Search

The re-analysis of high-resolution seismic profiles collected along the narrow (2–9 km) shelf facing ∼90 km of the Calabro-Tyrrhenian coastline has enabled the reconstruction of its sequence-stratigraphic architecture, along with the quantification of sediment volumes accommodated during the last post-glacial sea level rise and highstand. The shelf volumes are compared with the gross volumes supplied by the short and steep rivers draining the uplifted hinterland area, obtained from morphometric analysis and inferred denudation rates (derived from uplift rates) of the drainage basins. The study area is divided in two main sectors based on the different morpho-stratigraphic setting and fluvial network controlling sediment distribution on the shelf. The Coastal Range sector is characterized by closely spaced mountainous rivers and narrow coastal plains; on the shelf, the post-LGM deposits show a main depocenter (up to 60 m thick) elongated ∼27 km parallel to the coastline. This shelf sector hosts up to 80% of the sediment sourced from rivers, with a small percentage of sediment loss, mainly related to off-shelf export along a network of shelf-indenting submarine canyons. Sediment deficit due to river aggradation is considered negligible based on the narrow and V-shaped thalwegs typical of the rivers in this sector. The Santa Eufemia sector is characterized by larger rivers and a wider coastal plain, with a major depocenter (up to 50 m thick) confined off the Amato River. In this sector, the entire post-LGM sequence accounts only for about 30% of the sediment supplied by rivers (60% considering only the HST), indicating that, in addition to sediment exported off-shelf, a significant part is trapped by river aggradation within the coastal plain. The volumetric comparison has also evidenced local but significant discrepancies in sedimentary budget between adjacent sub-sectors, likely related to the effect of northward-directed shelf currents on sediment distribution along the shelf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bulk mineralogy and geochemistry of mudrock samples from a representative section of the Calcare di Base Formation outcropping in the Catanzaro Basin (Calabria) were studied using X-Ray Diffraction and X-Ray Fluorescence techniques. Phyllosilicates are the main mineralogical constituents followed by quartz, calcite, feldspar, hematite and gypsum in the lower part of the studied succession, whereas calcite is the main mineralogical component in the upper part. The geochemical composition reveals that SiO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , CaO and MgO are the most abundant oxides on average. The chemical weathering indices, such as the CIA (Chemical Index of Alteration) and its modifications, show low-medium values and thus suggest weak-moderate source area(s) weathering conditions, under a mainly dry/arid paleoclimate environment. The low kaolinite amounts confirm a low-moderate degree of weathering processes. The studied samples originate from an environment in which non-steady-state weathering conditions prevailed and active tectonism allows erosional processes. This trend suggests a paleoclimate characterized by persistent dry (arid) conditions alternating with relatively wet (humid) conditions. The studied mudrocks are characterized by recycling effects as recorded in the Al–Zr–Ti plot. The provenance of the studied samples is mainly related to a felsic source such as the rocks composing the Sila Massif. The composition of the studied samples was compared to that of similar samples from the Calcare di Base formation of the Rossano Basin to reconstruct the paleoclimate scenario of the Mediterranean area during the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The analogies between the mudrocks investigated in this work and the argillaceous marls from the Calcare di Base formation of the Rossano Basin suggest that they formed in the same (i) non-steady-state weathering and (ii) dry/arid paleoclimatic conditions. All the evidences allow to hypothesize that semi-closed basins, even if distant and not necessarily synchronous from each other, may have developed in a comparable way due to similar local climate condition, geochemistry of the body water and river run-off. The geochemical and mineralogical proxies from the mudrocks of the Calcare di Base Formation may open a new scenario for the understanding of paleoclimatic condition during the Messinian Salinity Crisis. • Climatic and environmental changes of the Mediterranean basin in response to the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). • Geochemistry and mineralogy of Calcare di Base (CdB) mudrocks as paleoenvironmental proxies of the first stage of the MSC. • Persistent dry conditions alternating with relatively wet phases during the deposition of the CdB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The number of children who are overweight has been increasing worldwide, including in Mediterranean countries. Based on this, we hypothesized that the weights of Italian children from Calabria have also increased across the years, approaching even the levels of their North American counterparts. This cross-sectional study, which was conducted at 3 time points (1992, 2004, and 2013/2014) with Calabrian children between the ages of 9 and 10 years, aimed to (1) examine a 20-year trend of growth and weight in Calabrian children and (2) compare these trends to those of children from the United States within a similar period. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used for comparing Calabrian and American children at similar time points. Height and weight were measured, and body mass index was calculated. Nutritional status was defined by International Obesity Task Force cutoffs. Across 20 years, a positive trend was observed in the height and weight of Calabrian children. Trends of preobesity and obesity increased significantly in Calabria from 10.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.1-15.3) to 30.5% (95% CI 26.4-34.8) and from 2.1% (95% CI 0.7-4.8) to 13.8% (95% CI 10.9-17.2), respectively. Although a cessation was observed between 2004 and 2013/2014, from 2003 to 2004, childhood overweight rates in Calabria were as high as those seen in the United States. There was no significant difference between boys from Calabria and the United States in 2013/2014. Over time, odds to become overweight were significant for most of the children from both populations but higher for those from Calabria. Therefore, inducting a reform in the political, environmental, and societal systems may protect children from becoming overweight by increasing quality of diet and physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood mortality is a serious concern requiring a better understanding of risk factors and their reduction measures. To understand the specificities of flood mortality between developed and developing countries in a Mediterranean framework, we created an accurate database of 242 cases of death recorded in western Algeria and Calabria (southern Italy). This database covers a 33-year period (1990–2022) and includes the time and place of fatal accidents, victim characteristics, circumstances of death, and victim behavior. In order to highlight the people's vulnerability, we have innovatively developed 13 mortality indices summarized in four complex indices: i) human, ii) physical, iii) environmental, and iv) circumstantial. The results revealed a decrease in high-mortality events and the annual amount of flood fatalities in both regions. The frequency of fatalities and the average number of deaths per year are higher in western Algeria, although the average number of fatalities per flood is practically the same. The flood mortality seasonality is similar oppositely to the spatial distribution. The assessment of mortality indices revealed similarities in vulnerability, except for the flood risk identification, rainfall and event death indices, which highlight the vulnerability of western Algeria, requiring prevention and protection actions suggested in this study. One of the research questions for future studies is to focus on the complex interaction between precipitation and basin-scale conditions, further strengthening the investigation into the role of victim behavior. Moreover, precise fine-tuning of proposed indices and their assessment procedure validation may lead to new practical recommendations for saving lives in future floods. [Display omitted] • Creation of a common flood deaths database in the northern and southern Mediterranean. • Development of flood mortality indices reflecting people's vulnerability. • Similar flood deaths distribution in time and different in space between study areas. • Mortality indices reveal similar vulnerabilities in western Algeria and Calabria. • Proposed measures to reduce people's vulnerability to flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the Longobucco Basin (northeastern Calabria, Southern Italy) a Mesozoic succession covers the Hercynian basement, documenting the evolution of a continental margin during the Early Jurassic extensional tectonic phase correlated with the Western Tethys rift. The basin evolved from continental red beds around the Rhaetian/Hettangian boundary to shallow marine and eventually deep-sea siliciclastic turbidites in the late Pliensbachian/Toarcian, to dominantly pelagic deposits (Middle Jurassic onwards). Around the Sinemurian/Pliensbachian boundary, following a prominent phase of normal faulting, sedimentation took different paths in either hangingwall-block or