand only peaked at about −18 m, even though the concurrent insolation forcing was the strongest of the three highstands. We attribute the different phasing and amplitude of the Marine Isotope Stage 7.3 highstand to the extensive continental glaciation that preceded it. This finding highlights the significance of cryosphere response time to the climate system. more...

Precise measurements of submerged archaeological markers in the Siracusa coast (Southeastern Sicily, Italy) provide new data on relative sea-level change during the late Holocene. Four submerged archaeological sites have been studied and investigated through direct observations. Two of them are Greek archaic in age (2.5–2.7 ka) and are now 0.98–1.48 m below sea level; the other two developed during the Bronze age (3.2–3.8 ka) and are now 1.03–1.97 m below sea level. These archaeological data have been integrated with information derived from a submerged speleothem collected in a cave located along the Siracusa coast at − 20 m depth. The positions of the archaeological markers have been measured with respect to present sea level, corrected for tide and pressure at the time of surveys. These data were compared with predicted sea-level rise curves for the Holocene using a glacio-hydro-isostatic model. The comparison with the curve for the southeastern Sicily coast yields a tectonic component of relative sea-level change related to regional uplift. Uplift rates between 0.3 and 0.8 mm/yr have been estimated. more...

The Fronte Section, a well-exposed stratigraphic succession from southern Italy (Taranto area), provides an uninterrupted marine sedimentary record of MIS 5e. At this location, a highly expanded (8.5 m thick) stratigraphic succession, unconformably overlying Middle Pleistocene marine clay deposits, provides evidence for sea-level fluctuations during the Last Interglacial. An integrated study of Fronte Section, including fades analysis, detailed macrofaunal and meiofaunal characterization, and sequence stratigraphy, is presented. The occurrence of Persististrombus laws (=Strombus bubonius) and other warm-water indicators ("Senegalaise" - "Senegalian" - guests of Gignoux, 1913), together with the presence of the dinocyst Polysphaeridium zoharyi and ten U-series dates on Cladocora caespitosa samples, permit an unequivocal MIS 5e age assignment to the upper part of the study succession. Above a stratigraphic unconformity marked by the boring coastal-lagoonal bivalve Pholas dactylus, the MIS 5e succession displays a first transgressive suite of brackish to shallow-marine deposits. These latter include highly fossiliferous muds rich in C. caespitosa, overlain by a fossil-rich calcarenite, 2 m-thick, yielding warm-water "Senegalian" mollusks. Above this prominent stratigraphic marker (regionally called panchina), which is interpreted to represent a short-lived phase of sea-level stillstand or gentle fall during MIS 5e, renewed transgression took place, leading to the accumulation of middle-outer shelf muds, about 5 m thick. The maximum flooding zone is clearly identified on the basis of the turnaround from a deepening-up to a shallowing-up trend. The upper part of Fronte Section records a second fossil-rich, sublittoral calcarenite containing warm-water mollusks, which is interpreted to reflect the subsequent phase of sea-level highstand, likely correlative with the MIS 5e plateau. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. more...

We present the results of detailed litho-, bio-, and magnetostratigraphic investigations along the Fronte section (Taranto, Italy), where the facies distribution is interpreted using a combined palaeoecological and sequence-stratigraphic approach. The data obtained so far suggest a continuous sedimentary record at the Fronte site, where the MIS 5e peak and subsequent highstand are documented, thus providing robust evidence for the Last Interglacial sedimentary interval. more...

We present the first detailed survey of tidal notches in the central Mediterranean area, in particular along the coastline of Gozo and Comino (Malta). The Maltese Islands represent one of the few sites in the Sicily Channel which exhibits coastal carbonate rocks. Marine notches on the islands of Gozo and Comino were surveyed by means of a seven day continuous snorkeling survey around the entire perimeter of the two islands. We surveyed the occurrence, lack and typology of marine notches and we correlated them with late Holocene sea level changes. Sea temperature (T) and electrical conductivity (EC) were collected along the route in order to locate the submarine springs and to relate them to the surveyed notches.A well-carved continuous roof notch was discovered along most of the plunging cliffs. It is well-carved out, in particular along the northern and western coast of Gozo. It develops from about 0.2 m above the mean sea level down and it can be up to 1.5–2 m deep. On the contrary, tidal notches are localised only in 8 sites. In 2 sites, Vermetid trottoirs develop at low tide level. In addition, at about −7 m to −10 m m.s.l., a 2–5 m wide marine terrace develops along extensive tracts of plunging cliffs, always in correspondence with the roof notches. This submerged terrace seem to be the result of the late Holocene slowdown of the sea level rise, which started to smooth the terrace and to carve out the submerged part of the roof notch, thanks to the exposed location of the islands and the favourable lithology.Through the collection of hydrological data, the presence of 21 submarine springs were detected. They occur mainly in the south-western coast of Gozo and on eastern coast of Comino. Anyway, marine notches seem not to be related to the freshwater outflow, such as those in the Adriatic Sea, because the studied islands are very exposed. As a consequence, along the Maltese islands bioerosion seems to be the most effective process in notch development., peer-reviewed more...

