Venetian Prealps Research Articles

REASSESSMENT OF THE EARLY-MIDDLE EOCENE PLANKTIC FORAMINIFERAL BIOMAGNETOCHRONOLOGY: NEW EVIDENCE FROM THE TETHYAN POSSAGNO SECTION (NE ITALY) AND WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN ODP SITE 1051

We examined a planktic foraminiferal biostratigraphic record from the Tethyan Possagno section (Venetian Prealps of northeastern Italy) spanning the lower–middle Eocene transition, from Chron C24r to the base of Chron C20r and from Zones E1 to lower E8. Our results provide an updated magnetochronological calibration from the Tethyan realm of the lowest and highest occurrences of the zonal markers. All the foraminiferal biostratigraphic events utilized in the most recent and widely used zonal schemes have been recognized. Most of them are in reasonable agreement with the known magnetochronological calibration, such as those at the Paleocene/Eocene boundary and lowermost Eocene. However, a number of events, specifically the bases of Morozovella aragonensis, Acarinina cuneicamerata, and Guembelitrioides nuttalli, occur at a significantly lower position at Possagno than in the most recent zonal schemes. A comparable magnetostratigraphic position has been recorded for the first two bioevents in the western North Atlantic Ocean ODP Site 1051 (Blake Nose, Atlantic Ocean). Furthermore, the base of A. cuneicamerata and the top of Morozovella subbotinae occur in reverse order with respect to previous schemes, thus negating the effectiveness of Zone E6 as now used. We propose an alternative definition of the Zone E6/E7a boundary by substituting the base of Astrorotalia palmerae for that of A. cuneicamerata . This proposal avoids combining E6 and E7a into a single zone. Additionally, we recorded a significantly different magnetostratigraphic position for the base of Turborotalia frontosa , a critical event for the Ypresian-Lutetian boundary placement. Our biostratigraphic dataset is unique in the integration of deep-benthic foraminiferal events with magnetostratigraphy and calcareous plankton data. Because biostratigraphic data of planktic foraminifera from the Possagno section derive from the same sample set analyzed for calcareous nannofossils, we were able to outline an integrated, updated, calcareous plankton stratigraphy of the lower–basal middle Eocene from a Tethyan location.

Ground stone tool production and use in the Late Upper Palaeolithic: The evidence from Riparo Dalmeri (Venetian Prealps, Italy)

The site of Riparo Dalmeri yielded numerous flint, bone, and shell artifacts, as well as faunal and botanical remains, which are evidence of the Late Upper Palaeolithic (or Late Epigravettian culture, ca. 16,000–12,000 cal b.p.) occupation of the Alps region. The importance of the site is related to the discovery of 267 stones painted with anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, and geometric designs. Here we report on ground stone tools from Riparo Dalmeri investigated by means of an integrated technofunctional and experimental approach to reconstruct their production and use. The results support the hypothesis that the ground stone artifacts were employed in specialized activities (e.g., hide treatment, flintknapping) as well as in the production of some of the painted stone artifacts.

Cold resistance in two species of cave-dwelling beetles (Coleoptera: Cholevidae)

Supercooling points (SCPs), lower lethal temperatures (LLTs), and the effect of short-term exposures (1 min) to low temperatures were examined in the adults of two stenothermal leptodirin species, Neobathyscia mancinii and Neobathyscia pasai (Coleoptera, Cholevidae). Specimens were collected from two caves in the Venetian Prealps (NE-Italy). Inter-species comparison highlighted lower values of SCP in N. mancinii (−7.1±0.9 °C) than in N. pasai (−6.4±0.3 °C), with no significant intersexual differences in both species. N. pasai (LLT 50±SE=−16.96±2.30 °C; LLT 100=−25.41 °C) tolerated short exposures to subzero temperatures better than N. mancinii (LLT 50±SE=−4.89±1.08 °C; LLT 100=−11.72 °C). According to the mortality and cumulative proportion of individual freezing curves (CPIF), SCPs and LLT 100, N. pasai may be defined as “strongly freeze tolerant”, N. mancinii as “moderately freezing tolerant”. Overall, these results may justify the different in-cave habitat selection showed by the two species ( N. pasai was abundant close to the entrance where the temperature is variable whereas N. mancinii was confined to the internal part of the cave where the temperature is constant throughout the year), and suggest hypotheses on the effects of such habitat selection on freeze tolerance strategy adopted. Finally, they give new insights into possible responses to climate changes in cave dwelling species.