footwall-block settings. This study, based on geological mapping, focuses on the southwestern boundary of the Longobucco Basin and in particular on the mutual relationships existing between the deeper-water basin-fill units (Fiume Trionto and Fosso Petrone Formations), the basement, and the shallow-water limestone of the Caloveto Formation which forms a narrow strip running parallel to the rift shoulder. The contacts among the above-mentioned units are generally all stratigraphic (unconformities of various types: onlap, downlap, nonconformity). These characteristics separate the study area from the depocentral parts of the basin in terms of vertical stratigraphy, nature of contacts among stratigraphic units (unconformable vs conformable), and impact of synsedimentary tectonics. The signature of Early Jurassic extension occurs in the form of (1) laterally continuous clastic bodies interpreted as products of catastrophic basin margin collapse and avalanching, (2) exhumation of the pre-rift units, which are otherwise deeply buried, and (3) neptunian dykes of at least two generations. Our new data provide evidence for the presence of a 20 km long, NW-SE trending preserved paleoescarpment, where the basinal units onlap either the basement or the Caloveto Formation which forms a fringing carbonate body with intriguing facies and bio-sedimentological features. The paleoescarpment was the submarine morphological expression of a Sinemurian/Pliensbachian fault, as testified by the age of the clastic body that seals it. Another pulse of synsedimentary extension took place in the latest Pliensbachian/Toarcian, overprinting the existing rift architecture and reviving the production of megaclastic deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is one of the most common natural events having a great negative impact on agriculture. The main objective of this study was to assess the drought severity and to map its spatial distribution and uncertainty in the Calabria region (southern Italy). The Reconnaissance Drought Index ( RDI ) was used to assess the drought severity whereas a geostatistical approach was used to map the spatial distribution of RDI and its uncertainty. Particularly, geostatistical stochastic simulation was used for assessing the uncertainty of RDI . Dry and wet areas of the study area were identified and higher uncertainty was found in the mountainous areas of center and north-western portions of the region. A strong relation between the average annual initial value of RDI and orography was detected: wet areas were located in the highest mountains while dry areas in the lowest and coastal areas. The results of this study could help decision-makers in planning management water programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an increase in the frequency and the intensity of extreme rainfall is expected in the Mediterranean area. Among different impacts, this increase might result in a variation in the frequency and the spatial distribution of rainfall-induced landslides, and in an increase in the size of the population exposed to landslide risk. We propose a method for the regional-scale evaluation of future variations in the occurrence of rainfall-induced landslides, in response to changes in rainfall regimes. We exploit information on the occurrence of 603 rainfall-induced landslides in Calabria, southern Italy, in the period 1981–2010, and daily rainfall data recorded in the same period in the region. Furthermore, we use high-resolution climate projections based on RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. In particular, we consider the mean variations between a 30-year future period (2036–2065) and the reference period 1981–2010 in three variables assumed as proxy for landslide activity: annual rainfall, seasonal cumulated rainfall, and annual maxima of daily rainfall. Based on reliable correlations between landslide occurrence and weather variables estimated in the reference period, we assess future variations in rainfall-induced landslide occurrence for all the municipalities of Calabria. A + 45.7% and + 21.2% average regional variation in rainfall-induced landslide occurrence is expected in the region for the period 2036–2065, under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenario, respectively. We also investigate the future variations in the impact of rainfall-induced landslides on the population of Calabria. We find a + 80.2% and + 54.5% increase in the impact on the population for the period 2036–2065, under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenario, respectively. The proposed method is quantitative and reproducible, thus it can be applied in similar regions, where adequate landslide and rainfall information is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an analysis of daily rainfall categories over a region of southern Italy using a set of daily homogenous precipitation series for the period 1916–2006. Six daily rainfall categories have been considered: Light, 0–4 mm/day; Light-Moderate, 4–16 mm/day; Moderate-Heavy, 16–32 mm/day; Heavy, 32–64 mm/day; Heavy-Torrential, 64–128 mm/day; Torrential, 128-up mm/day. Results showed that Light-Moderate, Moderate-Heavy and Heavy rainfall are the main contributors to the total annual rainfall. Moreover, a trend analysis through the Mann-Kendall test showed a decreasing trend of the higher categories and an increasing trend of the weaker categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manzi et al. (in press) took the opportunity offered by our paper to repeat again all the set of ideas supporting an interpretative model of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC), a model they assert to be valid for the whole Mediterranean basin. What emerges from reading this long comment may be summarized in one criticism of our article: we have not systematically applied their interpretative model to our data! The aim of our paper was not to promote their ideas, but to submit the results of more than 20 years of field studies and petrographical and geochemical analyses on Sicilian and Calabrian sequences of the Messinian “Calcare di Base”. It is out of our purpose to enumerate again in this reply the data and interpretations we have developed in our paper, which disagree with their model and rule out most of their propositions. Thus, we will not reply in detail to this repetitive stream of ideas supporting their model. But we want to respond to some general and unfair comments, which are often far away from objectivity, and rectify some inaccurate assertions about the description of some sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the geological reasons that supported the relocation of the Cavallerizzo village (Calabria, southern Italy) to a new area after the landslide event in 2005 to examine whether the institutional ordinance of displacing the entire village was the right choice. This study is based on new geological and geomorphological field investigations, on a new reading of the existing borehole data and new data collected by multi-temporal synthetic aperture radar interferometry. The results obtained reveal that only the areas bordering the Cavallerizzo village are affected by active landslides, whereas, in the historical centre, geomorphological evidence for an active landslide capable of involving the entire settlement is not found. Nowadays, 17 years after the 2005 landslide event, more than 85% of the Cavallerizzo village is completely intact, lacking evidence of instability or important damage to ancient buildings. Furthermore, in the historical urban area, very low ground displacements by InSAR investigation are observed, highlighting that the instability conditions of Cavallerizzo are less severe than those recognised in nearby villages. This evidence along with the strong negative economic and socio-cultural impacts that the village settlement had on the community involved led to the reconsideration of the adequacy of the relocation ordinance issued by the National Civil Protection. These findings can contribute to useful advice and best practices to state-run organisations and stakeholders for disaster management planning in urban sites, such as Cavallerizzo, subject to hydrogeological hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three regional unconformity surfaces typify the Plio-Pleistocene fill of the onshore to offshore basins of the Calabrian Arc, an arcuate terrane migrating to the SE above the NW subducting Ionian lithosphere, between the southern Apennines and Sicily. These unconformity surfaces formed in the mid-Pliocene (late Zanclean to early Piacenzian), the early Pleistocene (intra-Gelasian) and the mid-Pleistocene (late Calabrian). Their expression varies significantly across the area, so that from one to three unconformities may be recognized within any given basin. Several lines of evidence suggest that the spatially variable development of the unconformities across the Arc records interruptions of subsidence by phases of uplift and deformation, related to the extent and nature of successive tectonic events linked to episodic subduction zone retreat and slab fragmentation during the Plio-Pleistocene interval. In particular, the mid-Pliocene unconformity is associated with uplift and deformation on the Ionian flank of the Calabrian Arc that interrupted a phase of basin subsidence coeval with opening of the Vavilov back-arc basin, and may record either interference of the Arc with the Apulian microplate, or an episode of out-of-sequence tectonic thickening within` the advancing accretionary wedge. The two