Ionian Calabria Research Articles

ASPECTS OF BEING A GIRL IN FRANCAVILLA MARITTIMA-<em>LAGARIA</em> (CALABRIA) IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY BC: A RECONSTRUCTION BASED ON TERRACOTTA FIGURINES AND THEIR ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXTS

In this article, terracotta figurines from four burials of little girls of an Italic-Chonian community at Macchiabate, together with terracotta figurines from ritual assemblages of the Athenaion at Timpone della Motta, are studied using concepts of archaeological “agency” and “personhood” theory. These approaches are different from the commonly used in Italian mortuary and sanctuary archaeology, which, by focusing on what may be called symbolic reading, regard grave- and votive-goods as attributes of the buried individuals and thus as straightforward presentations of status. The explanation current in agency and personhood theory, however, by focusing on active reading, prefers to see individuals and objects as producing social order and not merely reflecting it. Terracotta figurines, unearthed in the Macchiabate necropolis near the Calabrian village of Francavilla Marittima, and figurines excavated in the sanctuary on the Timpone della Motta near that same Francavilla Marittima, provide interesting cases of objects functioning as key actors in processes of personal and social change. The figurines from the eighth and the first quarter of the seventh centuries BC were made and used to act as intermediates between the natural and the supernatural worlds on behalf of girls and their parents in transitional situations. In the presented cases the figurines and the girls are, moreover, related to “Middle Ground” situations of social change in operation with indigenous Italic-Chonian inhabitants and new settlers from the Eastern Mediterranean (likely Euboia, Samos and the Cycladic islands) in the pre-urban coastal area of Ionian Calabria.

Basin-scale occurrence and distribution of mesophotic and upper bathyal red coral forests along the Italian coasts

The analysis of 879 ROV dives carried out along the Italian coasts on hard substrata at mesophotic and upper bathyal depths (40-775 m) allowed us to evaluate the current basin-scale presence, relative abundance, bathymetric limits, and habitat preferences of one of the most charismatic Mediterranean habitat-former anthozoan species, Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758). The species is widespread, and its occurrence ranged from 13% of the explored sites in Ionian Calabria to a hotspot of approximately 80% in Sardinia. Population relative densities were generally low (< 10 colonies m-2), except along the Sardinian coasts and in some areas along the Apulian coast. Almost no red coral colonies were observed between 60 m and 590 m in the nine explored offshore seamounts in the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas. A distinctive coastal distribution discontinuity was found in the Ionian Sea. The optimum bathymetric distribution was between 75 m and 125 m, and no colonies were found below 247 m. Red coral colonies showed a preference for biogenic habitats dominated by crustose coralline algae (CCA) and vertical substrata. The species was absent on iron wrecks. Corallium rubrum disappeared from 14% of the historical fishing banks, while it was confirmed in 86% of them, some of which have been deeply harvested in the past. In particular, the still flourishing Sardinian populations could be supported by the high reproductive potential and favourable hydrodynamic conditions in the area.

Bruzzano river mouth damage due to meteorological events

ABSTRACT The Italian territory, due to its geomorphological and climatic characteristics, is particularly prone to hydrogeological instability phenomena such as flash floods, river floods, sea storms and coastal erosion. These phenomena are particularly relevant due to the considerable Italian coastline, of about 8300 km in length, and to the presence of many rivers. The most critical aspects of these phenomena are observed in the case of concurrent events. The paper describes an event of hydrogeological instability which occurred in 2015 in Bruzzano Zeffirio, a town in southern Ionian Calabria. The event consisted of both a flood, which caused the flooding of the Bruzzano river, a torrential river, and a sea storm. The joint action of both phenomena may have also caused the collapse of the highway bridge and of the railway bridge, both located near the river mouth. The paper analyses the possible correlations between this event and the geomorphological and climatic characteristics of the study area. It represents a pilot study on the conditions that favour the contemporaneity between floods and sea storms and can be extended to other territories with the same characteristics. Also, this study can be used by a local administrator to plan and manage these territories.