Instrumental records indicate that ocean volumes during the 20th century have increased so as to raise eustatic sea level by f1–2 mm/year and the few available records suggest that this is higher than for the previous century. Geological data indicate that ocean volumes have increased since the main phase of deglaciation about 7000 years ago but whether this continued into the recent past remains unclear. Yet, this is important for establishing whether the recent rise is associated with global warming or is part of a longer duration non-anthropogenic signal. Here, we present results for sea-level change in the central Mediterranean basin for the Roman Period using new archaeological evidence. These data provide a precise measure of local sea level of 1.35F0.07 m at 2000 years ago. Part of this change is the result of ongoing glacio-hydro isostatic adjustment of the crust subsequent to the last deglaciation. When corrected for this, using geologically constrained model predictions, the change in eustatic sea level since the Roman Period is 0.13F0.09 m. A comparison with tide-gauge records from nearby locations and with geologically constrained model predictions of the glacio-isostatic contributions establishes that the onset of modern sea-level rise occurred in recent time at f100F53 years before present. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. more...

Several Quaternary sea-level changes are recorded by speleothems in the Argentarola Cave (Italy), which is currently flooded by the Mediterranean Sea. Speleothems with a sequence of continental layers and marine biogenic overgrowths (serpulid colonies), all presently covered by living serpulids, were sampled at water depths between −3.5 and −21.7 m. The composite sequence contains five marine and four continental layers, formed over the last 215 ka. The Mediterranean Sea flooded the cave during two short periods of MIS 7 (7.3 and 7.1), as well as during an episode at the end of MIS 6 and during MIS 5, when a thick biogenic overgrowth grew during MIS 5.2 and 5.4. Thin continental layers also formed during the LGM. This final speleothem layer was interrupted during the Holocene sea-level rise, but at different times in each speleothem. A Holocene sea-level curve has been constructed from this same layer. A thin marine layer, found only in the deeper stalagmites at −21.5 and −21.7 m, is tentatively related to the short marine transgression of Termination II, after 145 ka BP and before MIS 5.5. The island of Argentarola lies in a tectonically stable area and our data generally agree with the results obtained by other authors on speleothems from the Bahamas. The data presented here are compared with the SPECMAP curve and other recently published sea-level curves. more...

Relative sea-level change along the Italian coast and adjacent seas—the combined result of eustasy, glacio-hydro-isostasy and vertical tectonic motion—exhibits considerable spatial and temporal variability throughout the Holocene. The tectonic contribution can be evaluated from the elevation of MIS 5.5 shoreline-markers that are well developed in many localities and the eustatic and isostatic contributions can be predicted from models of ice sheets and earth rheology. Discrepancies between observed Holocene sea levels and model predicted values provide the information for refiningthe model parameters, includingthe tectonic rates of vertical movement. Recent and new Holocene and MIS 5.5 information from 30 sites in Italy has been evaluated and compared with model results to calibrate the predictive model. The resultingparameters for the earth rheology and for the eustatic (ice-volume equivalent) sea-level function are consistent with results from regions outside of the Mediterranean and reflect global values. Using the calibrated model parameters the relative sea-level change due to eustasy and the concomitant isostasy is predicted across the central Mediterranean region. Holocene tectonic rates of vertical motion are also given for the Italian coastal zone. At most sites where the MIS 5.5 shoreline occurs above or below its ‘tectonically stable’ position, the inferred rates of vertical crustal displacements are consistent with the assumption that average rates for the past B125,000 years are comparable to the average Holocene rates, but at some locations in eastern Sicily and southern Calabria the Holocene rates exceed the longer term average rates. r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. more...

Sclerochronology was applied to recent, Holocene and Pleistocene samples of Cladocora caespitosa. Late Pliocene samples were recrystallised and thus unsuitable for sclerochronology. Quaternary samples showed a clear, alternating banding pattern as in the living coral, confirming a marked seasonality of past climate. The computed mean annual growth rates ranged from 2.1 to 6.9 mm year 1 , with highest growth rates during the warmer phase (isotope stage 5e) of the first climate cycle. It is hypothesised that the largest fossil banks of C. caespitosa grew in a coastal environment with considerable alluvial inputs and warmer temperatures than today. D 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. more...