L’art aurignacien dans la décoration de la Grotte de Fumane

In the Aurignacian layers of the Fumane Cave (Venetian Pre-Alps), the excavations have shown five rocky fragments detached from the walls, at the time of the discovery, they were partially covered by concretions, that consist of the traces of paintings made with the red ochre (a schematic human with the head surmounted by two horns, a four-legged animal, three motifs of difficult interpretation). At the basis of the Aurignacian layers, two spots of sediment intensely blushed for the presence of ochre are dated around 35,500 B.P. (new datings 14C achieved at the Laboratory of Oxford by the ABOx pre-treatment method). In the setting of the aurignacian art, these datings can explain the “primitive” character of these realizations, for the same reason as the function of the inhabited cave.

Doline Fills - Case Study of the Faverghera Plateau (Venetian Pre-Alps, Italy)

The sedimentary fills of two dolines in the Faverghera plateau in the Venetian Pre-Alps, south of Belluno, have been investigated. This small plateau is a sub-horizontal surface about 0.5 km2 wide, located on the northeastern slope of Mt. Faverghera (1640 m a.s.l.) hosting nearly 40 karst dolines partially filled by periglacial slope deposits. Topographic survey, electric resistivity tomography (ERT), soil and pollen analyses have been carried on. The structure of the dolines and the characters of the filling deposits indicate that the evolution of these forms has been controlled by the alternation of different climatic and environmental conditions during the Pleistocene. The results indicate that the dolines are “filters” for the sediments, more than good traps, archiving only some of the climatic and environmental changes.

The Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum as recorded by Tethyan planktonic foraminifera in the Forada section (northern Italy)

The Forada section in the Venetian Pre-Alps of northern Italy represents an expanded record of the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) at a depositional paleodepth of about 1 km ± 0.5 km. High-resolution planktonic foraminiferal analysis of this section, in a time interval of approximately 1.3 Myr across the Paleocene/Eocene boundary, reveals striking faunal changes that allow the identification of eight phases (a–h). The late Paleocene was represented by stable, warm and oligotrophic surface water conditions (phase a). Unstable environmental conditions start well before the onset of PETM (ca. 150 kyr, phase b) and involved a change towards eutrophy, as marked by the increase of Subbotina and the concomitant decrease of Morozovella. This step is also characterized by enhanced fragmentation and dissolution. The interval corresponding to the main body of the carbon isotope excursion (CIE) is characterized by a marked increase of Acarinina, though with some differences in the species composition and relative abundance, both in high-and low-latitudes, particularly in the Tethyan area. Forada is no exception to this pattern. However, at Forada, two prominent peaks in abundance of acarininids are recorded ca. 30 kyr prior to the onset of the CIE, thus suggesting an increase in temperature heralding the onset of the PETM (phase c). Interestingly, the lower peak in abundance of Acarinina just precedes the 1‰ carbon isotope negative shift occurring below the onset of the main CIE. The basalmost Eocene, corresponding to the lower part of CIE curve, is represented by intense planktonic foraminiferal dissolution, implying an extraordinary rise of the CCD. This interval has an estimated duration of about 16 kyr (phase d). The dominance of acarininids in the lower part of the CIE (phase e, f; ca. 14 and 22.5 kyr) is interpreted as a consequence of the extreme warmth coupled with eutrophic conditions characterizing the Forada depositional environment at that time. These acarininids include at Forada also the temporally constrained Acarinina sibaiyaensis and A. africana. The morphological similarity between these peculiar species with the radially elongated chambered forms characterizing the Cretaceous anoxic events, suggests the hypothesis that depletion of oxygen in the upper water column might have been one of the factors causing their conspicuous occurrence at the PETM. The recovery in abundance of the specialized morozovellids and of other planktonic foraminiferal groups (e.g., biserials, globanomalinids, igorinids, planorotalids and pseudohastigerinids), occurring in the middle part of the CIE (ca. 30 kyr after the onset of the PETM), indicates an initial environmental recovery (phase g). A new stable state is definitely reached in the upper part of the Forada section where the relative proportions of the main component of planktonic foraminiferal assemblages move towards values similar to those of the late Paleocene conditions (phase h). However, the perturbation during the PETM produced significant changes in the ocean geochemistry that endured after the PETM event, as testified by the prominent high carbonate dissolution characterizing the marly levels, and the large variability in relative abundance among different components of the planktonic foraminiferal assemblages. These striking oscillations were not present in the latest Paleocene.

