Search results for "SICILIAN"
showing 10 items of 909 documents
A regional-scale discontinuity in western Sicily revealed by a multidisciplinary approach: A new piece for understanding the geodynamic puzzle of the…
2015
The results of an integrated stratigraphic, structural, geophysical, and geochemical study reveal the presence of a crustal discontinuity in western Sicily that, at present, runs roughly N-S along a band from San Vito Lo Capo to Sciacca (SVCS). The boundary between the two zones of this discontinuity is nearly orthogonal to the main thrust propagation of the Sicilian thrust-and-fold belt. The different Permian to Tertiary sedimentary evolution recorded by the two zones appears related to this discontinuity, with thick carbonate platforms in the western sector facing deep-water successions in the eastern one. The presence of Upper Triassic reefs, huge megabreccias bodies, and widespread subm…
Phylogeny and biogeography of fossil and extant Microtus (Terricola) (Mammalia, Rodentia) of Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula based on curre…
2011
Abstract The fossil record of the Savi vole, Microtus ( Terricola ) savii , is analyzed in terms of morphological and morphometrical variability of the first lower molar, in order to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships between insular and mainland populations and the dispersal events. The present work gives a contribution to better understand the phylogenetic history of this taxon in Sicily and Southern Italy during the interval Middle Pleistocene – Holocene, in an attempt to reconstruct the relationships between insular and continental voles and to clarify some paleobiogeographical aspects. The morphometrical data have been acquired by traditional measurements of the first lower molar a…
Defining the Island Dwarfing Rate of an Extinct Sicilian Elephant Using Ancient DNA
2020
Evolution on islands, and the often extreme phenotypic changes associated with it, has attracted much interest from evolutionary biologists. However, measuring the rate of change of a particular phenotypic trait of extinct animals can be challenging, due to the incompleteness of the fossil record. Here, we use combined molecular and fossil evidence to define the minimum and maximum rate of dwarfing in an extinct Mediterranean dwarf elephant from Puntali Cave (Sicily). Despite the challenges associated with recovering ancient DNA from warm climates, we successfully retrieved a mitogenome from a sample with an estimated age between 147,000 and 50,000 years. Our results suggest that this speci…
Hinterland-Verging Thrusting in the Northern Sicily Continental Margin: Evidences for a Late Collisional Stage of the Sicilian Fold and Thrust Belt?
2018
The Sicilian Fold and Thrust Belt developed during Neogene-Quaternary times characterized by main African-wards tectonic transport direction. Recent investigations highlighted extensive hinterland-verging tectonic structures active during late Pliocene-Pleistocene time suggesting a late collisional stage of the Sicilian Fold and Thrust Belt that could be a precursor of a change in the subduction polarity in the central belt of Mediterranean.
Active north-vergent thrusting in the northern Sicily continental margin in the frame of the quaternary evolution of the Sicilian collisional system
2021
Abstract A three-stage evolution has characterized the Sicilian Fold and Thrust Belt (SFTB) during the last 15 My: two main thin-skinned shortening events involving mainly Meso-Cenozoic carbonate units, followed by thick-skinned thrusting involving Plio-Pleistocene deposits in the frontal area as well as the crystalline basement in the inner and deeper sector of the chain. We investigated the northern Sicily continental margin, by using differently-penetrative seismic reflection data and new field surveys, which revealed, both offshore and onshore, north-vergent compressional structures that affected the tectonic edifice during Quaternary time. These structures, correlated with the kinemati…
Pantelleria island (Strait of Sicily): volcanic history and geomorphological landscape
2017
Pantelleria is a volcanic island located in the Strait of Sicily, 95 km far from the Sicilian coastline and 67 km from Cape Bon (Tunisia). The volcanological history of the island begins approximately 324 ka BP and the last eruptive event was a submarine eruption that occurred on 1891 A.D. Eruptive activity was characterized by seven very intense explosive events, the latest being the Green Tuff (44 ka). They have all produced ignimbrite sheets that covered large sectors of the island. The landscape of the island mirrors the variety of the eruptive styles and their interplay with volcano-tectonics. The most evident geomorphological features are represented by: (i) the mantle-like distributi…
Etna and the perception of volcanic risk
2013
Sicily’s uneven geological structure is positioned within a system of tectonic plates, and its very active volcano has always made it prone to disasters. Many Sicilian cities have in fact been destroyed by natural events many times over the centuries. This can certainly be understood negatively as the destruction of entire towns, the emission of volcanic ash, and the mutation of landscapes by a terrifying force have instilled fearful memories in local populations. But from another point of view one must consider the positive elements of Etna. Its beautiful landscapes were a major attraction on the Grand Tour, and its inhabitants have long associated the volcano with the concept of rebirth a…
Sedimentary basins evolution and olistoliths formation: The case of Carpathian and Sicilian regions
2012
Abstract Comparative research carried out within two different basins, one in the Carpathians of Poland (Late Jurassic to Early Miocene) and another in the Apenninic-Maghrebian mountain chain of Sicily (Triassic-Miocene), indicate significant similarity not only in their evolution but also in the sedimentary features of horizons with olistoliths. The olistolith-bearing units are genetically related to stages of tectonic evolution and are independent of the size of the basins and of duration of these stages. However, the observed differences in composition and size of olistoliths suggested, among the others relationship with the size of source areas and thickness of their sedimentary cover.
Comparing Physical Quality of Forest and Pasture Soils in a Sicilian Watershed
2011
Forest and pasture soils should have differing properties due, for example, to differing root characteristics or livestock trampling rates, but contradictory results are reported in the literature. The surface soil physical and hydraulic properties of five forest and pasture sites were determined in a Sicilian watershed. In general, forest soils had a significantly lower bulk density, b (by 17 to 35%), and a higher field saturated hydraulic conductivity, Kfs (by a factor of 3.4-11.5) than pasture soils. Differences between water retention characteristics of forest and pasture soils were low when high levels of organic matter, OM, content (> 7.1%) were detected for both land uses. The mean …
Tourism Development in UNESCO Natural Heritage Sites: The Case of Sicilian Volcanic Sites: Mount Etna and Aeolian Islands
2017
Local development often depends on tourism, especially in fragile contexts like islands which represent a special cluster and are the best cases to be analyzed in order to highlight positive and negative aspects of economic development driven by tourism. A sustainable development approach should be taken in account and the UNESCO brand plays a fundamental role in this sense. The aim of this paper is to analyze the link between tourism supply and the growth of tourism demand in the case of UNESCO sites through multivariate regression analysis. The results show a correlation between the variables considered. But the actual structure of supply is still built on conventional sea tourism and is …