Pleistocene unconformities bracket a phase of basin collapse in northern Calabria that coincides with the ultra-fast opening of the Marsili backarc basin, and are associated with uplift and contractional–transpressional deformation that record interference of the subducting slab with adjacent microplates. The recognition of a synchronous development of unconformities in the Calabrian basins provides key references for further studies of the geodynamic evolution of the central Mediterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rossano and Crotone basins in North Calabria represent key areas for the study of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) in the central Mediterranean. The integrated analysis of the outcropping successions coupled with well-borehole stratigraphies and seismic profiles permitted the stratigraphic and paleogeographic reconstruction of the MSC as follows: During the late Tortonian-early Messinian, open normal marine conditions typified the studied basins, as the deposition of deep-water claystones followed by diatomites (Tripoli Fm). The first basin restriction occurred during the early Messinian (5.96 Ma) when a relative sea-level still-stand triggered the formation of a carbonate platform system (Calcare di Base Fm − CdB). This latter was characterized by sabkha to shallow-water environments passing into a gentle slope to basin setting. A successive relative sea-level drop (ca. 5.60 Ma) induced a general exposure of the CdB platform systems and the creation of a marked erosional surface linkable with the Messinian Erosional Surface (MES). Consequently, progradational early LST forced regression wedges deposited and, as the reduction of open-sea connections, more severe restricted conditions took place. Later on, during the late LST, the massive deposition of salt dominated bodies brought to the sedimentary filling of the basins and to the consequent leveling of the paleobathymetric differences. Afterwards, a transgression phase (TST) inundated again the basins, causing firstly the sedimentation of clay dominated deposits, and successively, during a further sea-level still-stand (HST), the reestablishment of evaporitic conditions with deposition of widespread shallow-water sulphate deposits. Lastly, a new severe sea-level drop (LST) exposed again all the previous deposits and alluvial conglomerates deposited along incised paleovalleys above the HST sulphate deposits. This event marks the transition to the Lago-Mare phase that typifies the last stage of the MSC, before the base-Pliocene reflooding of the Mediterranean (ca. 5.33 Ma). • Messinian Salinity Crisis is well recorded in the North Calabria (Italy) Rossano and Crotone basins. • The sedimentary and paleogeographic modelling of the MSC in North Calabria is constrained. • Eustatic signal is dominant than syn-sedimentary tectonic inputs which account for higher sediment exportation. • Peritidal evaporites and microbial carbonate shelves formed during the High Stands. • Basin fill evaporites (Halite) formed during the Low Stand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Southern Tyrrhenian Sea is an extensional basins linked to the Neogene evolution of the Calabria subduction zone located in the western Mediterranean realm where controversial kinematic and geodynamical models have been proposed. Our study provides a key to unravel timing and mode of extension of the upper plate and the breakup of Calabria from Sardinia. By combining original stratigraphic analysis of wells and seismic profiles off Calabria with a stratigraphic correlation to onshore outcrops, we re-assess the tectonic evolution that controlled the sedimentation and basement deformation of the Southern Tyrrhenian basin during Serravallian–Tortonian times. We document the tectono-stratigraphic evolution of adjacent extensional basins characterized by 3rd order depositional sequences (Ser1, Tor1 and Tor2) and different modes of extension, subsidence and opposite dipping faults. Episodic basin development is recorded by a coarsening-up and fining-up trend of the sedimentary succession and by tectonically enhanced unconformities that reflect three episodes of fault activity. We reconstruct Serravallian–Tortonian paleogeographic maps and propose a block faulting model for the evolution of the Sardinia–Calabria area. Sardinia was disconnected from Calabria through N–S normal faults forming Tyrrhenian extensional basins that formed contemporaneously to the E–W opening of the Algerian basin. Unlike published Serravallian–Tortonian reconstructions of the western Mediterranean realm, our results support a geodynamic model characterized by rapid trench retreat, trench-normal extension in the entire overriding plate and very weak coupling between plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Landslides are one of the most widespread natural hazards that cause damage to both property and life every year, and therefore, the spatial distribution of the landslide susceptibility is necessary for planning future developmental activities. In this paper the artificial neural network (ANN) technique is tested for developing a landslide susceptibility map in Turbolo River catchment, North Calabria, South Italy. Landslides were mapped through air-photo interpretation and field surveys, by identifying both the landslide depletion zones (DZs) and accumulation zones (AZs); and relevant geo-environmental thematic layers pertaining to landslide predisposing factors were generated using air-photo interpretation, field surveys and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. Ten predisposing factors were related to the occurrence of landslide: lithology, faults, land use, drainage network, and a series of topographic factors: elevation, slope, aspect, plan curvature, topographic wetness index (TWI) and stream power index (SPI). In order to evaluate and validate landslide susceptibility, the DZs were divided in two groups using a random partition strategy. The first group (training set) was used to prepare the susceptibility map, employing a back-propagation learning algorithm in the Idrisi Taiga software. The second group (testing set) was used to validate the landslide susceptibility model, using the confusion matrix and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The susceptibility map was classified into five susceptibility classes: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. About 46% of the study area falls in high to very high susceptible classes and most of the DZs mapped (87.3%) occur in the same classes. The validation results showed satisfactory agreement between the susceptibility map and the DZs locations; over 85% of the DZs of the validation set are correctly classified falling in high and very high susceptibility areas. Also, the ROC curve had shown an area under curve (AUC) value of 0.90 which demonstrates the robustness and good reliability of the landslide susceptibility model. According to these results, we conclude that the map produced by the artificial neural network is reliable and the methodology applied in the study produced high performance, and satisfactory results, which may be useful for land planning policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper deals with the development of a multidisciplinary research on weathering profiles of granitoid and gneissic rocks related to tectonic and landscape evolution of the western Sila Grande Massif (Calabria, southern Italy). Field scale observations and petrographical and mineralogical features are used to characterize in detail the weathering processes. The weathering profiles of the granitoid cut slopes are generally simple showing a progressive weathering increase toward the top of the slopes, whereas the weathering profiles of the gneissic cut slopes are generally complex with irregularities in the spatial distribution of weathered horizons. The microfabric and petrographic analyses show that gneissic samples (classes V–VI of weathering grade) are characterized by higher percentage of altered minerals and microfracture and void rather than granitoid samples (classes V–VI of weathering grade). The main mineralogical changes concern the partial transformation of biotite and the partial destruction of feldspars (mainly plagioclases), associated with the neoformation of secondary minerals (clay minerals and Fe-oxides) and with a substitution of the original rock fabric. Neoformed clay minerals and ferruginous products replaced feldspars and biotite during the most advanced weathering stage. Referred as physical changes coupled with chemical variations, the final results of weathering process are a soil-like material characterized by sand–gravel grain-size fraction for the granitoid rocks and by both silt–clay and sand–silt grain-size fraction for the gneissic rocks. This generally produces a greater value of the SGI (Sand Generation Index) for granitoids and explains the great productivity in sandy deposits of this lithology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Messinian succession of the Crotone Basin, a forearc basin located along the Ionian side of the Calabrian Arc (southern Italy), is composed of resedimented gypsum, halite and siliciclastic subaqueous to continental deposits that are overlain by Lower Pliocene deep-marine marls. Integrated seismic and well data analysis have allowed the recognition of seven major stratal surfaces (S1–S7) of sequence stratigraphic significance and stratal units typified by diagnostic architectures, which allow to define three depositional sequences accumulated since the onset of