Aspects of the Evolution of an Important Geo-Ecosystem in the Lessinian Mountain (Venetian Prealps, Italy)

The Grotta dell’Arena (476 V/VR), located in the Lessinian Mountain, at the elevation of 1512 m a.s.l., is a very important underground karst system. Although it is only 74 m long, several of the geological, geomorphological and environmental features of the High Lessinian underground karst are present in this cave. The Grotta dell’Arena shares some common geological and faunistic characters with other important and well known karst systems. This cave has also one of the highest number of troglobitic species in all Venetian Prealps and some of them possibly originated in the pre-Quaternary. From the geological point of view the cave is the expression of a contact karst, where different limestone types come in contact both stratigraphically and along tectonic structures. The Grotta dell’Arena is located at the stratigraphic contact between the “Calcari del Gruppo di San Vigilio” and the “Rosso Ammonitico” and it is very close to a fault plane putting in vertical contact the two above formations with the “Biancone”, a kind of limestone closely stratified and densely fractured, very sensible to frost weathering. It is interesting to note the presence of a good number of species of Tertiary, or more generally pre-Quaternary, originate in the Grotta dell’Arena. This presence is possibly related to the geology of caves. In this paper the different kinds of underground karst systems in the Grottta dell’Arena and Lessinian Mountain, are analyzed and the relation with the cave fauna distribution are taken in consideration.

Mode and tempo of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum in an expanded section from the Venetian pre-Alps

Mode and tempo of an expanded Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum section in the Venetian Pre-Alps

Responses of calcareous nannofossil assemblages, mineralogy and geochemistry to the environmental perturbations across the Paleocene/Eocene boundary in the Venetian Pre-Alps

Calcareous nannofossil, mineralogical and geochemical data are presented from the expanded Paleocene–Lower Eocene Forada section in the Venetian Pre-Alps. The short-lived Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is characterized by profound and temporally constrained changes among calcareous nannoplankton assemblages, triggered by global modifications of the ocean–atmosphere system. The Calcareous Nannofossil Excursion Taxa (CNET) represent transient adaptations to changes in the chemical (nutrients, CO 2, pH) and temperature structure of surface waters typifying the PETM. Oligotrophic taxa, such as Sphenolithus, Zygrhablithus, Octolithus and Fasciculithus, exbihit a sharp decrease in abundance, whereas reworked forms show a sharp increase. These changes reflect a response to the modified environmental conditions, characterized by sharp increase in nutrient availability. This increase likely resulted from a huge terrigenous input, suggesting that the siliciclastic pump was intensified by enhanced weathering and runoff. The high correlations between mineralogical/geochemical data and calcareous nannofossil fluctuations is consistent with this scenario. Highly-resolved age estimations are established for several calcareous nannofossil biohorizons based on cyclostratigraphy.