The presence of Vermetid reefs in temperate waters, their diffusion in the Mediterranean Sea, and the possibility of performing 14 C ages allowed the use of Vermetids as an indicator of sea level changes. We present new data on sea climate trend fluctuations that could be interpreted as Sea Surface Temperature (SST) variations, recorded on Vermetid (Dendropoma petraeum) reefs, by means of isotopic analysis. The isotopic records show positive values of the d 18 O relative to present-day values in the period between 1600 and 1850 AD; this deviation occurs in association with the climatic cooling event known as Little Ice Age (LIA). Subsequently, we can observe the warming trend that characterized the last century. These preliminary results indicate that Vermetids could be considered a new SST proxy-data for the Mediterranean Sea and, more generally, for temperate areas. D 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. more...

The northeast coast of Sicily shows emergent marine features that have been uplifting during the Holocene along the footwalls of two major regional fault systems, the Malta Escarpment and Messina fault system. Previously, uplift rates were interpreted as up to about 1.8 mm/mm a−1. New dates on shelly remains, collected close to sea-level, from the Taormina area north of Mount Etna, and amended sea-level curves, are used to show that uplift over the past 6000 years has been proceeding at a slower rate of about 1.4 mm a−1. However, over a longer time period, from the Tyrrhenian Oxygen Isotope Stage 5.5 (about 125 ka) to the present day, the uplift rate has been yet slower, at about 1 mm a−1. Northeast Sicily lies in a complex plate boundary region whereas, in contrast, the rest of Sicily appears to have been stable throughout the later Quaternary. Further comparisons show that the French Mediterranean coast [Lambeck, Bard (2000) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 175, 202–222] is a region of crustal stability, where movement is dominated by subsidence of the outer portion of the proglacial forebulge of the last glaciation. There the coastline has been progressively submerged during the Holocene, and sea level has never been higher than at present. Northeastern Sicily uplift is therefore more likely controlled by plate processes that mask most of the effects of glacio-hydro-isostatic adjustment. more...

The opening of the north-central Tyrrhenian Sea is the result of the Cretaceous- Paleogene alpine collision, which triggered a series of regional uplift, subsidence and transcurrent tectonic mechanisms along the coastal Tyrrhenian sectors of peninsular Italy. These tectonic pro- cesses, in conjunction with the effects of glacio- and hydro-isostasy during the Quaternary, produced substantial crustal responses that, in some cases, reached metres in extent. In the study of coastal neotectonics, geomorphological markers of the last interglacial maximum, corresponding to marine isotope stage 5.5, are generally used to quantify the magnitude of the vertical crustal displacements that have occurred since 125 kyr. Through altimetrical, palaeoenvironmental and chronological reinterpretation of the most significant works published since 1913, combined with an additional set of data reported here, a detailed reconstruction of the shoreline displacements evident along 500 km of coast between northern Tuscany and southern Latium is presented. The reconstruction was carried out by quantifying the vertical movement since the last interglacial period and by identifying the tectonic behaviour of different coastal sectors. This has been done by carefully choosing the eustatic marker, among those available at each study site, in order to minimize the margin of error associated with the measurements. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. more...

We studied the last 2 ka sea level change along the Italian, Slovenian and Croatian coastlines (Eastern Adriatic Sea) using archaeological and geomorphological markers surveyed between Duino and S. Simonov, along the eastern part of the Gulf of Trieste. Moreover, we present 14C AMS analyses provided on lagoonal fossil shells compraised between 9.7 an 4.6 ka BP at altitude between -1.3 and -4.5 m in Istria. Many Authors (Pirazzoli, 1980; Fouache et al., 2000; Benac et al., 2004) published geomorphological, archaeological and sismotectonic research works between the coast of Duino (Trieste) up to the central coast of Croatia (Zadar). Along the limestone coast, the Authors revealed a quasi-continous occurence of a submerged marine notch at a depth between –0.5 m and –1.0 m. In addition, Roman age archaeological markers were measured at depths lower than –0.5 m and often lower than –1.0 m. Antonioli et al. (2004) provided geomorphogical observations on marine notches in the Gulf of Trieste between –0.7 m and –2.55 m. Since the northern part of the Gulf is dominated by highly conservative limestone rocks, we provide new detailed geomorphological measurements, surveying a continous marine notch in 11 different sites. In this area there are no archaeological remains related to sea level changes. On the contrary, since the southern coast between Stramare (Italy) and Izola (Slovenija) is dominated by Flysch, there are no notches but 5 submerged archaeological sites. The altitude of the marine notch vary between –0.65 m on the Miramare olistoliths and –0.9 m in Canovella de’ Zoppoli. The depth of the notch increases in direction of Duino, from –1.3 m close to the Sistiana Harbour to –2.55 m below the castle of Duino. This situation highlights a clear SE-NW tilting versus in the Gulf of Trieste. Braitenberg et al. (2005), on the basis of tidal gauge data (over 110 years) and the movement of the last 30 years of the Grotta Gigante pendulum, hypothesized that NW movements could still be active. In the southern part of the Gulf, the mean values of the tide and pressure-corrected archaeological measurements (all provided by harbour stones) indicate a depth of -1.6±0.5 m for the 2 ky Bp sea level (Roman age – I sec. A.D., dated with an amphora at the base of the stones), assuming the top of the wall of the harbours at an altitude of about -0.9 m. more...