Landscapes of Jonian Calabria Ulteriore

The text reflects on the methods and aims of interpreting landscape in the works of picturesque travellers and in the activities of those who deal with issues that produce changes on extraordinary landscapes. Comparison leads us to ask ourselves, after just over two centuries, how much we recognize in those landscapes, and if there is a way to preserve them with all their finest features notwithstanding the need for transformation required by modern life. Comparison that comes from both the understanding of some landscapes of the late 18th Ionian Calabria (Roccella, Gerace, Locri, Condojanni, Bova Marina) and from the modern view, reveals different and unpredictable situations.

Living between widely separated areas: Long-term monitoring of Mediterranean loggerhead turtles sheds light on cryptic aspects of females spatial ecology

Over the last decades, satellite tracking techniques have substantially advanced our understanding of sea turtle spatial behaviour, especially for the post-nesting migrations of females. Substantial gaps remains in our knowledge of the turtle behaviour during the remaining inter-reproductive period, that spans over 2–3years. We report the results of a prolonged tracking experiment on loggerhead turtles nesting along the Ionian Calabria, the main breeding ground in Italy. Argos satellite transmitters were deployed on eight females, a sample representing a substantial fraction of the overall population (20–25 nesting females). All turtles but one were tracked for >300days (range: 313–1523days), revealing their spatial behaviour during a complete reproductive cycle and providing novel information on a number of poorly-known aspects of loggerhead spatial ecology: i) the post-nesting migratory strategy resulted in accordance with that of most adult loggerheads tracked so far, as the nine routes of six turtles were directed towards specific sites all located in the Tunisian continental shelf, a main foraging area for Mediterranean turtles; ii) the pre-breeding migratory routes were rather variable, likely deriving from different navigational strategies adopted by migrating turtles, and their temporal pattern indicates that mating occurred away from the nesting area; iii) the 10 inter-nesting movements of four turtles revealed unusual long-distance loops mostly in oceanic waters (median of maximum distance from nesting location: 145.5km); iv) while at the foraging grounds, four turtles occupied distinct areas during summer and winter, making directed movements between the two sites, seasonal core areas were separated and their size was larger in winter than in summer (median: 498km2 vs. 258km2); v) individual females displayed an high fidelity to both sites in successive years. These findings further highlight the plasticity in loggerhead spatial behaviour and the importance of the Central Mediterranean and of the Tunisian shelf for loggerhead conservation.

BICHORDITES MONASTIRIENSIS ICHNOFABRIC FROM THE PLEISTOCENE SHALLOW-MARINE SANDSTONES AT LE CASTELLA (CROTONE), IONIAN CALABRIA, SOUTHERN ITALY

The analysis of Bichordites ichnofabric has been performed in laminated calcarenites of Upper Pleistocene marine terraces of the Crotone Peninsula, Ionian Calabria, outcropping in the coast nearby the village of Le Castella (southern Italy). These calcarenitic deposits show an intense and pervasive bioturbation, preserved mainly as endichnia s.s., exposed endichnia (false epichnia with hyp- and epireliefs) and crossichnia, dominated by Bichordites monastiriensis . Other forms (more rare) are Cardioichnus isp., Ophiomorpha nodosa, Planolites beverleyensis and ? Macaronichnus -like trace fossils. This shallow-water ichnofabric, that is recurrent in many sandy shallow water marine terraces of Pleistocene, exhibits hundreds of Bichordites monastiriensis (meniscate burrows) that are studied in cross sections and plane views. A detailed taphonomic study shows many differences in the central core of Bichordites monastiriensis that varies in shape, length and dimension, from the outer meniscate envelopment, following the burrowing action of spatangoid echinids in sandy substrate. The rhythmical arrangement in shape and density of Bichordites in foreshore sandy bars with megaripples, with a regressive trend in the stratigraphic section, likely reflects variations and the strength of current along coast.