Changes in the Use of Natural Resources and Human Impact in the Karst Environments of the Venetian Prealps

In the Venetian Prealps the old model of resources use was for many aspects of sustainable type, in equilibrium with the natural dynamics. Episodes of strong impact occurred only in some particular areas and in specific economical and political situations. After the Second World War dramatic changes in the resources management have taken place, induced by the urban and industrial development. The traditional system of self-sustained economy has completely collapsed and has been replaced by an open economy more dependent on that of the large urban sprawl of the plain. Such development is clearly incompatible with the local environmental dynamics and it is difficult to be modified, because it triggers self-sustaining processes. The problem to individuate new more compatible directions for the development is, for a large part, a cultural problem and it may not be solved without a cultural revolution. Local people must be helped to understand the karst geo-ecosystem, the natural realm, the landscape, the local history, and the cultural heritage. Starting from such knowledge, local people have to develop a strong sense of belonging to their own geographical units and to become and to feel protagonists, responsible of their own development, capable to lead it.

OVULASTER PROTODECIMAE, N. SP. (ECHINOIDEA, SPATANGOIDA) AND ASSOCIATED EPIFAUNA (CIRRIPEDIA, VERRUCIDAE) FROM THE DANIAN OF NORTHEASTERN ITALY

A new species of irregular echinoid, Ovulaster protodecimae, is described from the Danian Scaglia Rossa Formation outcropping in the Venetian Prealps (Southern Alps, northeastern Italy). The new species, belonging to the order Spatangoida, is very distinctive because of its inflated, almost triangular test, the high-positioned periproct and the plate arrangement on the oral face. This is the first report of the genus Ovulaster in the Danian of Italy and the first description of an echinoid from the Early Palaeocene of Italy. One test has an epifauna of the sessile verrucid barnacle Verruca sp. cf. V. prisca Bosquet, 1854, attached on all except the oral surface.

Evolution of the melanistic colour in the Alpine salamander Salamandra atra as revealed by a new subspecies from the Venetian Prealps

In order to reconstruct the evolution of the body colour within the Salamandra atra group, a phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial DNA D‐loop sequence was performed on seven populations of this group, including all three chromatically different forms and all known nominal subspecies. Also included were four outgroup species. Three major mitochondrial lineages were found within S. atra: (i) the invariably yellow‐patched S. a. auro‐rae lineage from the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni (Venetian Prealps); (ii) a genetically distinct lineage represented by a population from the Pasubio massif (Venetian Prealps), in which the yellow patches were either limited or completely lacking; (iii) a lineage comprising all fully melanistic populations from the Alps to the Dinarides, which were assigned to S. a. atra and also included the nominal S. a. prenjensis. Different phylogenetical reconstruction methods and statistical tests supported the hypothesis that the lineage of S. a. aurorae was the sister group to both remaining lineages of S. atra. Within these latter lineages, S. a. pa‐subiensis emerged as the sister group to all populations of the S. a. atra lineage. This phylogenetic reconstruction suggests that the yellow‐patched colour is the ancestral condition in S. atra and the evolutionary transition to fully melanistic colour occurred probably through an intermediate reduction in the extension of the patches. Therefore, the fully melanistic colour of S. lanzai, which is probably not strictly related to S. atra, has an independent origin. The population from the Pasubio massif is here described as Salamandra atra pasubiensis n. subsp.