The north-eastern Sicily coast reflects the effects of Holocene active tectonics associated to subduction system of Ionian crust beneath the Calabrian arc (CAPUTO et alii, 1970; WESTAWAY, 1993, DOGLIONI et alii, 1999). The latter, characterized by a stack of crystalline rock and its sedimentary cover, is the highest structural element in the Sicily chain. The Calabrian arc is a region that records one of the major Quaternary vertical tectonic movement in the whole Mediterranean basin. This uplift, well documented from Last Interglacial, is expressed as vertical variation of the height of the Quaternary marine terraces inner margin that characterize the north-eastern Sicily coast. The uplift can be divided into a "continuous" regional component and in an "episodic"coseismic component (FERRANTI et alii, 2007). The northwest Sicily coast shows as the uplift rates estimated for the Holocene have values greater than those estimated at the same point from Last Interglacial (ANTONIOLI et alii, 2006). At the regional scale it is possible to observe a decrease in uplift rates from Cape Peloro (1.1 mm / year) to Palermo and Capo S. Vito (stable). In north-eastern Sicily, between Capo d'Orlando and Capo Calavà, we studied the Brolo Stack, located in the central part of a small bay along the coast facing Brolo village. This area pertains to the northwestern sector of Peloritani Mountains (western portion of the Calabrian arc), which extend in E-W direction from Messina Straits to S. Agata di Militello village. In particular the tectonic style is characterized by tectonically overlapping bodies, generally dipping toward the northern quadrants. The Brolo coastal area is characterized by a wide coastal alluvial plain fed by two big rivers. On this plain rises a metamorphic salient, a sub-circular cylindrical structure, about 50 m high, placed inshore at 250 m from the coastline. In particular, the Brolo Stack is an outcrop of a residual block of impure, medium grain, marble interspersed with Paleozoic paragneiss and mica schists, which largely outcrops in the hinterland. These lithotypes are the crystalline substrate on which develops the current depositional sequence. The Brolo Stack constitutes a "lentil" of metamorphic rock emerging above the 14-18 m deep seafloor at 450 m from the coastline. The objective of this study is to calculate the potential vertical movements and assume when they could have occurred. To do this a detailed geomorphological subaerial and an underwater survey were conducted, which led to discovery a fossils bearing conglomerate (Fig. 1), in protected trays at 3.5 m from sea level, and well preserved lithophaga holes (Fig. 2) at about 70 cm from sea level. The Brolo stack show a particular morphological feature, different in the emerged and submerged parts (Fig. 3). The emerged portion strikes along the E-W trend for a length of about 43 m, being 29 m wide and about 15 m high. It has a mushroom shape with the submerged part more closely than the emerged, the result of combined physical and chemical processes triggered by both sea level rise and tectonic vertical movements. A system of schistosity gives to the white-to-gray stack an apparent stratification organized in decimetric beds with lying 005/60°. The whole structure is fractured along multiple directions often containing dark poorly consolidated volcanic rock. Large angular blocks are found on the seabed at the base of the submerged cliffs; their collapse is the result of mechanical erosion due to the high energy waves and the schistosity and intensely fractured structure of the rocks. The underwater survey allowed us to recognize little terraces at different depth recognized as structural surfaces. We used radiocarbon analysis on a gastropod found in the marine conglomerate (Fig. 4). We provide an age of 4745 +/- 59, ( 4965 years +-70 cal BP using Calib 5 program, Stuiver et al 2005). Based on the data obtained and morphological considerations, it is difficult to envisage the formation of this beach deposit on the stack if we don’t consider a very different morphological feature, probably more flared with greater lateral continuity and less inclined slopes. If we compare the age of the deposit and the height that was found with the predicted local sea level curves (LAMBECK et alii, 2010, Quaternary International, in press), this is above the curve, indicating a uplift rate about 1.5 mm / years that is higher than that calculated in the same field for last interglacial. more...

Recent works (Evelpidou et al., 2012) suggest that the modern tidal notch is disappearing worldwide due sea level rise over the last century. In order to assess this hypothesis, we measured modern tidal notches in several of sites along the Mediterranean coasts. We report observations on tidal notches cut along carbonate coasts from 73 sites from Italy, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Malta and Spain, plus additional observations carried outside the Mediterranean. At each site, we measured notch width and depth, and we described the characteristics of the biological rim at the base of the notch. We correlated these parameters with wave energy, tide gauge datasets and rock lithology.Our results suggest that, considering 'the development of tidal notches the consequence of midlittoral bioerosion' (as done in Evelpidou et al., 2012) is a simplification that can lead to misleading results, such as stating that notches are disappearing. Important roles in notch formation can be also played by wave action, rate of karst dissolution, salt weathering and wetting and drying cycles. Of course notch formation can be augmented and favoured also by bioerosion which can, in particular cases, be the main process of notch formation and development.Our dataset shows that notches are carved by an ensemble rather than by a single process, both today and in the past, and that it is difficult, if not impossible, to disentangle them and establish which one is prevailing. We therefore show that tidal notches are still forming, challenging the hypothesis that sea level rise has drowned them. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. more...