First compositional evidences on the local production of Dressel 2–4 amphorae in Calabria (Southern Italy): characterization and mixing simulations

Dressel 2–4 amphorae are a type of pottery, which was used to transport wine and produced in the Mediterranean area between the first century BC and the second century AD. This study shows, for the first time, that their production also occurred in Ionian Calabria. These results were achieved by studying 11 samples of archaeological pottery (five samples of Dressel 2–4 and six samples of other ceramic types) taken from Cariati (Calabria—Southern Italy). The composition of the pottery was compared with that of the local raw materials (clays and sands) potentially usable for their production. Samples were studied by polarized optical microscopy and analysed by XRF, XRPD and Raman spectroscopy. An innovative approach, based on Microsoft Excel optimizer “Solver” add-in on geochemical data, was used to define the provenance of archaeological pottery and to calculate the mixtures of local clay and sand needed for the production of the pottery itself.

Faulting and Ancient Earthquakes at Sybaris Archaeological Site, Ionian Calabria, Southern Italy

The Sybaris archaeological site, founded by the Greeks in 720 B.C., is located within the Sibari Plain near the Crati River mouth (Ionian northern Calabria, southern Italy), in an almost flat and low‐lying area (Fig. 1). The plain is bounded by the Pollino chain to the north and by the Sila massif and the northern Crati basin to the south and west. Figure 1. Location of the archaeological site of Sybaris (black rectangle in satellite image and upper left inset). Instrumental seismicity larger than M 4 is shown as gray stars, scaled by magnitude (Italian Seismological Instrumental and Parametric Data‐Base [ISIDe], 2010). Historical earthquakes are shown as gray boxes (size‐scaled by intensity degree), with the dates of occurrence reported (Boschi et al. , 1995; Rovida et al. , 2011; Tertulliani and Cucci, 2014). Dashed white box is the possible epicentral area of the paleoearthquake inferred in the area of the town of Castrovillari and near the Pollino range (e.g., Cinti et al. , 2002, and references therein). The schematic outline of the faults (white lines) in the study area is also shown (Galadini et al. , 2001; Comerci et al. , 2013). In the upper right inset is an aerial view of the present‐day setting of the archaeological study site. Satellite image from Google Earth © Map (Lat. 39°49’N; Long. 16°12’E) (http://www.google.com/earth/; last accessed October 2014). From a seismotectonic point of view, Sybaris is located in the northeastern Calabrian arc, the tectonic evolution of which is controlled by slow north‐northwest/south‐southeast convergence between the Eurasian and African–Adriatic continental plates (e.g., Gvirtzmann and Nur, 1999; Argnani, 2000; Jolivet and Faccenna, 2000). Throughout the Calabrian arc, complex dynamics associated with subduction and rollback have produced back‐arc extension, widespread uplift, and relative subsidence in the major tectonic basins, including Sibari, where mainly normal seismogenic faults …

Surface breaks along the coastal plain of Cirò (Ionian Calabria, southern Italy): geophysical and paleoseismological insights

On July 28, 2004, the coastal plain of Ciro (Calabria, Ionian Sea) was interested by the sudden opening of a ~5-km-long fracture, paralleling the coastline. All the buildings, roads, and pipelines crossed by the fracture were damaged, inducing several inhabitants to abandon their houses. The crack was 1–2-cm wide, downthrowing the seaward block up to 1–2 cm. This phenomenon is known for having already hit this area at least in the past century, both concurrently or not to earthquakes with epicentre far away from Ciro. In order to investigate the subsurface geometry, and the nature of the crack, we performed 5 electrical resistivity tomography and two paleoseismological trenches across it. The two methods provided evidences for the whole displacement of the local coastal succession, with offsets of several metres cumulated during the late Holocene. Giving the radiocarbon age of samples collected in trenches, we have constrained the dates of a couple of offset events which match some paleoearthquakes caused by the Lakes Fault, in the neighbouring Sila Massif. Excluding other possible causes (i.e. anthropic or tectonic), we are inclined to interpret these phenomena as the westernmost, surficial expression of a submarine deep-seated gravity sliding.