Trophic regimes of benthic foraminiferal assemblages in Lower Jurassic shallow water carbonates from northeastern Italy (Calcari Grigi, Trento Platform, Venetian Prealps)

Benthic foraminiferal distribution patterns in the Lower Jurassic Rotzo Member (Trento Platform, northeastern Italy) are analysed in terms of trophic gradients to provide a better understanding of the benthic communities during the time of the initial diversification of Lower Jurassic large foraminifera in the Southern Alps. The Rotzo Member deposited on the Trento Platform records a complex mosaic of distinct shallow water ecosystems. The changes in the foraminiferal assemblages of the Rotzo Member are considered to be primarily a reflection of gradients in trophic resources and oxygen levels. The comparative analysis of benthic foraminiferal assemblages (characteristic taxa, number of species, test size, reproduction strategy), the associated sediments (lithofacies) and the macrofossil and microfossil content allow three trophic regimes to be identified during the time of deposition of the Rotzo Member: (a) eutrophic, (b) mesotrophic, and (c) oligotrophic. (a) The eutrophic regime, marked by episodically dysaerobic bottom conditions and high organic matter supply, occurs stratigraphically below and within the Orbitopsella spp. assemblage (Sinemurian pro parte-Carixian). Gradual change in the benthic foraminiferal assemblage may have been caused by a combination of reduced nutrient supply and increased bottom-water circulation which led to a mesotrophic regime (b). The latter, which has been recognised in the basal and middle part of the Rotzo Member alternating with the eutrophic assemblage, is characterised by a foraminiferal assemblage dominated by Orbitopsella sp. A major foraminiferal faunal turnover across the Carixian/Domerian boundary, corresponding to the disappearance of Orbitopsella spp., indicates a significant environmental change. An oligotrophic regime (c) became established towards the upper part of the Rotzo Member. New taxa appeared and diversity of the foraminiferal faunas was higher than in the previous ecosystems. This part of the member, characterised by the maximum lateral and vertical development of large Lithiotis bivalve mounds, reflects low and more stable nutrient supply, which provided optimal conditions for the more specialised benthic communities. Evolution of these benthic foraminiferal faunas from the Late Pliensbachian onwards was obliterated by events that led to the drowning of the Trento Platform, which is marked by a regional unconformity.

Orbitally driven fertility cycles in the Palaeocene pelagic sequences of the Southern Alps (Northern Italy)

Palaeocene pelagic sequences cropping out in the Southern Alps are often characterized by a cyclic alternation of marly and calcareous lithologies. In particular, two sets of limestone–marlstone couplets are well exposed in the Ponte nelle Alpi and Tabiago sections, both Danian to Thanetian in age, located in the Belluno region (Venetian Prealps) and in the Brianza region (Central Prealps), respectively. A multidisciplinary approach was adopted to determine the nature of these alternations by analyzing for each semicouplet the abundance and composition of planktonic foraminiferal faunas, the degree of bioturbation and the carbonate content. Both sections show similar general features. The marly semicouplets of Ponte nelle Alpi and Tabiago sections are poor in planktonic foraminifera, but enriched in more tolerant (for nutrients and temperature) foraminiferal forms, and they record more oxygenated conditions. A possible interpretation of the lithological rhythms suggests that the marly semicouplets were deposited in periods of high seasonality. A marked seasonality, leading to an increased circulation of water masses, induced a nutrient enrichment in surface waters and oxygenated conditions at the seafloor. The data prove that the marly semicouplets represents fertile surface waters, whereas the calcareous ones record the opposite conditions: low seasonality, sluggish circulation and fewer nutrients at the sea surface. Spectral analysis was applied to evaluate the possible periodicities that could have driven the observed cyclicity. The periodicities recorded agree with those predicted by the palaeoclimatic Milankovitch theory for the precession, obliquity and eccentricity cycles. The stronger signal associated to obliquity has also been recorded during the mid-Cretaceous, confined to some intervals. This inconstancy is probably attributable to the response of the Earth to a signal that may only be detected in the low latitudes when climatic or oceanic conditions are particularly favorable to its transmission.

