0000000001062402
AUTHOR
M. R. Palombo
Holocene sea level change in Malta
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 …
Palaeogeographical evolution of the Egadi Islands (western Sicily, Italy). Implications for late Pleistocene and early Holocene sea crossings by humans and other mammals in the western Mediterranean
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”
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.
The land bridge between Europe and Sicily over the past 40 kyrs: Timing of emersion and implications for the migration of Homo sapiens
The submerged Sill in the Messina Strait, which is located at a depth of -81 m m.s.l., represents the only possibile connection between Calabria and Sicily during the last lowstand, when the sea level was at about -126 m m.s.l. This multidisciplinary research aim at documenting times and modes the bridge between Calabria and Sicily was emerged, during the last 40 ka BP. The analysis carried out on morphobathymetric, lithological and relative sea level change (both isostatic and tectonic) data allow to hypothesize the continental bridge emerged at least between 21.5 ka and 20 ka cal BP. Moreover, considering erosion processes due to very strong marine currents, it could be emerged for a long…