Page 2 - 15 New data on the Holocenic sea-level
P. 2
122 F. Antonioli et al. / Global and Planetary Change 34 (2002) 121–140
differential vertical movements also during the Hol- tory and Marettimo Island in the Egadi Archipelago,
ocene, sea-level data regarding the last thousand years Fig. 1) in order to collect further evidences of sea-
are quite scarce, especially the ones limited to the level rise and palaeo-climatic variations during the last
relatively more stable areas (Pirazzoli, 1976; Alessio thousand years for the Central –Southern Mediterra-
et al., 1998; Demuro and Orru`, 1998; Laborel, 1986; nean.
Laborel et al., 1994; Lambeck and Bard, 2000;
Antonioli et al., 2000; Morhange et al., 2001). For The area has been selected for: (i) its uncommon
the same reasons, any collection of evidences of conservative morphological setting, with well-pre-
palaeo-sea levels should be preceded by an accurate served geomorphological and depositional features
exam of the local geology of the relative coastal tract connected with Quaternary sea-level fluctuations,
in order to verify the occurrence of crustal motions such as a succession of marine notches and terraces
and to evaluate the reliability of the RSL data. On the located both above and below the present m.s.l.; (ii)
Mediterranean coasts, it is used to check the relative the presence of accurate and datable indicators of
vertical stability of a coastal tract since the last 125 ka palaeo-sea levels (Vermetid bioconstructions and sub-
(i.e. from oxygen isotopic substage 5e) on the base of merged speleothems), the use of which was subordi-
the recognition of the present-day height of the inner nate to the knowledge of the vertical crustal
margin of Eutyrrhenian marine terraces or notches movements affecting the coastal sector.
having good lateral continuity. These features are
assumed to indicate the maximum level reached by The objectives have been achieved through an
the sea at a relative sea-level highstand (Lajoie, 1986), interdisciplinary approach, which allowed to support
although with different degree of accuracy related to the interpretations on the palaeoenvironmental con-
their precise individuation and measurement. ditions and the neotectonic behaviour characterizing
the coastal evolution of the sector on a wider time
The researches have been carried out in selected frame (Late Pleistocene and Holocene). Moreover,
coastal areas of NW Sicily (Capo San Vito Promon- this allowed to verify its suitability for collecting
indicators of Holocenic palaeo-sea levels on the base
Fig. 1. Location of the study areas.
