An overview of Pliocene to present-day uplift and denudation rates in the Northern Apennine

Abstract

Abstract Quaternary, Holocene and present denudation rates in the Northern Adriatic basin and sedimentary supply rates, formerly to the Northern Apennine Foredeep and at present to the Adriatic Sea, are approximately consistent. The Quaternary denudation rate, based on sediment feeding to the foredeep is 0.45 mm a −1 . This value is congruous with a mean exhumation rate since the Early Pliocene, deduced from apatite fission track dating, of 0.5 mm a −1 in the Apuan Alps. The Quaternary supply rate to the foredeep (0.047 km 3 a −1 ) is over twice as fast as that of the Pliocene (0.021 km 3 a −1 ), and reflects an increased denudation rate due to higher energy relief and a slightly larger catchment basin. The Pleistocene increase in uplift/denudation rates is emphasized by the onset of fast prograding sedimentation pattern since 1.0 to 0.8 Ma on both the Padan and the Tyrrhenian side of the Apennines. Pleistocene uplift also had a considerable impact on Apennine morphology and drainage pattern evolution.