Morphological, sedimentological and tectonic features of diamante‐m. Carpinoso Marine terrace flight (tyrrhenian coast of northern Calabria, Italy)

Abstract

AbstractMarine terrace flights resulting from the interaction of Quaternary glacio‐eustatic fluctuations and tectonic uplift are a typical feature of the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria in Southern Italy; in particular a térrace flight with four orders of terraces is evident in the Diamante area. The lowest terrace levels (fourth order: Diamante‐Cirella terrace) are typified by a calcarenitic deposit with Cladocora caespitosa which give a Th/U age > 300,000 years. The third order terrace has a sedimentary cover formed of a basal discontinuous level of well rounded pebbles which underlies a deeply weathered coarse‐grained sand horizon. The deposit ends with a paleosol locally cut by erosional scours filled by yellowish tuff deposits. The formation of this terrace dates from the Middle Pleistocene. The second order terrace presents a sedimentary cover composed of two generations of soils and is attributed to Middle Pleistocene age. The first order terrace (M. Carpinoso terrace) presents a wave‐cut platform covered by a clastic deposit of marine and continental origin; this deposit consists of superimposed depositional events separated by unconformities, bounded by two diachronous surfaces. The formation of the wave‐cut platform could be related to several sea‐level stands during a long‐lasting slow subsidence phase of the coastal area during the Lower Pleistocene. The uplift following terrace formation displaced the first order terrace most markedly; tectonic lineations controlled the hydrographic pattern and erosion of the surfaces.