Abstract
ABSTRACT The results of a geomorphological study carried out in the urban area of Palermo are summarized in a thematic map. Field survey, analysis of aerial photographs and topographic maps, consultation of historical documents and maps, stratigraphic and topographic reconstruction from numerous wells and subsoil data, and bibliographic search were performed, in order to display the geomorphological changes produced by man over time in a densely populated area and to define the Anthropocene of the study area. Palermo town rises along large marine terrace surfaces cut by small river valleys and bordered by wide degraded and abandoned coastal cliffs. Over the last 2700 years, this area was affected by remarkable man-made changes to topographic surface and underground, exposing large areas of the city to hydraulic, sinkhole, and landslide risks, and increasing the levels of seismic susceptibility. In light of these results, the produced map is useful for urban planning studies.
Highlights
Anthropocene is an informal geological time interval dominated by human processes (Cooper et al, 2018, and reference therein; Crutzen, 2002)
The results of a geomorphological study carried out in the urban area of Palermo are summarized in a thematic map
The study area is the urban zone of Palermo, a Mediterranean city that shows an Anthropocene evolution influenced by several phases of urban expansion
Summary
Anthropocene is an informal geological time interval dominated by human processes (Cooper et al, 2018, and reference therein; Crutzen, 2002). Many human processes involve remarkable topographical changes that are part of ‘new’ landforms (Brandolini, 2017; Brandolini et al, 2011; Brandolini et al, 2017; Cooke, 1976; 1982; Del Monte et al, 2016; Donadio, 2017; Rosenbaum et al, 2003; Szabò, 2010). The study area is the urban zone of Palermo, a Mediterranean city that shows an Anthropocene evolution influenced by several phases of urban expansion. Accomplished over 26 centuries, the urban development of the town has led to changes in the topography and the growth of civil engineering structures covering rocks, deposits, and natural landforms
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