From surface to mid-water: Is the swordfish longline fishery “hitting rock bottom”? A case study in southern Italy

Fleet expansion, increased gear efficiency, increased effort and the constant improvement in fishing methods have greatly contributed to the current overexploitation of many target stocks. It is therefore essential to identify and monitor the changes in fishing practices as well as the technological creep to determine their implications for the conservation of target and non-target species. The present study documents the recent technical and operational changes in a longline fishery targeting swordfish (Xiphias gladius) operating in southern Italy (Ionian Calabria). Data collected during the swordfish fishing seasons of 2007, 2010 and 2011 showed a significant change in fishing practices over the survey years, as the longline fishery switched from surface (10–100m) to mid-water (100–500m) depth and from 11h to 25–30h soak time. These modifications in fishing operations, which result in an increase and redistribution of the effort, were motivated by a drastic decrease in the swordfish catches made with the traditional surface longline. They have modified the fleet structure, catch species composition and size of the target species. Although these operational changes resulted in an increase in the swordfish size and a decrease in the sea turtle bycatch, their implications for less known and potentially more vulnerable commercial and bycatch species are unclear. Moreover, the shift of fishing effort into deeper water is a well-documented evolution of many fisheries worldwide in response to the decline in shallow coastal water resources. The change in fishing practice of the pelagic longline fishery reported in the present study could be considered an additional alarm bell of the current state of overexploitation of the Mediterranean swordfish.

Effects of Small (13/0) Circle Hooks on Loggerhead Sea Turtle Bycatch in a Small-Scale, Italian Pelagic Longline Fishery

Incidental catches by pelagic longline fisheries are recognized as serious threats to the loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta (linnaeus, 1758). In the present study, we assessed the effects of small (13/0) circle hooks on the catches of C. caretta in a small-scale, pelagic longline fishery off the southern coast of ionian calabria (southern italy). Experiments were conducted on a commercial fishing vessel using circle hooks (mustad 13/0, n = 2320) alternated with J-hooks (mustad no. 4, n = 2322) along 13 longline sets. The mean catch per unit of effort (cpuE) of the target species Thunnus thynnus (linnaeus, 1758) (n = 30) per fishing set and its mean body size did not differ significantly between the two hook types. No significant differences emerged in the sea turtle cpuE for each hook type; however, there was a significant reduction in mean body size with circle hooks due to a decrease in the catch rate of large juvenile loggerhead turtles. Although more data are necessary to obtain a comprehensive picture, the widespread adoption of 13/0 circle hooks has the potential for benefitting large juveniles and nesting adult sea turtles. Our data also suggest that adoption of 13/0 circle hooks would not adversely impact the economic viability of the fishery.

Sedimentology and ichnology of the lower part of the Saraceno Formation (Cretaceous?, Miocene?) (northern Ionian Calabria)

Sedimentology and ichnology of the lower part of the Saraceno Formation (Cretaceous?, Miocene?) (northern Ionian Calabria)

Trace fossils in the calcarenites (Pleistocene, Calabrian) outcropping nearby the village of Bombile (Southern Ionian Calabria)

In this paper, preliminary ichnological observations have been performed in the Pleistocene (Calabrian) arenites, outcropping nearby the village of Bombile (Calabria, Southern Italy). These deposits show an intense and pervasive bioturbation, the study of which allowed the identification of at least fi ve ichnogenera: Bichordites, Macaronichnus, Thalassinoides, Ophiomorpha and Conichnus.

Preliminary ichnological observations on the Trubi Formation (Lower–Middle Pliocene) near the village of Palizzi Marina (southern Ionian Calabria)

Alongside the central and southern Ionian Calabria, a Pliocene (Zanclean – Piacenzian) sedimentary succession crops out more or less continuously. This succession, assimilated to the Sicilian Trubi Formation, is constituted by a rhythmic alternation of marls and limestones, these last very rich in planktonic and benthic foraminifers and in coccoliths.Near the village of Palizzi Marina (RC) one of the fairly well known Calabrian outcrops of this formation occurs. This paper describes the fi rst observations on the trace fossils recognized in the middle part of this sedimentary succession.The ichnoassemblage belongs to the Zoophycos ichnofacies, confirming previous studies which proposed an open marine slope-basin depositional paleoenvironment, at a depth of 800-1000 m, inferred on the basis of planktonic and benthic foraminifers.