the Messinian Salinity Crisis. This highlights an unusually complex stratigraphy that is interpreted as the result of the interplay between tectonics involving the basin and the Mediterranean-scale Messinian events. In particular, the surfaces S1 and S3, bounding the base and the top of the resedimented gypsum, and the uppermost surface (S7), bounding the base of the Pliocene succession, probably developed due to Mediterranean-scale events, specifically the onset and the end of the main base-level fall (S1 and S3, respectively) and the Early Zanclean reflooding (S7). The other surfaces are inferred to be related to basin-scale tectonics, although a relationship between local tectonics and pan-Mediterranean tectonic events linked to the Salinity Crisis cannot be ruled out. This, together with the evidence provided by other Messinian successions, raises the possibility that the base-level changes recorded in the Messinian deposits of the Mediterranean are more complex than previously thought, a possibility that deserves further investigations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents GIS-aided procedures for the evaluation of gullying susceptibility on a statistical basis. Field surveys and air-photo interpretation allowed us to identify gullies, geology and land use, while some predisposing factors were derived from a 7.5m cell-size DEM. In order to investigate the role of each instability factor in controlling the spatial distribution of gullies, we implemented four models that differ in the types of method (bivariate vs. multivariate), training set sampling (polygon or point-based) and variables (continuous or categorical). The models were applied to the Turbolo river catchment, a tributary of the Crati River, Northern Calabria, Italy. The susceptibility values were classified into five categories. Model performance was evaluated using prediction rate curves and by comparing the proportion of each susceptibility class with gully distribution in the validation set. Although all models showed relatively good performances, the bivariate method overestimated the extent of the high susceptibility classes. The multivariate logistic regression model using continuous variables was found to be the best model in predicting gullying susceptibility of the study area. The area classified as stable increased with DEM cell size, meaning that a reasonably fine DEM should be used. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we focus on the archaeometric characterisation of some pottery remains dated to the 8th and early 7th centuries BC. The sherds examined come from excavations carried out by the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA) on the acropolis of Timpone della Motta, an archaeological site located in Francavilla Marittima, near the well-known Greek colony of Sybaris (Calabria, southern Italy). As the site was one of the most important sanctuaries in the area during the 8th century BC, pottery from the sanctuary is one of the main sources of evidence for cultural and technological transformations which occurred within the indigenous Oinotrian society. However, in order to evaluate the significance of the individual classes of pottery, their provenance needs to be better understood. A first step in this direction was to clarify which pottery classes were produced locally at Timpone della Motta. We focus here on three ceramic classes frequently found in the sanctuary: a) matt-painted pottery; b) Oinotrian-Euboean style; and c) colonial ware (hydriskoi), for further information on the probable provenance area and the technological features of these ceramic categories. A multi-analytical approach was used, including petrographic, mineralogical and chemical investigations by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). The results are compared with those deriving from minero-chemical and granulometric characterisation of some clay sediments sampled from outcrops near the study site, representing the potential source of clay used for ceramic production in this area. Preliminary data indicate that the matt-painted and Oinotrian-Euboean sherds were probably locally produced, since their chemical composition markedly resembles that of the clay sediments. As regards the hydriskoi, some chemical differences were observed with respect to local clays and the other two classes, perhaps indicating a different production centre for this type of pottery. However, local manufacture exploiting the Fe- and Mg-richer clay layers in the sampled outcrop cannot be excluded for this group. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents and discusses the results of an integrated structural and petrological study, in order to delineate the entire tectono metamorphic history of a still little-known crystalline fragment of the southern Hercynian European Belt, currently framed within the central Mediterranean region after the superposition of the Alpine tectonics. These results were obtained by correlating P–T constraints yielded step by step with the sequence of the identified blasto-deformational relationships in an intermediate continental crustal level outcropping in the southern Serre Massif (Calabria). This allowed a detailed P–T evolution characterised by a multi-stage metamorphic history to be reconstructed. Structural investigations showed the presence of a pervasive mylonitic foliation, that obliterated most of the previous metamorphic textures. This fabric contains kinematic indicators consistent with an average top-to-ENE–NE sense of shear in the present-day geographic coordinates. In addition, the occurrence of late-tectonic leucogranite rocks partly affected by sub-solidus deformation, cut in turn by later undeformed ones, allowed the final stages of the shearing event to be bracketed at the same time as the Late Hercynian magmatic activity in the area. Microstructural investigation by quartz c-axis orientation pattern analysis allowed the temperature of shearing to be constrained as occurring under greenschist to amphibolite facies conditions. The latter are set in relation with the influence of the heat deriving from the intrusion of the Late Hercynian granitoids. Lastly, pressure temperature (P–T) pseudosection computations in the MnNaCaKFMASH system allowed a detailed P–T path to be reconstructed, consisting of an initial orogenic cycle characterised by a prograde lower amphibolite facies evolution, developing from P of 590MPa at T of 500°C to peak P–T conditions of 900MPa at 530°C. This stage was followed by retrograde quasi-adiabatic decompressional (P =400MPa; T =500°C), evolving towards an extensional deep-seated shearing, with P of 300MPa at T of 470°C. This last orogenic stage played a role in favouring the intrusion of granitoid bodies, which were indeed found to be partly affected by sub-solidus non-coaxial deformation. Progressive emplacement of large volumes of granitoid bodies gave rise to a gradually distributed thermal metamorphic overprint with thermal peak conditions at P of 300MPa and T of 685°C. This episode was finally followed by a low-pressure cooling path (P =150MPa; T =500°C), consistent with the final unroofing stage of the former crystalline basement complex. A detailed reconstruction of the tectono-metamorphic evolution of this Hercynian continental crustal portion allowed a Late Palaeozoic geodynamic scenario to be envisaged, in which tectonic and magmatic processes mutually interacted to define, in a feedback-type evolution, the tectono-thermal regime operating during the gravitational collapse of a previously thickened Hercynian crust. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents first exploratory results and analyses performed on a 30-year (1978–2007) homogeneous precipitation database that has been created for the Calabria peninsula, southern Italy. The database consists of complete time series of daily values of precipitation from 88 stations distributed over the region. The database temporal resolution is one day while its spatial resolution is about 10 km. Calabria offers an interesting scenario for mesoclimatic studies in spatial and temporal rainfall variability. The region is located in the Central Mediterranean Basin, which has a strong seasonal variability that mirrors in large precipitation differences among seasons. The complex orography of the region leads to different exposures of the territory to the rain-bearing air masses and large differences in rainfall can occur in few tens of kilometers. Different kinds of Mediterranean storms are important for Calabria: a) storms originating in the lee of the Alps; b) storms that enter the Basin or develop in the western Mediterranean (Gulf of Lyon, Rhone valley, Iberia, Gibraltar); c) storms from northern Africa; d) storms moving over the central Mediterranean from Balkans and eastern Europe. Again, their interaction with local orography determines complex rainfall patterns and variability. In this paper, the maps of average values of precipitation, rain frequency, rain rate, persistence of rainfall and length of dry periods are presented. Precipitation spatial structure shows that the orography and the sea have a major role, while the seasonal dependence of rainfall unequivocally reveals the influence of the synoptic scale conditions. A large number of cast-studies of heavy precipitation events have been investigated in the past and several of them refer to the east side of Calabria. The results shown here confirm this issue in a climatological sense: despite the fact that yearly precipitation is larger on the west side of the peninsula, most intense