We describe a database of Last Interglacial (Marine Isotopic Stage 5) sea-level proxies for the western Mediterranean region. The database was compiled reviewing the information reported in 199 published studies and contains 396 sea-level data points (sea-level index points and marine- or terrestrial-limiting points) and 401 associated dated samples. The database follows the standardized WALIS template and is available as Cerrone et al. (2021b, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5341661).
We use a standardized template for Pleistocene sea-level data to review last interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 5 – MIS 5) sea-level indicators along the coasts of the western Atlantic and southwestern Caribbean, on a transect spanning from Brazil to Honduras and including the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. We identified six main types of sea-level indicators (beach deposits, coral reef terraces, lagoonal deposits, marine terraces, Ophiomorpha burrows, and tidal notches) and produced 55 standardized data points, each constrained by one or more geochronological methods. Sea-level indicators are well preserved along the Brazilian coasts, providing an almost continuous north-to-south transect. However, this continuity disappears north of the Rio Grande do Norte Brazilian state. According to the sea-level index points (discrete past position of relative sea level in space and time) the paleo sea-level values range from ∼ 5.6 to 20 m above sea level (a.s.l.) in the continental sector and from ∼ 2 to 10 m a.s.l. in the Caribbean islands. In this paper, we address the uncertainties surrounding these values. From our review, we identify that the coasts of northern Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela would benefit from a renewed study of Pleistocene sea-level indicators, as it was not possible to identify sea-level index points for the last interglacial coastal outcrops of these countries. Future research must also be directed at improving the chronological control at several locations, and several sites would benefit from the re-measurement of sea-level index points using more accurate elevation measurement techniques. The database compiled in this study is available in spreadsheet format at the following link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5516444 (Version 1.02; Rubio-Sandoval et al., 2021).
Capo Faro Promontory, located in Salina (Aeolian Islands, southern Italy), is a popular summer destination due to its volcanic morphologies, seaside, and enogastronomy. A flat area, right behind the scarp edge of a coastal cliff, hosts the Capo Faro Estate, one of the most renowned vineyards and residences on Salina Island. The promontory has been characterised in terms of geomorphological features. Remote sensing analysis, after nadir and off–nadir UAV flights, supports the field activities to explore the hazard to which the area is subjected. In particular, the coastal cliff turns out to be affected by a rapid retreat inducing landslides. Therefore, the cliff area has been investigated through a detailed stratigraphic and structural field survey. Using the generated high–resolution Digital Elevation Model, bathymetric–topographic profiles were extracted along the coastline facing the cliff. The thickness of volcanic deposits was evaluated to obtain a geological model of it. The main rock mass discontinuities have been characterised to define the structural features affecting the stability of the rock wall. The obtained results prove the contribution of such research fundamental in planning risk mitigation measures.
13 September 2024 in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
Tectonically raised paleoshorelines have been recently identified along the southern fault scarps of the Mt. Fellino and Roccarainola horst blocks, which are part of the northeastern border of the Campania Plain coastal basin (southern Apennines, Italy). Such horst blocks are bounded to the south by the Polvica Fault, a roughly E‐W trending normal fault. The sequence of uplifted paleoshorelines has been studied in detail by integrating geomorphological, structural and stratigraphical analyses to assess the Quaternary uplift of the Mt. Fellino and Roccarainola horst blocks. Yet, the staircase of paleoshorelines is still not chronologically well constrained.Aimed at constraining the uplift history of Mt. Fellino and Roccarainola horst blocks and the rate of activity of the Polvica fault, in this study, we integrate former knowledge on paleoshorelines with a geomorphological analysis to map erosional terraces, that we interpret as remnants of shore platforms. We apply the synchronous correlation method, driven by new and a former 230Th/234U dating of calcite veins cutting marine sands, to infer the age of the paleoshorelines and terraces. Based on the synchronous correlation, the mapped paleoshorelines and terraces are correlated with sea‐level peaks of the late Early to Late Pleistocene. In particular, the paleoshorelines along the Mt. Fellino ridge are correlated with the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 7e and 9c or 11, while the oldest terrace is correlated with the sea‐level peak of 980 ka. Using inferred paleoshorelines ages, we estimate the uplift rate of the Polvica Fault footwall. The uplift rate varies from c. 0.2 mm/yr close to the western fault tip up to c. 0.5–0.6 mm/yr in the East, in the Roccarainola block. We combine surface evidence with subsurface data from a shallow well to constrain the vertical throw of the Polvica Fault. A mean fault throw rate of c. 0.4 mm/yr in the last c. 1 Ma is estimated for the central part of the PF. Assuming that the Polvica Fault is still active, we estimate the maximum expected earthquake by means of empirical relationship and obtain a Mw ~ 6.2 value and recurrence interval value of c. 1,200 yr. Historical seismicity activity of the PF has not been acknowledged to date. However, our results raise the crucial question of an in‐depth assessment of the seismic hazard for the densely populated Campania Plain.