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A sedimentologic, petrographic, biostratigraphic and structural study was carried out on the external ourcrops of the Reitano Flysch (Western Maghrebian Chain, Sicily) in order to clarify its age, relationships with its substratum and paleogeographic significance, all of which are still very controversial. The results of our analyses yielded some peculiar features of the external Reitano Flysch, namely; 1) the outcrops are characterized by vertical and horizontal variation in facies; 2) the facies and paleocurrent directions vary abruptly over short distances; 3) the sandstones are characterized by remarkably fresh volcanoclastic detritus, which is absent in the internal outcrops of the Reitano Flysch; 4) the deformation structures, though influenced by the differences in the lithology, are considered to be the result of transpression under a shear regime; 5) the boundary between the external Reitano Flysch and the underlying Polizzi Formation is stratigraphic; both formations have an Early Oligocene age. On the base of the above data, a new evolutionary scheme is tentatively proposed, where the internal Reitano Flysch represents a "satellite" basin and the exrernal Reitano Flysch is considered a small basin of pull-apart type., Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia (Research In Paleontology and Stratigraphy), V. 98, N. 2

Many megalithic structures are to be found on the islands of Malta and Gozo, and they have been declared a world heritage by the UNESCO. They have undergone detailed archaeological investigation, begun in past centuries and still going on. This led the Maltese institutions to launch a campaign, in 2004, to document, safeguard and promote these important signs of a past civilization. The results of a vast operation involving surveying and data processing, followed by integration into the GIS system, are presented here. They start from historical and archaeological documentation, comprehension of the territorial context of the megalithic structures, topographic survey campaigns and laser scanning of 5 temples with all the delicate and complex post-processing operations, proceeding to data management with GIS systems. Archaeological studies often interface with various tools developed by new technologies, and it is therefore important to understand how they can interact among each other and what are the main issues which can arise in moving among systems in order to reply in the best way to the need to safeguard and promote this heritage.

The study covers the geomorphological transformations of the area in which the city of Urbino rises, starting from the first Roman settlement, until reaching the nineteenth-century nucleus and the current situation. The design of the walled city and its immediate surroundings is analysed with GIS tools, that allow one to manage data in a georeferenced way, to evaluate the changes of urban expansions in the various historical periods and to represent them not only from a qualitative point of view but also a quantitative one. The representations of the analysis make use of all the 2D and 3D devices available for a greater understanding of the data analysed.

L’approccio al concetto di Geosito ne prevede una nuova definizione introducendo la nozione di “Porzione Geografica definita di un territorio gestita nei suoi aspetti spaziali e nei suoi contenuti culturali attraverso un Sistema Informativo Territoriale”. Si analizza quindi una porzione di territorio di particolare valenza culturale nelle proprie connotazioni geografiche con lo scopo di rappresentarlo nella sua interezza. Ci si avvale di un approccio trasversale interdisciplinare che renda possibile lo sviluppo di un inventario completo dei Geositi a livello nazionale ed internazionale grazie alla determinazione di una metodologia standardizzata di informatizzazione di tutte le caratteristiche riguardanti il bene stesso. Si costruisce un Sistema Informativo Territoriale che riunisce in un unico progetto tutte le informazioni geografiche, scientifiche e culturali del Geosito identificandolo univocamente attraverso poligoni di dimensioni standard di 1 km² (Aree Minime Campionabili) o multipli di esso, a cui è collegato un database relazionale che racchiude tutte le informazioni sul Geosito previste dalla scheda dell’ISPRA. Il sistema di georeferenziazione utilizzato è il WGS84, l’unico applicabile a scala globale, integrato ad un sistema di proiezione UTM, per evitare distorsioni e poter effettuare elaborazioni areali. Una serie di cartografie tematiche consentono un’analisi approfondita del territorio, prendendo come base la carta d’uso del suolo definita tramite una metodologia standardizzata a livello europeo, il Biohab, che consente un livello molto elevato di dettaglio, ottimale per un’area delle dimensioni considerate. L’analisi del paesaggio nella sua morfologia e la sua possibile fruizione passa attraverso delle elaborazioni tridimensionali e l’individuazione di percorsi definiti considerando tempi di percorrenza e sosta grazie a specifici tools di Arcgis di ESRI. Queste informazioni possono essere rese disponibili sia in formato shapefile sia nel più semplice kml, fruibile anche in siti open source quali Google Earth e Arcgis Explorer, immagazzinate in pagine web accessibili anche tramite smartphone tramite uno specifico Qrcode posto in loco nel sito di interesse. The approach to Geosyte concept it provides a new defition by introducing the notion of “Geographic defined portion of a territory managed in its spatial aspects and in its cultural contents with a Geographic Information System”. It therefore analyzes a portion of land of special cultural value in its geographic connotations in order to represent it in its entirety. We make use of cross-disciplinary approach that makes it possible to develop a complete inventory of Geosites nationally and internationally thanks to the determination of a standardized methodology for computerization of all the features about the good itself. It builds a Geographic Information System, which combines in a single project all the Geosyte geographical, scientific and cultural informations identifying it uniquely through polygons with standard size of 1 km² (Areas Minimum Sample) or multiples of them, connected to a relational database wich contains all the information about the Geosyte provided by the ISPRA format. The georeferencing system used is WGS84, the only one available on a global scale, integrated to a UTM projection system, to avoid deformations and to be able to perform areal processing. A series of thematic maps allow detailed analysis of the territory, taking as a basis the land use map defined by a methodology standardized at European level, the Biohab, which allows a very high level of detail, perfect for an area of dimensions considered. The analysis of the landscape in its morphology and its possible touristic fruition go across three-dimensional processing and the identification of pathways defined considering travel times and stop thanks to specific ESRI Arcgis tools. These informations can be made available both in shapefile format and in the simplest kml, usable also in open source sites like Google Earth and ArcGIS Explorer, stored in web pages available via Smartphones through a specific QRcode placed locally at the site of interest.