rainstorms affect mainly the east side, which is favorably exposed to these storms. The current database represents a foundation for further investigations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Soil erosion by water (WSE) has become a relevant issue at the Mediterranean level. In particular, natural conditions and human impact have made the Calabria (southern Italy) particularly prone to intense WSE. The purpose of this investigation is to identify areas highly affected by WSE in Calabria by comparing the scenarios obtained by assuming control and preventive measures and actions, as well as actual conditions generated by forest fires, also in the presence of conditions of maximum rainfall erosion. Geographic Information System techniques have been adopted to treat data of reasonable spatial resolution obtained at a regional scale for application to the RUSLE model. This work is based on the comparison of such data with a basic scenario that has been defined by the present situation (present scenario). In this scenario: (i) R has been assessed by means of an experimental relation adjusted to Calabria on the basis of 5-min observations; (ii) K has been drawn from the soil map of Calabria including 160 soilscapes; (iii) LS has been estimated according to the RUSLE2 model by using (among other subfactors) a 40-m square cell DTM; (iv) C has been derived by processing the data inferred from the project Corine Land Cover, whose legend includes 35 different land uses on three levels; and (v) P has been hypothesized as equal to 1. For the remaining three hypothesized scenarios, the RUSLE factors have been adjusted according to experimental data and to data in the literature. In particular, forest areas subject to fire have been randomly generated as far as fire location, extension, structure, and intensity are concerned. The values obtained by the application of the RUSLE model have emphasized that land management by means of measures and actions for reducing WSE causes a notable reduction of the erosive rate decreasing from ~30 to 12.3Mg ha−1 y−1. On the other hand, variations induced by hypothetical wildfires in forests on 10% of the regional territory bring WSE over the whole region to values varying from 30 to 116Mg ha−1 y−1. This study can be offered to territorial planning authorities as an evaluation instrument as it highlights the merits and limitations of some territorial management actions. In fact, in Calabria no observations exist concerning the implications of these actions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study evaluated the residual levels of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAs) in “Provola” cheese samples from Calabria, smoked using natural methods and using commercial buffered smoke. A comparative study of HAs concentrations was carried out on different portions of these samples: the rind, exterior part, core and on slice. Quantitative determination of HAs was carried out by HPLC using a fluorescence detector and analysis in HPLC–MS was conduced to confirm the presence of these amines. Residual levels of HAs were found in all naturally smoked “Provola” cheese samples. The results obtained showed that the smoking process performed using traditional methods contributes to HAs contamination while the use of commercial buffered smoke can be considered a safer technique for smoking of food. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Syn-tectonic late-Hercynian granitoids, emplaced at mid-crustal level through multiple dyke injections, are well-exposed in a ∼1km-long section, in the southern Sila Massif (Calabria, Italy). The fieldwork study permitted us to reconstruct the following order of emplacement: (i) granodiorites with euhedral Kfs megacrystals (Grd1, in the main text) and heterogranular granodiorites with coarse rounded Pl and Kfs in a fine-grained biotite-rich matrix (Grd2); (ii) granodiorites with a nearly homogeneous grain size (Grd3); (iii) tonalite; and (iv) granite. Both in the wall-rock, represented by migmatitic paragneisses, and in the deformed granitoids the foliation attitude is substantially homogeneous, striking about N140 with a dip of 50–60° to the NE. The magmatic lineation is defined by the preferred alignment of euhedral feldspars, parallel to the mineral lineation observed in the host rocks. Micro- and meso-structural analyses indicate that foliation evolved from melt-present to solid-state conditions. Feldspar tiling, S/C structures, σ-type structures, c-axis quartz orientations commonly suggest a top-to-the-west sense of shear during magma injection and deformation under decreasing temperatures. Age of magma emplacement is constrained by U/Pb datings at 304–300Ma, coeval with the regional metamorphic peak. Foliated granitoids and wall-rock are intruded by poorly foliated Hbl-gabbro and, finally, by undeformed leucogranite, pegmatite and felsic porphyritic dykes. New U/Pb datings of the last intrusion event indicate an age of emplacement of 281±8Ma, providing a minimum estimate for the end of the shear strain at mid-crustal level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: U–Pb spot zircon ages from metagabbros and metasediments of the Variscan lower crust in the Serre massif (southern Calabria) have been determined using LA-ICPMS and SIMS. The results, together with the literature data deriving from conventional and spot zircon ages and from Rb–Sr whole-rock isochrons, allow the geological history of the crustal block to be more tightly constrained from the Late Neoproterozoic to the Triassic, with particular emphasis on Variscan evolution. In a peri-Gondwana Pan-African/Cadomian basement, preserving memory of recycled older terrains with West African Craton affinities, mafic and felsic magmas emplaced at ca. 584 Ma (protoliths of metagabbros) and in the range 575–537 Ma (protoliths of felsic orthogneisses). Partially or completely recrystallized domains of zircons from metaigneous rocks yield ages ranging from 500 to 440 Ma. These ages (consistent with those of recrystallized cores of magmatic zircon from felsic orthogneisses and with Rb–Sr isochron data for the lower crust metasediments) suggest tectonothermal Ordovician activity, which is likely to be connected to the opening of Palaeozoic basin(s) separating the future Variscan blocks from Gondwana. Most zircon ages in the metasediments cluster in the 340–260 Ma range, which probably corresponds to two major events: (i) crustal thickening between 340 and 300 Ma (Barrowian metamorphic event) and (ii) lower-P/high-T metamorphism, Bt-dehydration melting, crustal extension between 300 and 260 Ma. Triassic ages ranging from 249±4 Ma to 231±5 Ma, together with whole-rock Rb–Sr isochron age at 234 Ma for the lowermost metapelites of the section, suggest tectonothermal activity, which prepared the opening of the Jurassic Neotethys. Similarities and differences relative to some circum-Mediterranean Variscan lower crust sections are also discussed, which contribute to the knowledge of south European Variscides evolution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: X-STRs have been proven to be useful in case of deficiency paternity testing and in effective mother–son kinship and father–daughter testing. In the present study, we investigated the distribution of 8 X-STRs loci DXS8378, HPRTB, DXS7423, DXS7132, DXS10134, DXS10074, DXS10101, DXS10135 in an Italian population sample, using the Mentype® Argus X-8 PCR Amplification Kit (Biotype). Samples for the study were obtained form 200 unrelated healthy individuals belonging to Calabria (South Italy) population since at least 3 generations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The work aims at identifying susceptible areas and pluviometric triggering scenarios at a regional scale in Calabria (Italy), with reference to shallow landsliding events. The proposed methodology follows a statistical approach and uses a database linked to a GIS that has been created to support the various steps of spatial data management and manipulation. The shallow landslide predisposing factors taken into account are derived from (i) the 40-m digital terrain model of the region, an ∼15,075 km2 extension; (ii) outcropping lithology; (iii) soils; and (iv) land use. More precisely, a map of the slopes has been drawn from the digital terrain model. Two kinds of covers [prevalently coarse-grained (CG cover) or fine-grained (FG cover)] were identified, referring to the geotechnical characteristics of geomaterial covers and to the lithology map; soilscapes were drawn from soil maps; and finally, the land use map was employed without any prior processing. Subsequently, the inventory maps of some shallow landsliding events, totaling more than 30,000 instabilities of the past and detected by field surveys and photo aerial restitution, were employed to calibrate the relative importance of these predisposing factors. The use of single factors (first level analysis) therefore provides three different susceptibility maps. Second level analysis, however, enables better location of areas susceptible to shallow landsliding events by crossing the single susceptibility maps. On the basis of the susceptibility map obtained by the second level analysis, five different classes of susceptibility to shallow landsliding events have been outlined over the regional territory: 8.9% of the regional territory shows very high susceptibility, 14.3% high susceptibility, 15% moderate susceptibility, 3.6% low susceptibility, and finally, about 58% very low susceptibility. Finally, the maps of two significant shallow landsliding