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Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of late Quaternary foraminifera and molluscs from the ENEA borehole (Versilian plain, Tuscany, Italy)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

M. Gabriella Carboni ,
Luisa Bergamin ,
Letizia Di Bella ,
Daniela Esu ,
Emanuela Pisegna Cerone ,
Fabrizio Antonioli  and
Vladimiro Verrubbi
M. Gabriella Carboni*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy IGAG (CNR), Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, c/o Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
Luisa Bergamin
Affiliation:
ISPRA, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Via di Casalotti 300, 00166, Rome, Italy
Letizia Di Bella
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
Daniela Esu
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy IGAG (CNR), Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, c/o Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
Emanuela Pisegna Cerone
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
Fabrizio Antonioli
Affiliation:
ENEA, Ente per le Nuove tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente, Via Anguillarese 301, 00060 S. Maria di Galeria, Rome, Italy
Vladimiro Verrubbi
Affiliation:
ENEA, Ente per le Nuove tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente, Via Anguillarese 301, 00060 S. Maria di Galeria, Rome, Italy
*
*Corresponding author. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy. Fax: + 39 064454729. E-mail address: gabriella.carboni@uniroma1.it (M.G. Carboni).
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Abstract

Foraminifera and molluscs from the 90 m deep ENEA borehole (Versilian plain, central Italy) were studied for paleoenvironmental purposes. Palaeontological analyses, integrated with U/Th and radiocarbon data, helped to recognize late Quaternary sea-level changes and supplied results on tectonic mobility of the area. The study highlighted four sedimentary phases. The first phase consists of a shore environment attributed to MIS 7.1. A hiatus corresponding to MIS 6 is hypothesized at the top of this interval. Recognition of the paleo-shoreline of MIS 7.1 at − 72.8 m signifies a vertical displacement due to the extensional tectonics of the Apennine orogenesis. The second phase consists of a transgressive succession with evidence of warm temperatures, which was interpreted as part of the transgression leading to the MIS 5.5 highstand. The third phase includes sub-aerial and lacustrine deposits. Radiocarbon dates and palaeoecological reconstruction led us to attribute this interval to MIS 4, MIS 3 and MIS 2. The fourth phase begins with a lagoon environment attributable to Holocene sea-level rise and ends with marsh episodes, signifying the progradation of the alluvial plain. This reconstruction confirms the hypothesis of tectonic stability for the Versilian area during the Holocene.

Keywords

Late QuaternaryChronologyForaminiferaMolluscsPalaeoenvironmentCentral ItalyVersilian plain
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 74 , Issue 2 , September 2010 , pp. 265 - 276
Copyright
University of Washington

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