Relazioni tra un evento tettonico-sedimentario e l’icnologia: un esempio nella Formazione di Stilo - Capo d’Orlando (Oligo-Miocene) a Bova (Calabria ionica meridionale)

Relations between a sedimentary-tectonic event and Ichnology: an example in the Stilo-Capo d'Orlando Formation (Oligo-Miocene) nearby Bova (Southern Ionian Calabria).Nearby the Bova village (southern Ionian Calabria) the contact between the lower continental member and the upper marine member of the Stilo – Capo d'Orlando Formation crops out. This transition is underlined both by sinsedimentary faults and slump deposits. The sedimentological and ichnological study of a stratigraphic section have allowed to suppose a shallow marine depositional environment, which paleodepth was most probably located below the main wave base.

Relationships between high‐magnitude relative sea‐level changes and filling of a coarse‐grained submarine canyon (Pleistocene, Ionian Calabria, Southern Italy)

AbstractA middle Pleistocene coarse‐grained canyon fill succession (the Serra Mulara Formation) crops out in the northern sector of the Crotone Basin, a forearc basin located on the Ionian side of the Calabrian Arc and active from the Serravallian to middle Pleistocene. This succession is an example of coarse‐grained submarine canyon fill, which consists of a north‐west to south‐east elongated body (4·25 km long and up to 1·5 km wide) laterally confined by a deep‐water clayey and silty succession and located behind the modern Neto delta (north of Crotone). The thickness of the unit reaches 178 m. The lower part of the canyon fill is dominated by gravelly to sandy density‐flow deposits containing abundant bivalve and gastropod fragments, passing upward into a succession composed of metre‐scale to decimetre‐scale density‐flow deposits forming sandstone–mudstone couplets. Sandstone deposits are mostly structureless and planar‐laminated, whereas the clayey layers record hemipelagic deposition during quieter phases. This succession is overlain by another composed of thicker structureless sandstones alternating with layers of interlaminated mudstones and sandstones, which contain leaf remnants and fresh water ostracods, and are linked directly to river floods. The canyon fill is overlain by gravelly to sandy continental deposits recording a later stage of emergence. Facies analysis, together with micropalaeontological data from the hemipelagic units, suggests that the studied canyon fill records, firstly, a progressive gravel material cut‐off during deposition due to an overall relative sea‐level rise, leading to a progressive increase in the entrapment of sediment in fluvial to shallow‐marine systems, and secondly, a generalized relative sea‐level lowering. This trend probably reflects high‐magnitude glacio‐eustatic changes combined with the regional uplift of the region, ultimately leading to emergence.

Strain accumulation across the Messina Straits and kinematics of Sicily and Calabria from GPS data and dislocation modeling

We use Global Positioning System (GPS) velocities and dislocation modeling to investigate the rate and nature of interseismic strain accumulation in the area affected by the 1908 Mw 7.1 Messina earthquake (southern Italy) within the framework of the complex central Mediterranean microplate kinematics. Our data confirm a change in the velocity trends between Sicily and Calabria, moving from NNW-ward to NE-ward with respect to Eurasia, and detail a fan-like pattern across the Messina Straits where maximum extensional strain rates are ~ 65 nanostrains/yr. Extension normal to the coast of northern Sicily is consistent with the presence of SW–NE trending normal faults. Half-space dislocation models of the GPS velocities are used to infer the slip-rates and geometric fault parameters of the fault zone that ruptured in the Messina earthquake. The inversion, and the bootstrap analysis of model uncertainties, finds optimal values of 3. 5 + 2.0 − 1.3 and 1.6 + 0.3 − 0.2 mm/yr for the dip–slip and strike–slip components, respectively, along a 30 + 1.1 − 0.7 ° SE-ward dipping normal fault, locked above 7.6 + 4.6 − 2.9 km depth. By developing a regional elastic block model that accounts for both crustal block rotations and strain loading at block-bounding faults, and adopting two different competing models for the Ionian–Calabria convergence rates, we show that the measured velocity gradient across the Messina Straits may be significantly affected by the elastic strain contribution from other nearby faults. In particular, when considering the contribution of the possibly locked Calabrian subduction interface onto the observed velocity gradients in NE-Sicily and western Calabria, we find that this longer wavelength signal can be presently super-imposed on the observed velocity gradients in NE-Sicily and Calabria. The inferred slip-rate on the Messina Fault is significantly impacted by elastic strain from the subduction thrust. By varying the locking of the subduction thrust fault, in fact, the Messina Fault slip-rate varies from 0 to 9 mm/yr.