events of the past and their related rainfalls have been utilized to identify the relevant pluviometric triggering scenarios. By using 205 daily rainfall series, different triggering pluviometric scenarios have been identified with reference to CG and FG covers: a value of 365 mm of the total rainfall of the event and/or 170 mm/d of the rainfall maximum intensity and a value of 325 mm of the total rainfall of the event and/or 158 mm/d of the rainfall maximum intensity are able to trigger shallow landsliding events for CG and FG covers, respectively. The results obtained from this study can help administrative authorities to plan future development activities and mitigation measures in shallow landslide-prone areas. In addition, the proposed methodology can be useful in managing emergency situations at a regional scale for shallow landsliding events triggered by intense rainfalls; through this approach, the susceptibility and the pluviometric triggering scenario maps will be improved by means of finer calibration of the involved factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A multidisciplinary study has been carried out on the Late Miocene (Messinian) Calcare di Base Formation in northern Calabria, Italy, with the aim of understanding the depositional conditions of these enigmatic carbonate sediments that have been interpreted as evaporitic or diagenetic limestone. The research has been developed through sedimentological (microfacies), organic petrography and geochemical analyses (palynofacies, Rock-Eval pyrolysis and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry). The carbonates studied preserve their original mineralogy (aragonite) and microstructure. The prevailing microfacies consists of clotted peloidal micrite with antigravitative fabric. Larger and darker cylindrical–subcylindrical micritic grains, attributable to faecal pellets, are more or less randomly dispersed in the peloidal micrite. The faecal pellets have been ascribed to copepods because zooclasts of these arthropods were observed in the palynofacies. Bright epifluorescence characterizes the faecal pellets and peloidal micrite, indicating their high content of organic matter. Detrital and stromatolitic microfacies occur rarely (around a few percent). The detrital microfacies is characterized by silt-sized grains organized in thin, sometimes bioturbated, graded laminae. The stromatolitic microfacies shows planar to gently curved/wrinkled laminae organized in dark and light couplets. The associated sedimentary organic matter shows low maturity, and preserves the original signatures of the source organisms. Rock-Eval pyrolysis revealed a transitional composition between Type II and Type III kerogen, suggesting a mixture of marine and terrigenous organic matter input. The molecular biogeochemical data indicate three main biological signatures: algae, bacteria and higher plants. Organic markers together with sedimentary evidence indicate a marine depositional scenario influenced by freshwater input rather than evaporitic concentration. We conclude that the most probable bacterial process involved in carbonate precipitation of the Calcare di Base, considering the freshwater input and consequent probable enrichment in organic matter and Ca2+ ions, is ammonification of amino-acids in aerobic conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This work describes the application of Logistic Regression (LR) to an assessment of susceptibility to mass movements in a 850 km2 study area mainly on the Ionian side of the Aspromonte Range, in southern Calabria. LR is a multivariate function that can be utilised, on the basis of a given set of variables, to calculate the probability that a particular phenomenon (for instance, a landslide) is present. In the present study the set of relevant variables includes: rock type, land use, elevation, slope angle, aspect, slope profile curvature down-slope and across-slope. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the LR performance when the procedure is based on the surveying of mass movements in part of the study area. The procedure adopted was GIS-based, with a 10 m DEM square-grid; for slope and curvature calculation, four adjacent cells were grouped to form a nine-point set for mathematical processing. The LR application consists of four steps: sampling, where all relevant characteristics in a part of the area (ca. 27% of the study zone) are assessed; variable parameterisation, where non-parametric variables are transformed into parametric (or semi-parametric) variables (on at least rank scale); model fitting, where regression coefficients are iteratively calculated in the sample area; model application, where the best-fit regression function is applied to the entire study area. This procedure was applied in two ways: first considering all types, then a single type of mass movement. The ground characteristics of the whole study zone were determined. The LR procedure was first tested by extending the sampling and reclassification steps to the whole study zone to find out the best possible fitting regression; the results of this were then compared with ground truth to maximise performance. Afterwards, the results of LR analysis, based on extension of regression formulas obtained also using 40% sampling zones, were compared with those of the best possible one and ground truth. Comparisons were performed by means of a confusion matrix and a simple correlation between expected vs. observed values for grouped variables. The overall results seem promising: for example, if the 27% sample areas are adopted, 94% of the cells where the probability of the existence of any kind of mass movements is between 85.5% and 95%, are actually affected by mass movements. Results are instead less good when attempting to distinguish between types of mass movement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the Arabic Norman architecture of XIIth until XVth century in Sicily it is recorded the use of a particular stone locally named “pumice” both in building and decoration. This relatively light material was commonly widespread and traditionally related to Etnean and Aeolian volcanic areas. However, a clear assessment of their provenance and a petrological definition is still lacking in the literature. Some churches and edifices of Medieval age in different locations of N.E. Sicily and southern Calabria, have been sampled. The study was performed with optical microscopy, XRF and INAA analyses. Petrochemical features substantiate the provenance from the aforementioned volcanic areas and furthermore provides indications for the origin of investigated samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A pseudotachylite vein network crosscutting late Hercynian foliated tonalites can be observed along the Copanello cliffs (Calabria, Southern Italy). Pseudotachylites formed during the Oligocene–Miocene at intermediate crustal levels (ca. 10 km). They show variable thickness ranging from few mm up to 10 cm, as observed in injection veins branching from the fault plane. Microscopic observations indicate that pseudotachylite matrix mainly consists of plagioclase (An46–An58) and biotite microlites. Rounded clasts of quartz, plagioclase or of plagioclase–quartz lithic fragments are disseminated in the matrix. Intergranular, flow and spherulitic textures are commonly observed. Microstructural features are consistent with rapid crystallisation from melt. EDS analyses of rare and tiny glass veins indicated a trachyandesite or An50 plagioclase melt composition. The conditions for pseudotachylite formation were reproduced by an analytical model taking into account the heat released by friction along a horizontal fault plane during a seismic event. The model is based on a three-stage rupture history that includes nucleation, propagation and stopping. In addition, by means of a numerical approach, the model reproduces cooling that follows the stopping stage. According to previous studies, the thermal perturbation induced by fault displacement is very intense. In fact, temperatures exceeding the tonalite and even An50 plagioclase liquidus (1470 °C) are reproduced by small amount of slip (≤6 cm) in suprahydrostatic regime. On the other hand, the thermal perturbation is strongly localised and of short duration. Peak temperatures abruptly decrease at a short distance from the fault plane (typically in few millimetres). In these conditions a thin film of melt can be produced. Therefore, the presence of cm-scale pseudotachylite veins can be only explained assuming an efficient and fast melt migration towards dilatant sites, such as pull-apart structures and injections veins. Results of the model may be useful to predict the thermal disturbance produced by earthquakes of low intensity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Calabria, an anomalous pile of largely crystalline nappes resting on top of the mostly sedimentary fold–thrust belts of the Apennines and the Sicilian Maghebides, has moved several hundred kilometers southeastward, opening the Tyrrhenian Sea in its wake. This study treats the Monte Reventino area in the northern third of crystalline Calabria, where pre-Mesozoic schist appears to rest on deep-water Mesozoic sedimentary rocks along a thrust surface marked by discontinuous bodies of serpentinite and banded greenschist with a complex internal structure. Detailed mapping led to a structural analysis of an unusual pattern of folds in the banded greenschist, resulting from twisting of opposite major fold limbs in opposite directions. A useful aspect of this fold distortion is that the sense of rotation of minor fold axes enables one to determine the sense of tectonic transport; in this case, it was generally westward. For many years, the structure of Calabria has been thought of as a pile of nappes emplaced through entirely compressional thrusting. Recently some geologists have begun to reinterpret the structure as resulting from large-scale, low-angle extensional faulting that has stretched and torn apart the nappe edifice. Monte Reventino appears to be a key location for evaluating this possibility. