Geomorphology and geochronology of the Quaternary fluvial terraces of the Tesino River: new constraints to the landscape evolution in the piedmont area of central-northern Apennines of Italy

Abstract

<p>Along the Adriatic piedmont zone of central-northern Apennines of Italy, the combination of tectonic uplift with Quaternary climate changes caused the alternating phases of fluvial incision and deposition that eventually produced at least four levels of fluvial terraces. Although the fluvial terraces of this sector of the Apennines have been object of many studies since the first half of the twentieth century, their chronology is still object of debate. Consequently, their use as geomorphic markers of landscape evolution can be challenging. The scarcity of geochronological constraints, especially for the older terraced deposits, in addition to the extreme spatial variability of the terrace geomorphological characteristics along adjacent valleys and within different sectors of the same valley, are the main limitations to the utility of fluvial terraces as geomorphic markers of landscape evolution in this sector of the Apennines. This research presents new geomorphological data for the different terrace generations exposed along the southern Marche Apennines between the middle Pleistocene to the late Pleistocene-Holocene, using remote sensing techniques and field investigation, as well as geochronological data from Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) analysis. The fluvial terrace staircase along the Tesino River valley has been selected for the excellent exposure of the different terrace generations along the valley sides, the good accessibility for sampling, and the geomorphological characteristics of the river valley that can be representative of the ones draining the central-northern Adriatic piedmont zone. Findings from this research are useful for enhancing the knowledge on the evolution of the central-northern portion of the Apennines, providing new constraints for unravelling the contributions of tectonics and climate on the late Quaternary evolution of river valleys in the mid-latitudes zone of the Northern hemisphere.</p>