The morphology and stratigraphic features of a well-preserved drowned barrier system, located on the western coast of Sardinia (Mediterranean Sea), are presented here. The barriers were mapped using a multibeam echosounder. The Digital Terrain Model of the seabed revealed five sub-parallel barriers in a depth range of 18-37. m, with a distance of ~. 300. m between each single barrier. Direct inspection by scuba diving, revealed that the barriers consist of beachrocks, topped by seagrass meadows growing on a biogenic hardground. The inner-most barrier is limited landward by a steep cliff, 10. m high, bordering the back-barrier area. About 200. km of seismic lines were collected along the barrier system using a 0.4-1.0. kJ sparker source and a 3.5. kHz Chirp Subbottom profiler. The seismic data, calibrated with vibrocores, allowed us to recognize the subaerial topographic surface of the last glacial maximum as well as several seismic units interpreted as the Pliocene marine sediments, the pre-Holocene deposits and the Holocene barrier-lagoon complex composed of shoreface, barrier, lagoonal/deltaic and beach deposits.Despite the relatively high seabed gradient (0.3°-0.4°) and the relatively low rate of sea-level rise (10-15mmy-1), the barriers were well preserved due to the early diagenetic processes which led to a rapid cementation with the formation of beachrocks, and the subsequent overstepping with the rise of the sea level. The development of the overstepping barrier system is strictly related to the antecedent subaerial topography which is, in turn, related to the tectonic setting of the area. The Pliocene seismic unit was lowered by a direct fault at the entrance of the gulf forming a depression filled by sediments. The overstepping barrier system developed following the increase of the seabed gradient and was limited landward by the above-mentioned depression which increased the accommodation space. Following the sea-level rise and the barrier formation, this depression was filled by lagoonal sediments, washover fans and sediments coming from the rivers.The age model of barrier evolution, based on previous sea-level-rise curves during the Holocene, supported by radiocarbon data, highlighted that the whole system evolved over a time period of 1. ka; while the time elapsed from this formation to the drowning of single barriers was estimated to be in the order of magnitude of centuries.Scenarios of short-term evolution of modern barrier-lagoon systems of the adjacent coastal sector, under conditions of accelerated sea-level rise, according to Church et al. (2013) (2013 IPCC report) and Rahmstorf (2007) projections, were elaborated. The study of this ancient analogue suggests that the processes of adaptation of coastal systems to the rising sea level would require times evaluable from centuries to millennia. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. more...

The emerged and submerged coastal tracts of selected areas in NW Sicily (San Vito Lo Capo Promontory and Marettimo Island in the Egadi Archipelago) have been studied by means of an interdisciplinary approach (geomorphological and neotectonic surveys, palaeontological, depositional and petrographical observations) with the aim to characterize the coastal evolution of the sector over a wide time frame (Late Pleistocene and Holocene) and to recognize the geological indicators of relative sea-level fluctuations. Neotectonic studies performed all along the coastal sector through the check of the present-day height of marine notches and of the inner margin of marine terraces of Eutyrrhenian age allowed to assess the entity of post-Tyrrhenian differential crustal movements in the area. The calculated rates of uplift confirm the relative stability of the area in the last 125 ka and that the relative corrections introduced can be considered negligible in the reconstruction of sea-level rise in the last thousand years. On the base of these considerations, the sea-level rise curve which has been drawn for the Holocene through the radiometric dating (14C and U/Th) of submerged speleothems and Vermetid reefs is assumed to gain a regional significance and to represent a good reference datum for the Central–Southern Mediterranean Sea. In addition, the sea-level rise data are in good agreement with the predicted sea-level curves based on geophysical models previously applied to the same study areas. more...

A new oxygen isotope record is reported from a stalagmite collected in the Argentarola Cave located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Italy. As shown from observations and numerical modeling of N 18 O in modern precipitation, the recorded N 18 O variability for this zone is dominated by the amount of precipitation (so-called ‘amount effect’). The N 18 O profile measured in the stalagmite is characterized by a prominent negative excursion (ca. 2^3x) between 180 and 170 kyr BP. This paleoclimatic feature is interpreted as being due to a relatively wet period which occurred during the penultimate glacial period, more precisely, during Marine Isotope Stage 6.5. This pluvial phase is shown to correspond chronologically to the deposition of the sapropel event 6 (S6). Although this particular sapropel event occurred during a cold phase, the N 18 O excursion is similar to those corresponding to other sapropels (S4, S3 and S2). The evidence for humid conditions during S6 in the western Mediterranean basin agrees with previous studies based on deep-sea sediment cores. Taken collectively, the data suggest that during sapropel events dilution of ocean surface waters was not restricted to the output of the river Nile but was rather widespread over the entire Mediterranean Sea due to increased rainfall. < 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. more...