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In order to investigate how the apparent separation of jointing varies according to the distance from faults, and how the mechanical properties of rock masses depend on this distance and jointing density, a number of regression analysis were performed on the variables s (apparent joint separation), d (distance from major fault), and sh (rebound value of Schmidt hammer). The variables were measured at 380 stations distributed over a wide study area located in the Aspromonte range in Calabria, Southern Italy. The most significant results of simple regression analysis are expressed by the formulas: where F and c are coefficients that depend on local conditions. The expressions obtained are characterized by acceptable to good values for correlation coefficient r (|0.74|≤r≤|0.87|) and standard deviation of residuals ε (0.01≤ε≤0.22). The s vs. d regression law confirms previous results of regression analysis on data from granite outcrops in an area to the north of this case study, and this can therefore be regarded as a first step towards finding a generally applicable regression law. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Weathering and soil features in the upland landscapes developed on granitic terrains of the Sila Grande Massif (Calabria, South Italy) have been studied in this work. The attempt to link field scale and micromorphological observations in order to better understand the main weathering processes and their controlling factors is revealed to be very powerful. Six soil profiles in the area around the Cecita Lake, representative of different geomorphological units, were characterised by field work, optical microscopy and SEM-EDS analysis. A strong influence on weathering and pedogenesis by micro-scale features of primary minerals and parent rock fabrics is shown. Key roles are played also by relief, in the development and preservation or stripping of regolith + soil mantles in relation to natural and man-induced phenomena; by time, controlling rates and degree of development of the main weathering features; by climate, in terms of type and intensity of dominant processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fiumara is a kind of gravel-bed river, very steep and short, which flow through the southern Italy mountain chains, in Sicilia and Calabria regions. These streams drain mountain areas only, and are subject to a Mediterranean climate. They have a great transport and erosion capacity because of their flow regime, dominated by episodic flash floods alternated with long periods of inactivity during which their beds become completely dry. During this last century, the natural equilibrium of these particular alluvial environments has undergone notable modifications caused also by human activities. The effects of such works are investigated in terms of river dynamics, and some local examples are reported and discussed; some suggestions are made for recovery measures too. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this research was to evaluate the possible contamination by heavy metals of milk from cows bred on various farms in Calabria. The concentrations of heavy metals were determined in 40 samples of bovine milk from the various dairy farms. Each sample, homogenized and powdered, was mineralized in a microwave oven. Quantitative analyses of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Se were performed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer with graphite furnace; As was analyzed by hot vapor generation technique and Zn with the flame method. As regards toxic heavy metals, highest values are those of As (g.m. 37.90 μg/kg w.w.) and Pb (g.m. 1.32 μg/kg w.w.), while lowest concentrations are those of Cd (g.m. 0.02 μg/kg w.w). With regard to essential metals, Zn (g.m. 2016 μg/kg w.w) and Se (g.m. 13.24 μg/kg w.w.) showed the highest concentrations, followed by Cr (g.m. 2.03 μg/kg w.w.) and Cu (g.m. 1.98 μg/kg w.w.). Further investigations of the levels of heavy metals (As) in a greater number of milk samples from various zones of Calabria are necessary, both to examine this problem from the clinical epidemiological point of view and to identify the possible causes of milk contamination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

All the demographic surveys on the centenarians have highlighted that females outnumber males. The centenarians'' male/female (M/F) ratio reported by most studies ranges between 1:4 and 1:7. A puzzling 1:2 ratio was observed in Calabria, a Southern Italian region. To our knowledge only in Sardinia a similar phenomenon had been previously observed. We have therefore used the data of the Italian Institute of Statistics to figure out the centenarians'' M/F ratio in the Italian regions. We found that this ratio gradually decreases from South to North. Such a result is certainly due to many factors. Thus, we have explored the possibility, it is also influenced by the genetic structure of the Italian population. In fact, the distribution of the centenarians'' M/F ratio turned out to be significantly correlated with the genetic structure of the Italian population as outlined by the principal component analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

School education constitutes one of the strategic functions to be recovered after an earthquake. The structural improvement of school buildings together with the strengthening of the administrators' capacity to react positively following an earthquake are key factors that contribute to social vulnerability's reduction. Nevertheless, in Italy, the issue of risk reduction policies related to school sector is not yet consolidated in the institutional agendas. Observing the last major Italian earthquakes what remains predominant is school buildings' damage degree with consequent interruption of the system functionality. Among the causes: the building heritage vulnerability and the lack of risk mitigation policies, capable of building a resilient community for future earthquakes. That of resilience is considered a relevant paradigm to address the issue of how to strengthen the school sector's capacity to ensure the buildings physical safety and to guarantee the maintenance of the school function, looking at pre and post-event phases. The paper proposes a set of indicators and a methodology for a preliminary assessment of the educational sector's seismic resilience, in terms of initial conditions. The method has been tested on a first case study: Calabria Region, Southern Italy. The results show that spatial differences in the educational sector's seismic resilience are evident. Except for some large urban areas, the less resilient areas are grouped mainly in the southern part of the Region, while the most resilient ones are located mostly in the central-northern sector. The ambition is to identify a repeatable approach, useful as guidelines for school seismic prevention policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to better define the scale, timing and driving mechanisms of a seaward-gliding landmass currently affecting the Crotone Basin, a forearc basin on the Ionian side of Calabria (southern Italy). An integrated approach of seismic, well and field data, together with literature information, have revealed that the slide includes an onshore updip extensional domain compatible with the presence of a curved seaward-dipping fault system to the NW, which is connected southward to an offshore downdip compressional domain through a buried detachment surface lying at a Messinian halite layer. The landmass, which involves Messinian-Pleistocene deposits, has started to slide since the Zanclean, and experienced a paroxysmal episode between late Zanclean and early Piacenzian linked to transpressional tectonics. After a phase of inactivity during the Calabrian, the gravitational collapse underwent a second reactivation since middle Pleistocene due to regional uplift, which seems to be restricted to the offshore sector, the Crotone peninsula and probably the eastern coastal area. • A better definition of the scale, timing and driving mechanisms of the Crotone Megalandslide is provided. • A first phase of activity started during the Zanclean and ended during the Gelasian, and involved the whole basin. • A second phase of activity persists since the middle Pleistocene and involved only the Crotone peninsula and the offshore area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a study on the mylonites exposed in the Cirella area along the Tyrrhenian coast of northern Calabria (southern Italy), in order to understand the role of ductile and brittle deformation on the exhumation process of these rocks. The analyzed shear zone is located in the footwall of a regional tectonic contact between metaophiolites (Ligurian Complex) on the top, and the continental Lungro-Verbicaro Unit (Adria plate) at the bottom. The latter consists of a metasedimentary succession with Triassic shallow-water carbonates at the base of it, evolving upward to Jurassic-lower Miocene slope to deep