Fishing activity and impacts along the main nesting area of loggerhead sea turtle <i>Caretta caretta</i> in Italy: overwhelming discrepancy with the official data

The southern coast of Ionian Calabria was recently recognized as the main nesting area of the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta in Italy. The aim of this study was to characterize the fishing fleet in this area in terms of number of boats, economic situation, social aspects and impact on sea turtle specimens and target species. A multidisciplinary approach was essential to understand how the conservation problems of C. caretta are linked to various characteristics of the fishing fleet. Our data showed a vast discrepancy between the official census and the actual number of boats fishing in the area: 87% of the observed artisanal vessels lacked a required registration number, and thus were fishing illegally. This has caused serious social problems that worsened over the summer of 2007, when the presence of non-local registered vessels, using drift nets, generated a spatial conflict with the local artisanal fishermen. We identified 11 fishing gears used in the area and four of them were studied with on board observations: illegal drift nets, trammel nets, bottom longlines and longlines targeting swordfish. The total number of turtles caught during the summer in the area by longliners targeting swordfish was calculated to be 500 (±180 SE). In addition the presence of drift netters had a negative impact from an ecological and social point of view.

Archaeoseismic evidence for a Late Roman earthquake in the Crotone area (Ionian Calabria, Southern Italy): Seismotectonic implications

The earthquakes of Calabria are among the strongest in the whole Mediterranean, and they all occurred between the disruptive sequences of 1638 and 1908 (6.7 ≤ M ≤ 7.2). Recent paleoseismological studies show that the return time of these events on their causative fault are larger than 1 ky, thus making ancient earthquakes not recognizable through ‘conventional’ historical research. On the other hand, in those areas characterized by highly erodible deposits, the identification and paleoseismic trenching of active seismogenetic faults has remained a challenge. In order to overcome these issues, we took an archaeoseismological approach for casting light on earthquake occurrence in one of these regions, i.e., the SE area of central Ionian Calabria (Marchesato region). The extensive traces of simultaneous and abrupt collapses in the Roman settlement of Capo Colonna (in the area of the sixth and fifth b.c. sanctuary of Hera Lacinia, near the town of Crotone) are evidence of a disruptive earthquake, which occurred possibly in the third century a.d. To the same event we ascribe the definitive collapse of the Hera Lacinia temple. Considering the seismotectonic framework of the region, this event could be tentatively associated with the active fault system which cuts from NW to SE the whole Sila massif and its Ionian slope, and which should be responsible for all the others known M > 6 earthquakes in the area.

Raised Pleistocene marine terraces of the Crotone peninsula (Calabria, southern Italy): facies analysis and organization of their deposits

Wide marine terraces well known in the Italian literature are present in the Crotone peninsula, Ionian Calabria. They are related to the interplay between Pleistocene sea-level changes and the progressive uplift of the Calabrian Arc from the middle Pleistocene onwards. We present a description of facies organization and stratigraphical characteristics of the terrace deposits, along with a new geological map of the area. All the marine terraces unconformably overlie a Plio-Pleistocene slope succession known as Cutro Clay. The oldest and highest terrace, named Cutro terrace, is placed between 90 and 200 m of elevation and is gently inclined south-eastwards. Four younger terraces placed at progressively lower elevations and dipping seawards at low angles have been recognized. The sedimentary deposits of the terraces are represented by mixed carbonate and siliciclastic bodies, up to 10 m thick. Algal reefs and grainstone to rudstone deposits are common in the south-eastern part of the study area, whereas mostly siliciclastic sandstone units of shoreface environments are more abundant northwards and westwards. The deposits of some terraces are made up of minor cycles, bounded by subaerial, transgressive, and flooding surfaces referred to minor sea-level fluctuations. NNE-, ENE-, E-, and WNW-trending normal fault systems are present within the study area and dissect the marine terraces. Specifically, the activation of ENE-trending faults took place after the formation of the oldest terrace but prior to the formation of the younger terraces.