Accurate constraints are presented for the absolute age, duration and sea-level for the highstand corresponding to marine isotope stage (MIS) 7.1. Our work is based on a stalagmite collected in a currently submerged cave from Italy (Argentarola Cave). Flooding of this coastal cave is clearly marked within the stalagmite by a thick marine overgrowth of serpulid worms. Precise uranium^thorium (U^Th) ages measured by thermal ionization mass spectrometry suggest that the stalagmite growth varied in phase with climate during MIS 7.2 and MIS 6, the penultimate glacial period. In addition, the period of marine transgression is bracketed between 202 and 190 kyr BP, defining a MIS 7.1 duration of 11 ˛ 2 kyr. Comparison with previous studies provides a new constraint on the sea-level during MIS 7.1 that has approximately remained between 318 and 39 m relative to present sea-level. The timing of the MIS 7.1 highstand is in full agreement with the SPECMAP chronology which contrasts with the growing body of evidence showing a significant phase difference for MIS 5.5. A tempting conclusion is that second order sea-level highstands such as MIS 7.1 may be purely driven by astronomical changes, in contrast with major terminations such as Termination II. Atmospheric CO2 levels may partly explain this contrast since the two sea-level transitions, (MIS 7.2^7.1 and MIS 6^5.5) are characterized by very different CO2 rises (20 vs 100 ppm). fl 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. more...

Most carbonate rocky shores of NW Sicily are marked by a coalescence of shells of the gastropod Dendropoma in a construction that is variably developed as a response to wave impact. Here, we review all the available information on these constructions and find that the fossil reefs are reliable sea-level indicators. The thickness of the reef samples never exceeds 30–40 cm below sea-level, whereas all 14 C dates fall within a range of few centuries. Some small fragments ejected by violent sea storms date back to 2500 years cal BP. No samples older than 6200 years cal BP have been detected so far. The present distribution of Mediterranean vermetid platforms should result from a northward migration related to the long term effect of the Holocene sea surface temperature (SST) warming. Some consideration on the morphology of the reefs and the comparison with the available data point out that Dendropoma reefs are excellent biological indicators of sea-level fluctuations especially when detected and sampled in tectonically stable areas as those in NW Sicily. more...

Aim of the present study, which is part of the E.U. Commission SELF II Research Project, is the reconstruction of the Pleistocene and Holocene tectonic trends in a Mediterranean coastal area. The study is focused on the upper Pleistocene to Holocene tectonic history of NW Sicily. The emerged and submerged coastal zone of a selected area (St. Vito lo Capo, NW Sicily) was studied, by using jointly different sectoral approaches and carrying out geological and geomorphological surveys. The studied area shows morphological evidence of a succession of marine terraces, which is uncommon for the Mediterranean region. These evidences of the coastal evolution, which are currently located both above and below the present sea level, were ascribed to the Middle and Upper Pleistocene, by using morphological (notches and terraces) and stratigraphical criteria, supported by radiometric dating. A detailed study of the longitudinal profiles of the most recently emerged marine terraces, ascribed to isotope stage 5e, revealed the presence of six sectors characterized by different rates of crustal uplift during the post Tyrrhenian age. The rates of uplift calculated for each of these post-Tyrrhenian age sectors allowed to recognize that the error related to tectonic uplift, in the reconstruction of eustatic fluctuations relative to the last 10 kyr from submerged speleothems and vermetid reefs, is negligible. more...

Fast uplift or subsidence rates, related to intense tectonic-seismic activity, affect the Mediterranean coasts, especially in its eastern sector and Calabria, whereas other areas appear relatively stable. Along the southern Italian coast, the most widely distributed and therefore useful reference datum is the paleo sea level related to isotopic substage 5e (125 ky). In the present study, this marker (inner edge of marine terrace or notch) has been safely identified along three sectors of the Italian coast generally considered tectonically stable: eastern Sardinia, southern Latium and northwestern Sicily. In Latium the top of the Eutyrrhenian transgression was found to vary between −5 and +9.8 m a.s.l. along a 100 km long coast. A well carved Eutyrrhenian notch can be followed for ca. 35 km along the coast of Orosei in Sardinia, gradually varying in elevation between 7.7 and 10.5 m a.s.l., thus indicating a regional tilt. In Sicily, the inner edges of the Eutyrrhenian terrace and marine notches are at elevations between 8 and 13.9 m a.s.l. In all these areas the stage 5e marker has shown a significant local mobility demonstrating its utility for detailing either areal or linear tectonic activity during the last 125 ky along the Tyrrhenian Sea coasts. more...

