0000000000620914
AUTHOR
Fabrizio Antonioli
showing 19 related works from this author
Vertical movements in NE Sicily and its offshore: Outcome of tectonic uplift during the last 125 ky
2013
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 north…
Relative sea-level rise and potential submersion risk for 2100 on 16 coastal plains of the mediterranean sea
2020
The coasts of the Mediterranean Sea are dynamic habitats in which human activities have been conducted for centuries and which feature micro-tidal environments with about 0.40 m of range. For this reason, human settlements are still concentrated along a narrow coastline strip, where any change in the sea level and coastal dynamics may impact anthropic activities. In the frame of the RITMARE and the Copernicus Projects, we analyzed light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and Copernicus Earth Observation data to provide estimates of potential marine submersion for 2100 for 16 small-sized coastal plains located in the Italian peninsula and four Mediterranean countries (France, Spain, Tunisia, Cypr…
Holocene sea level change in Malta
2013
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 …
Millstones as indicators of relative sea-level changes in northern Sicily and southern Calabria coastlines, Italy
2011
Abstract New data are presented for late Holocene relative sea-level changes in two coastal sites of Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy. Reconstructions are based on precise measurements of submerged archaeological remains that are valuable indicators of past sea-level position. The archaeological remains are millstone quarries carved on sandstone coastal rocks and nowadays partially submerged which, to the authors’ knowledge, are used for the first time as sea-level markers. Millstones of similar typology are located on the coast of Capo d’Orlando (northern Sicily) and Capo dell’Armi (southern Calabria). When the archeologically-based sea-level position is compared with the shoreline elev…
Boulder coastal deposits at Favignana Island rocky coast (Sicily, Italy): Litho-structural and hydrodynamic control
2018
Boulders are frequently dislodged from rock platforms, transported and deposited along coastal zones by high-magnitude storm waves or tsunamis. Their size and shape are often controlled by the thickness of bedding planes as well as by high-angle to bedding fracture network. We investigate these processes along two coastal areas of Favignana Island by integrating geological data for 81 boulders, 49 rupture surfaces (called sockets) and fracture orientation and spacing with four radiocarbon dates, numerical hydrodynamic analysis, and hindcast numerical simulation data. Boulders are scattered along the carbonate platform as isolated blocks or in small groups, which form, as a whole, a disconti…
Future coastal hazard scenarios. A case study in NE Sicily (Italy)
2012
The coastal dynamics is the result of several causes that contribute to change the balance of beach deposits over time. The beach system is not always able to maintain coastal balance: the factors contributing to this phenomenon are to be found in both natural and anthropogenic spheres. In this context we present the analysis of marine geology and coastal geomorphological data of a sector between Rocca di Caprileone and Tindari (north-eastern Sicily) with the aim to: i) determine their onland-offshore area relationships, ii) analyze which natural features may contribute to coastal retreat, iii) present coastal hazard scenarios. Until fifty years ago the natural balance of this coastal area …
Tidal notches, coastal landforms and relative sea-level changes during the Late Quaternary at Ustica Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)
2017
In this paper we present and discuss data concerning the morphostructural evolution at Ustica Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) during Late Quaternary. New insights on the relative sea-level changes of Ustica are coming from data collected during a geomorphological field survey around the island, together with the bathymetric analysis of the surrounding seabed and 14C datings on samples of speleothems, flowstones and marine shells found inside three selected sea caves. The survey was mainly accomplished on June 2015 through the first complete snorkel investigation off the about 18 km-long volcanic coast of the island, which allowed to precisely define location, relationship and morphometric fe…
Palaeogeographical evolution of the Egadi Islands (western Sicily, Italy). Implications for late Pleistocene and early Holocene sea crossings by huma…
2019
Abstract The continental shelf morphology offshore of western Sicily suggests that during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 20 ka cal BP), two of the Egadi Islands, Favignana and Levanzo, were connected to Sicily by a wide emerged plain, while Marettimo was only separated from the other islands by a narrow channel. We studied the relative sea-level variation from the LGM until today, focussing on two important time slices: the Mesolithic (9.5–13 ka cal BP) and the Neolithic (6.5–7.5 ka cal BP). In this research, we discuss a sea-level rise model by means of geomorphological, archaeological and geophysical observations and new radiocarbon dating of marine and terrestrial fossil fauna. The resul…
Reply to comment by C. Morhange, C. Flaux, P.A. Pirazzoli, M.B. Carre on “Holocene Sea level Change in Malta”
2013
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.
MIS 5.5 highstand and future sea level flooding at 2100 and 2300 in tectonically stable areas of central mediterranean sea: Sardinia and the pontina …
2021
Areas of the Mediterranean Sea are dynamic habitats in which human activities have been conducted for centuries and which feature micro-tidal environments with about 0.40 m of range. For this reason, human settlements are still concentrated along a narrow coastline strip, where any change in the sea level and coastal dynamics may impact anthropic activities. We analyzed light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and Copernicus Earth observation data. The aim of this research is to provide estimates and detailed maps (in three coastal plain of Sardinia (Italy) and in the Pontina Plain (southern Latium, Italy) of: (i) the past marine transgression occurred during MIS 5.5 highstand 119 kyrss BP
Markers of the last interglacial sea level high stand along the coast of Italy: Tectonic implications.
