Search results for "language.human_language"

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…

Late Proterozoic and Silurian basement units within the Serbo-Macedonian Massif, northern Greece: the significance of terrane accretion in the Hellen…

2006

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.

Nuevos caminos, territorio y paisaje en la Comarca de la Costera (Valencia). La mirada de los viajeros

2019

Por sus condiciones físicas, el valle de la Costera ha sido históricamente un lugar de paso obligado en el itinerario que, desde la llanura litoral valenciana, se dirige al sur y al centro peninsular. A finales del siglo XVIII se construye una moderna carretera y a mediados del XIX entra en servicio el ferrocarril entre Madrid y Valencia. En este trabajo analizamos la relación que se establece entre los caminos y el paisaje, y cómo esta se ha reflejado en los escritos que los viajeros que, entre finales del siglo XVIII y a lo largo de todo el siglo XIX, recorrieron por carretera y ferrocarril el valle de la Costera. Sus relatos integran estas modernas obras públicas con la visión secuencial…