This paper is aimed at mapping the submerged notch along the northeastern Adriatic coast and discussing the relations between the submerged notch, the seawater, the groundwater and the freshwater discharge along the coasts of the study area. Using hydrological and observational data collected during a solitary snorkel-swimming expedition along ~250 km-long route along the Istrian coasts and thermal and topographical data, we discuss the hydrogeological and topographical constraints on the origin and development of the submerged notch in the northeastern Adriatic Sea. The submerged notch was surveyed at depths ranging between -0.6 m m.s.l. and -2.6 m m.s.l. in the northern sector of the Gulf of Trieste (Italy), and at about -0.5/-0.7 m m.s.l along the Limski channel (Croatia). Along the Savudrija peninsula, a slightly carved submerged notch was surveyed at -0.5/-0.6 m m.s.l. The modern notch is completely lacking in the study area.Topographical data highlight that the submerged notch occurs in correspondence of plunging cliffs. Moreover, the submerged notch developed in correspondence of the submarine springs that allow mixing-zone dissolution. Data suggest that the mixing-zone dissolution, caused by the freshwater from submerged springs or from the largest rivers in the Gulf of Trieste, was a major factor in developing submerged notches. These new observations provide basic data for future studies on the development of the submerged notch along the northeastern Adriatic coast, previously linked almost exclusively to bioerosion. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. more...

Detailed mapping of geomorphological and biological sea-level markers around the Capo Vaticano promontory (western Calabria, Italy), has documented the occurrence of four Holocene paleo-shorelines raised at different altitudes. The uppermost shoreline (PS1) is represented by a deeply eroded fossiliferous beach deposit, reaching an elevation of ~2.2. m above the present sea-level, and by a notch whose roof is at ~2.3. m. The subjacent shoreline PS2 is found at an elevation of ~1.8. m and is represented by a Dendropoma rim, a barnacle band and by a wave-cut platform. Shoreline PS3 includes remnants of vermetid concretions, a barnacle band, a notch and a marine deposit, and reaches an elevation of ~1.4. m. The lowermost paleo-shoreline (PS4) includes a wave-cut platform and a notch and reaches an elevation of ~0.8. m. Radiocarbon dating of material from individual paleo-shorelines points to an average uplift rate of 1.2-1.4. mm/yr in the last ~6. ka at Capo Vaticano. Our data suggest that Holocene uplift was asymmetric, with a greater magnitude in the south-west sector of the promontory, in a manner similar to the long-term deformation attested by Pleistocene terraces. The larger uplift in the south-western sector is possibly related to the additional contribution, onto a large-wavelength regional signal, of co-seismic deformation events, which are not registered to the north-east. We have recognized four co-seismic uplift events at 5.7-5.4. ka, 3.9-3.5. ka, ~1.9. ka and more...

The Mediterranean basin is an important area of the Earth for studying the interplay between geodynamic processes and landscape evolution affected by tectonic, glacio-hydro-iso- static and eustatic factors. We focus on determining vertical deformations and relative sea-level change of the coastal zone utilizing geological, archaeological, historical and instrumental data, and modelling. For deformation determinations on recent decadal to centennial time scales, seis- mic strain analysis based on about 6000 focal mechanisms, surface deformation analysis based on some 850 continuous GPS stations, and 57 tide gauge records were used. Utilizing data from tectonically stable areas, reference surfaces were established to separate tectonic and climate (eustatic) signals throughout the basin for the last 20 000 years. Predominant Holocene subsidence (west coast of Italy, northern Adriatic sea, most of Greece and Turkey are areas at risk of flooding owing to relative sea-level rise), uplift (local areas in southwestern Italy and southern Greece) or stability (northwestern and central western Mediterranean and Levant area) were determined. Superimposed on the long trends, the coasts are also impacted by sudden extreme events such as recurring large storms and numerous, but unpredictable tsunamis caused by the high seismicity of parts of the basins more...

We present the results of detailed litho-, bio-, and magnetostratigraphic investigations along the Fronte section (Taranto, Italy), where the facies distribution is interpreted using a combined palaeoecological and sequence-stratigraphic approach. The data obtained so far suggest a continuous sedimentary record at the Fronte site, where the MIS 5e peak and subsequent highstand are documented, thus providing robust evidence for the Last Interglacial sedimentary interval. more...