basin carbonates and foredeep siliciclastic rocks. Both oceanic and continental successions are characterized by high-pressure and low-temperature (HP-LT) metamorphism. The analyzed mylonites show different degrees of strain, ranging from protomylonites to ultramylonites, the latter characterized by well-marked foliation and stretching lineations. Several micro- and mesoscale progressive deformation structures, including two fold sets, S-C' structures are present in these rocks, and a late oblique foliation, indicating a NW sense of shear. A successive shortening stage produced thrust faults and related folds, indicating a tectonic transport toward SE. We associate the mylonitic deformation with the activity of the overlying detachment fault, which is responsible for the synorogenic exhumation of the Lungro-Verbicaro Unit during the Miocene time. However, the ductile strain, recorded by the studied mylonites, accounted for a small displacement during the exhumation of this tectonic slice. In fact, the calculated displacement achieved by the Lungro-Verbicaro Unit, during exhumation, is much larger than the one estimated considering only the ductile zones activity. This evidence suggests that, synchronously with ductile strain, brittle deformation occurred along the detachment fault located at the top of the thrust sheet. In addition, a severe erosion due to the tectonic exhumation of the HP-LT rocks (in the late Miocene) produced a large amount of clastic sediment that filled the extensional basins widespread in northern Calabria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Serra Mulara canyon is a middle Pleistocene submarine canyon developed along the Ionian coast of Calabria, southern Italy, now exposed on land due to the long-term regional uplift of the area. New data have allowed recognizing three depositional sequences in the upper part of the succession, probably glacio-eustatic in origin, documenting an evolution of depositional systems that reflect the emergence of the canyon. Sequence 1 shows a rapid shift from turbidites and hemipelagites accumulated in the upper part of the canyon fill to forced regressive deltaic deposits, which reflect a marked shallowing of the area. Sequence 2 consists of estuarine transgressive and deltaic highstand deposits, whereas Sequence 3 is fully composed of fluvial deposits, testifying the emergence of the area. The upper part of the Serra Mulara succession is an useful example showing the transition from submarine canyon to continental settings, a situation that is not adequately documented in the literature, and is also relevant to better reconstruct the timing of the uplift of this part of Calabria. • An unusual example documenting the emergence of a submarine canyon is illustrated. • The upward shift from relatively deep-water sedimentation to deltaic, estuarine and then fluvial sedimentation is shown. • New information on the emergence of the Crotone Basin is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work deals with Messinian deposits belonging to the Neogene infill of the Rossano and Belvedere Basins, respectively developed along the fore-arc and the back-arc areas of the north Calabria accretionary wedge. The main goal is to characterize the carbonate and evaporitic sedimentation during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, in the general framework of the basin architecture and the interplay between eustatic vs tectonic controlled sea-level variations. Fieldwork integrated with seismic lines and well logs interpretations led to the revision of the general stratigraphy of the basins and the proposal of a new sequential stratigraphic model driven by cyclic sea-level variations. Each cycle, repeated at least two times during the Messinian Salinity Crisis time frame, begins with a relative sea-level fall responsible for the emplacement of prograding wedges composed of terrigenous and evaporitic deposits that, subsequently, evolve in the deposition of primary basin-fill evaporites. This phase is followed by open marine transgression due to relative sea-level rise that terminates the evaporite formation and predates the development of microbial dominated carbonate platforms associated with shallow-water evaporites. Both basins experienced intense tectonic activity during the Messinian, which could be responsible for huge basinward sediments exportation and fast decreasing in the accommodation space. However, this did not substantially influence the development of the systems tracts that, considering the basinal architecture, have been mainly controlled by eustatic sea-level variations. In fact, two major sea-level drops associated with basin restriction and aridity (cold) conditions seem to have caused the origin of two main evaporitic units as basin-fill evaporites, while consequent sea-level rises and less stressed condition, account for two carbonate units with limited evaporites and terrigenous deposition. • Messinian salinity crisis is well recorded in North Calabria (Italy) basins. • Messinian carbonate/evaporitic deposits are organized in 3 depositional sequences. • Despite active tectonics, sea-level variations drive system tracts formation. • Peritidal evaporites and microbial carbonate shelves formed during High Stands. • Two main basin fill evaporites (Halite or Sulphate) formed during Low Stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal regions and river basins hold a great variety of geological, ecological, social and economic roles mutually dependent and interacting. So, a global approach of these sensitive and transitional areas should include their seaward and landward sides. By this way, the Organization of United Nations has suggested a new management pattern of littoral zones named Integrated Coastal Area and River basin Management, able to merge, into the same landscape unit, marine, coastal and riverine systems. However, in italian seaboard areas, there is a total lack of an overall strategy to carry out national and/or regional plans for a sustainable development of coastal regions. In this regard, also in the Calabria region (Southern Italy) the suggested new kind of holistic approach is totally neglected although its coastline shows a broad extent of 715 km and the hydrographic network is made up by 1003 catchments forming a complex drainage system. This new kind of coastal management was verified through the application of a Coastal Sustainability Standard method applied, for the first time in Italy, in a study area in the western seaside of Calabria. The results of the field survey highlight a total failure of an inclusive coastal management process capable to realize a comprehensive landscape planning of marine, coastal and riverine systems. Instead, Calabria could be the leader coastal region in Italy where landward and seaward sides could be connected along the ecological corridors of their river basins. • COASTAL SUSTAINABILITY STANDARD METHOD. • INTEGRATED COASTAL AREA AND RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT. • INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT. • COASTAL AREAS AND FLUVIAL CATCHMENTS. • CALABRIA, SOUTHERN ITALY. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Y-STRs are very useful for forensic laboratories to identify, segregate, and analyze male DNA from evidence-containing mixtures of male and female DNA (for example in case of sexual assault), in difficult paternity analysis or for reconstruction of male lineage or application in kinship analysis. AmpFlSTR® Y-filer™ PCR Amplification kit is the last commercial kit for the analysis in a single PCR reaction, of 16 Y-chromosome STRs. In the present study, we analysed the distribution of the Y-STRs above in 3 populations from Calabria (South of Italy): Reggio Calabria, Catanzaro and Cosenza. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the present study we investigated the distribution of 15 autosomal STRs loci and 17 Y-STRs loci in a population from Southern Italy (Calabria). Samples for the study were obtained form more than 300 unrelated healthy individuals belonging to the analysed population since at least three generations. Different bio-statistical values of forensic interest were calculated for the loci examined in the present study. The test for Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium showed that the genotype distribution was correspondent with the expected. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A genetic population study for SE33 locus has performed from a sample of 130 individuals coming from South of Italy (Calabria) since at least 3 generations, using the next generation multiplex AmpFlSTR NGM SElect™ PCR Amplification Kit by Applied Biosystems. Allele frequencies and statistical parameters of forensic interest (Power of Discrimination, Power of Exclusion Matching Probability, etc.) were calculated using PowerStats v1.2 software. Results demonstrate the usefulness of SE33 for forensic identification, which should be added to the set of STR loci routinely studied in caseworks and in complex paternity cases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The ability to identify male-specific DNA renders Y-chromosomal STR systems an invaluable help in cases of rape, other sexual assault as well as in kinship testing. The “PowerPlex Y System” is a recent kit by Promega, that coamplifies the repeat regions of 11 Y-STRs loci. In the present study, we analyzed the allelic distribution of Y-STRs loci in around 300 unrelated males belonging to the three populations of Calabria region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]