Three-dimensional burrow systems and taphofacies in shallowing-upward parasequences, lower Jurassic carbonate platform (Calcari Grigi, Southern Alps, Italy)

Analysis of parasequences of carbonate platform origin from the Calcari Grigi Formation (Rotzo Member, Lower Jurassic) in the Venetian Pre-Alps of Northern Italy reveals intense burrowing affecting warm lagoonal and protected shelf environments of the Trento carbonate platform. The trace fossil pattern suggests a strong biogenic activity by many unknown organisms (episodic surficial bioturbation) and by decapod crustaceans (deep burrowing) during the Sinemurian—Pliensbachian. Burrow networks ofThalassinoides (T. suevicus, type I to IV) andOphiomorpha form three-dimensional systems (3DBS), up to 150 cm in thickness, that reveal well developed taphonomic characteristics. Occasionally, also rare body fossil remains (exuvia) ofPhlyctisoma (Erymidae) are preserved, although it is very difficult to attribute to this decapod crustacean a real tracemaker activity. In a total of 18 shallowing-upward taphosequences, each 2.3–2.6 m in thickness, the lower, subtidal part (BOP: base of parasequence), is invariably characterized by 3DBS. Three parts of a 3DBS are taphonomically relevant: a) the enlargement at bifurcation points (the so-called turning chambers) with related tunnel sections in horizontal networks; b) the distribution of vertical tunnels and their openings, locally associated with biogenic mounds; and c) the infilling with coarse-grained skeletal debris of abandoned burrows (tubular tempestites). Case (a), although well known in the literature, is nevertheless peculiar because of the exceptional diameter (up to 22 cm) and shape of bifurcations ofThalassinoides suevicus. Therefore their taphonomic analysis helps to refine shallowing-upward taphosequences. Case (b) and (c), instead, are exceptional because traces of the activity of decapod crustaceans at the sea-floor are very rare in the geologic record. The 3DBS involve taphofacies that are peculiar of the upper part of the Calcari Grigi across western Venetian Prealps. The analysis of 3DBS in all Lower Jurassic para-sequences will aid sequence stratigraphy and the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the carbonate platform setting.

Thermoluminescence (TL) dating of burnt flints: problems, perspectives and some examples of application

Thermoluminescence (TL) dating is a powerful tool in archaeology, and its reliability has been checked since the early 1970s. It is, in principle, specific for ceramic, but it can also be successfully applied to other materials of archaeological interest, provided that they have been submitted in the past to some kind of heating up to several hundreds of degrees centigrade. This is the case of prehistoric flint deliberately or accidentally burnt by ancient man. Illustrating the specific aspects of this application, we report the TL dating results of a group of burnt flints from three prehistoric sites in northern Italy. The first two, Ghiardo and Ghiardello, are open-air sites close to Reggio Emilia, at the fringe of the Apennine on Middle Pleistocene terraces. The third, Fumane, is a large cave system in the Venetian Pre-Alps, in the Lessini plateau, close to Verona. It includes a thick Palaeolithic sequence, spanning the whole first Pleninglacial period.

An Early Jurassic oligohaline ostracod assemblage within the marine carbonate platform sequence of the Venetian Prealps, NE Italy

Micropalaeontological investigation of one of a number of black shale horizons within the carbonate platform sediments of the Calcari Grigi Formation (Trento Platform, NE Italy) has yielded the first recorded oligohaline, early Jurassic, ostracod assemblage. The shale is dated as late Sinemurian on the basis of large benthic foraminiferal biostratigraphy in the sediments above and below. The shale is devoid of foraminifera and ammonites, which supports a non-marine context. Three previously unknown ostracod species are identified, however, the assemblage is dominated (>95%) by a single taxon which is erected as a new genus and species (Phraterfabanella tridentinensis Whatley and Boomer gen. et sp. nov.) which further supports the interpretation of a “stressed” environment. The two remaining ostracod taxa are assigned to Klieana and Limnocythere both considered to represent non-marine or very low salinity conditions. This new genus includes probable members from the Rhaetian of Hungary and France as well as from the Liassic of France. The new genus is shown to be one of the earliest representatives of the Cytherideidae, a family which survives to the present and includes the modern pandemic, euryhaline species Cyprideis torosa.The discovery of such an assemblage within an otherwise marine sequence indicates temporary, physical isolation from marine influence. Sedimentological, faunal and geochemical evidence suggests that the organic rich shale may indicate high organic carbon supply via continental runoff in this tropical palaeogeographical setting. Resulting dysaerobia within the sediment would have created a particularly stressed environment.