The pits of Birzebbugia are located near the present-day mean sea level, and some are partially submerged. They were dated using pottery discovered in an archaeological site close to the coast, dated to the Bronze Age (Zammit, 1928; Abela, 1999). As they have been interpreted as sites for the retting of flax, during their utilization they should have remained dry and the sea could not submerge them. This is the reason why these structures are not directly related to the sea level, as suggested by Biolchi et al. (2011), so they represent an upper limit., peer-reviewed more...

A multidisciplinary approach has been applied to study sea level changes along the coast of Malta using data collected from underwater archaeological remains. The elevation of archaeological markers have been compared with predicted sea level curves providing new bodies of evidence that outline the vertical tectonic behaviour of this region, allowing estimation of the relative sea level changes that occurred in this area of the Mediterranean since the Bronze Age. During the Roman Age, sea level was at −1.36 ± 0.1 m, while in the Midde Age it was at −0.56 ± 0.2 m, in agreement with previous estimations for the Mediterranean region. Data indicate that Malta was tectonically stable during the studied period. The occurrence of the present-day notch along the coasts of the island indicates recent vertical stability of the area. The lack of MIS 5.5 deposits all over the island could simply be due to high rates of erosion, as its coasts are highly exposed to storm waves, rather than tectonic movements. However, even very slight vertical movements could completely remove field evidence. The relative stability of the Maltese Islands allowed a first attempt to provide a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of its coasts at different time windows since the Last Glacial Maximum. The results have been used to infer time and mode of mammal dispersal to the island during the Pleistocene., peer-reviewed more...

During the last decade, several papers have been published to estimate the relative sea level change from coastal archaeological indicators of the last 3.4 ka BP in many locations of the Italian coasts and the Mediterranean Sea. The use of the archaeological information has been poorly focused for the Middle Ages, due to the few available coastal installations for this period, thus not allowing precise sea level estimation for the last 1000 years, to complement the instrumental data available for the last 100-120 years. This study discusses an archaeological marker of the Middle Ages, used to reconstruct the story of the sea level changes in the last 1000 years, at the St. Nicholas Basilica, built in 1087 AD along the coast of Bari (Apulia, southern Italy). The elevations of the ancient floor levels of the crypt underwent repeated flooding due to a continuous rising of the groundwater table, which required restoration and uplifting of pavements between 1087 and 1956 to keep them dry. The palaeo-sea levels have been obtained by measuring the position of the groundwater table, the elevation of which is mainly driven by sea level since the time of the construction of the Basilica.The elevation of the archaeological markers and the water table were compared against the latest predicted sea level curve for the Holocene along the coast of Bari. As this coastal area is unaffected by significant vertical tectonic motion over the last 125 ky, the data detail the timing of the relative sea level rise since the Middle Ages and can be used to improve the predicted sea level curve for this region for the last 1000 years. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. more...

New data in the coastal area between Acquedolci and Patti (northeastern Sicily, Italy) have been collected to calculate vertical tectonic rates in a key sector between the Kabilian-Calabrian and the Sicilian-Maghrebian chain. The comparison among marine geology data (multibeam and seismic reflection profiles) on the continental shelf-slope system and the radiocarbon ages on geomorphological markers collected during a coastal survey, provided new stratigraphic, geomorphological and biological data, contributing to the knowledge of the geological evolution of this sector for the last 125 ky.This coastal area is framed between two main structural features active during the Pleistocene in northern Sicily: the Kabilian-Calabrian Thrust Front (west of Acquedolci) and the Vulcano-Tindari Fault (east of Patti). The occurrence of these structural features, the former compressive, the latter transcurrent, confirms that the study area is tectonically active and " moves" vertically in differential mode. Fault systems separate blocks with different uplift rates both in onland and offshore areas. In the Gulf of Patti, the offshore area is subsiding, while contemporaneously uplift of the mainland can be observed. The study sector records the same uplift rates both during MIS 5.5 and the Holocene, in contrast to the other areas of Sicily. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. more...

The paper deals with the relative sea level change which occurred along the western coast of the Istrian peninsula in Croatia. Sediments from two cores located in the bay of Santa Marina and Soline Bay have been analysed for microfaunal and sedimentological investigations. Chronostratigraphical evidence was obtained from 14C dating of lagoonal shells (gastropods). From the sedimentological and paleo-environmental analysis, 4300 years of continuous deposition in shallow marine environment was determined. At around 550 cal yr BP, marine sedimentation passed to continental. Consequently sedimentation rate of 0.7 mm/yr comes to 2.36 mm/yr after 550 cal yr BP. Those upper deposits of continental origin are today partly submerged. The obtained data were further compared with a geophysical model which allows the prediction of the local sea-level curve. As the results from the cores are largely below the curve, the tectonic subsidence of the area is confirmed. Radiocarbon analysis allowed the age of the shells to be related to the age of the submerged tidal notch that occurs almost continuously some hundreds of meters south-eastwards, from the Gulf of Trieste down to the Dalmatian coast. more...