2006
A compilation of the Marine Isotope Substage (MIS) 5.5 high stand (similar to 125Ka) sites spanning the coastline of Italy allows a picture of the vertical displacement pattern affecting the Central Mediterranean coasts since the Late Pleistocene to be drawn. For each of the 246 listed sites, the accurate elevation of the high stand is defined through well-known markers. Coupled with a refilled age assessment locally Supported by new radiometric dating, these markers provide robust constraints oil deformation. Significant alongshore differences in site elevation between + 175 and - 125 m a.s.l. resulted from the interplay of regional and local tectonic processes, including faulting and volc…
Submerged speleothems and sea level reconstructions: a global overview and new results from the Mediterranean Sea
2021
This study presents a global overview of the submerged speleothems used to reconstruct paleo sea levels and reports new results from two stalactites collected in the Mediterranean Sea. Coastal cave deposits significantly contributed to the understanding of global and regional sea-level variations during the Middle and Late Quaternary. The studied speleothems cover the last 1.4 Myr and focused mainly on Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 1, 2, 3, 5.1, 5.3, 5.5, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and 7.5. The results indicate that submerged speleothems represent extraordinary archives that can provide detailed information on former sea-level changes. The two stalactites collected in the central Mediterranean Sea, at Fa…
Dendropoma lower intertidal reef formations and their palaeoclimatological significance, NW Sicily
1999
Abstract 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 northw…
New Evidence of MIS 3 Relative Sea Level Changes from the Messina Strait, Calabria (Italy)
2021
Investigation of sea-level positions during the highly-dynamic Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3: 29–61 kyrs BP) proves difficult because: (i) in stable and subsiding areas, coeval coastal sediments are currently submerged at depths of few to several tens of meters below the present sea level
Assessing vermetid reefs as indicators of past sea levels in the Mediterranean
2020
Abstract The endemic Mediterranean reef building vermetid gastropods Dendropoma petraeum complex (Dendropoma spp) and Vermetus triquetrus develop bio-constructions (rims) on rocky shorelines at about Mean Sea Level (MSL) and are therefore commonly used as relative sea-level (RSL) markers. In this study, we use elevations and age data of vermetid reefs to (1) re-assess the vertical uncertainties of these biological RSL indicators, and (2) evaluate the vertical growth rates along a Mediterranean east-west transect, in attempt to explain the differences found in both growth rates and uncertainties. In Israel, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) and laser measurements relative to the …
Una cerva nella grotta del Tuono a Marettimo. Recupero, analisi e significato scientifico
2022
The Egadi archipelago includes three islands: Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo. The island of Favignana is the closest to Sicily, about 7 km from the mainland coast and about 13 km from Trapani. Levanzo and Marettimo are roughly 13 and 36 km from Trapani, respectively. During the last glacial, Favignana and Levanzo were reachable by land since they were joined to the mainland as a result of glacial marine regression. On the other hand, Marettimo was never connected to Sicily, even during the last glacial maximum, due to a sea channel about 1.8 km wide and very deep. According to the most recent and reliable reconstructions, the island of Favignana was separated from Sicily around 7.35 thous…
A new marker for sea surface temperature trend during the last centuries in temperate areas: Vermetid reef
2004
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 character…
Millstone coastal quarries of the Mediterranean: A new class of sea level indicator
2014
The coasts of Italy still preserve several remnants of coastal quarries built in antiquity, that now provide insights into the intervening sea-level changes occurred during the last millennia. In this paper, we show and discuss a new class of sea level indicator consisting of millstones carved along the rocky coast of southern Italy since 2500 BP, that are currently submerged. They were extracted from beachrocks, sandstones or similar sedimentary rocks, easier for carving by ancient carving tools. Our study focuses on 10 coastal sites located at Capo d'Orlando, Avola, and Letojanni, in Sicily; Soverato, Tropea, and Capo dell'Armi, in Calabria; Castellabate, Palinuro, and Scario, in Campania…
A stalactite record of four relative sea-level highstands during the Middle Pleistocene Transition
2017
International audience; Ice-sheet and sea-level fluctuations during the Early and Middle Pleistocene are as yet poorly understood. A stalactite from a karst cave in North West Sicily (Italy) provides the first evidence of four marine inundations that correspond to relative sea-level highstands at the time of the Middle Pleistocene Transition. The speleothem is located ∼97 m above mean sea level as result of Quaternary uplift. Its section reveals three marine hiatuses and a coral overgrowth that fixes the age of final marine ingression at 1.124 ± 0.2, thus making this speleothem the oldest stalactite with marine hiatuses ever studied to date. Scleractinian coral species witness light-limited…