Reading Pleistocene eustasy in a tectonically active siliciclastic shelf setting (Crotone peninsula, southern Italy)

Abstract

Transgressive-regressive cycles are recognized in early to middle Pleistocene siliciclastic shelf sediments that crop out in the tectonically active Crotone basin (southern Italy). Chronological constraints from calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy indicate that these cycles are synchronous with oxygen isotope stages 19 to 33 and hence with global sea-level fluctuations. A major facies break in the succession correlates with oxygen isotope stages 22–24, corresponding to the major mid-Pleistocene climatic shift. These findings indicate that Pleistocene eustatic oscillations can be recognized in the lithostratigraphy of a tectonically active siliciclastic shelf setting. By integrating biomagnetostratigraphy with physical stratigraphy, a highly resolved chronology can be developed for these settings similar to that available for deep-sea sediments.