Paleoethologic implications of Zoophycos from Late Cretaceous and Paleocene limestones of the Venetian Prealps, northeastern Italy

Large specimens of Zoophycos are abundant in Paleocene pelagic limestone successions in the vicinity of Feltre and Belluno, in northeastern Italy. These burrow systems are familiar examples of the strongly ribbed, downwardly spiralling version of the ichnogenus, containing well-developed primary and secondary lamellae, marginal tunnels, and poorly preserved axial structures. Some of the specimens contain fecal pellets rich in non-carbonate mud and carbonized phytodetritus, suggesting surface deposit feeding and organized subsurface storage of fecal material by the Zoophycos producer. Other examples of the burrows record a departure from the normal behavioral pattern in the form of conspicuous radial tunnels that diverge from the axial region, cut across structural elements, and follow the laminae exactly to the outer margin. This special feature of fully developed Zoophycos appears to represent the last time the trace producers recycled the banks of fecal material, possibly during long intervals of meager food supply at the deep ocean floor.

FIRST RECORD OF EVERTICYCLAMMINA REDMOND 1964 (E. PRAEVIRGULIANA N. SP.; FORAMINIFERA) FROM THE EARLY JURASSIC OF THE VENETIAN PREALPS (CALCARI GRIGI, TRENTO PLATFORM, NORTHERN ITALY)

The rich fossil content of the Lower Jurassic carbonate successions of the Trento Platform (northeastern Italy) have been studied since the beginning of the nineteenth century. This detailed study on several stratigraphic sections cropping out in this area, all spanning the Liassic Rotzo Member (Calcari Grigi formation, Venetian Prealps), provides us new biostratigraphic data about the genus Everticyclammina Redmond 1964. A new species of Everticyclammina, E. praevirguliana n. sp., is formally described from the Calcari Grigi, where it occurs in levels attributed to the late Sinemurian to Domerian age. Everticyclammina praevirguliana n. sp. thus becomes the first representative of the genus in the Early Jurassic; this record consequently enables the stratigraphic distribution of the genus to be lowered to the Liassic. Hence the plexus of Everticyclammina evolving communities now bridges the Liassic (late Sinemurian) to Early Cretaceous (Aptian) interval.

A new late glacial to early Holocene palaeobotanical and archaeological record in the Eastern Pre-Alps: the Palughetto basin (Cansiglio Plateau, Italy)

A late glacial to early Holocene lacustrine and peat succession, rich in conifer remains and including some palaeolithic flint artefacts, has been investigated in the Palughetto intermorainic basin (Venetian Pre-Alps). The geomorphological and stratigraphical relationships, 14C dates and pollen analyses allow a reconstruction of the environmental history of the basin and provide significant insights into the reforestation and peopling of the Pre-Alps. The onset of peat accumulation is dated to 14.4–14.1 kyr cal. BP, coinciding with reforestation at middle altitudes that immediately post-dates the immigration of Larix decidua and Picea abies subsp. europaea. Plant macrofossils point to the expansion of spruce about 14.3 kyr cal. BP, so far one of the earliest directly dated in the late glacial period of southern Europe. The previous hypothesis of an early Holocene spruce immigration in the Southern Alps from Slovenia needs reconsideration. Organic sedimentation stopped at the end of the Younger Dryas and was followed by the evolution of hydromorphic soils containing lithic artefacts, anthropic structures and wood charcoal. The typological features of the flint implements refer human occupation of the site to the end of the recent Epigravettian. Charcoals yielded dates either consistent with, or younger than, the archaeological chronology, in the early and middle Holocene. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.