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A 1:28,000-scale geoarchaeological map has been prepared for a large sector of the Ionian coastal belt of the Basilicata region, southern Italy, in order to investigate the relationships between the spatial distribution of archaeological sites of Greek settlement of Metapontum and the main landforms of this sector of the Bradano Foredeep. Archaeological investigation consists of an examination and a re-organisation of published data and new field surveys, which has allowed us to infer the relationships between landform elements and spatial distribution of about 1400 archaeological remnants of the Greek colony of Metapontum. Our results highlight a non-random distribution of the archaeological evidence and the strong influence of geomorphological features and processes on the settlement pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This work deals with an integrated geomorphological and chemical–physical study of “calanchi” landforms in site (Caulonia) of SE Calabria (southern Italy), developed on of Late Pliocene–Quaternary clay deposits. The aim of this paper is to investigate how topography and rainfall quantity may affect runoff and slope processes in “Calanchi” landforms by influencing the physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of clayey sediments. To this purpose a comparison has been made among the physical, chemical and mineralogical features of calanchi materials sampled after a rainy period precipitation (mean annual rainfall of ~709.6mm; wet year) with those sampled after relatively dry period (mean annual rainfall of ~431.4mm; dry year) and in different topographic settings (opposite flanks of a catchment exhibiting different steepness and lengths i.e. W- to NW-facing and E- to NE-facing slopes). Using a multivariate statistic approach – which adopts the principal component analysis (PCA) method to extract factors – it has been possible to make a hypothesis of the main processes responsible for dynamic evolution of the study area. The rainfall quantity coupled with topography has to be considered as the main control factor inducing changes in the physical–chemical–mineralogical parameters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this work a detailed geomorphological study aimed to reconstruct the Holocene evolution of a slope largely affected by landsliding is presented. The study area is located in the lower valley of the Tanagro River, flowing in the Auletta basin, a Pliocene to Quaternary tectonic depression located along the elongation axis of southern Apennines. In order to investigate the relationships between landscape evolution and triggering factors, and to better constrain the Holocene palaeoclimate scenario in which the mass movements occurred, geomorphological data have been integrated with those deriving by the stratigraphic, chronological, and minero-geochemical analyses of the deposits genetically related to the landslide events. The investigated landslide shows a complex style of activity, with compound rotational and translational slide in the upper part of the slope evolving into flow in the lower part. The chronological evolution of the landslide activity has been constrained through radiocarbon dating of palustrine deposits, genetically related to the landslide, and of interbedded paleosols. On the basis of the presented data, the main landslide event can be placed at the beginning of the Holocene and it is followed by a period of scarse landslide activity, as demonstrated by the sedimentation of palustrine deposits within an endorheic pond. As the small basin was created by a counterslope rotation related to the main landslide phenomenon, its deposits post-date the age of the landslide. The geomorphological features related to the main gravitative event are strongly modified by reactivations occurred at the beginnings of Sub-Boreal period, which represent, in southern Europe, the warmest and wettest stage of the Holocene. As confirmed by mineralogical and geochemical data, intense and/or prolonged precipitation might have played a major role as triggering factor in reactivating the slope movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic procedures for landform extraction is a growing research field but extensive quantitative studies of the prediction accuracy of Automatic Landform Classification (ACL) based on a direct comparison with geomorphological maps are rather limited. In this work, we test the accuracy of an algorithm of automatic landform classification on a large sector of the Ionian coast of the southern Italian belt through a quantitative comparison with a detailed geomorphological map. Automatic landform classification was performed by using an algorithm based on the individuation of basic landform classes named geomorphons. Spatial overlay between the main mapped landforms deriving from traditional geomorphological analysis and the automatic landform classification results highlighted a satisfactory percentage of accuracy (higher than 70%) of the geomorphon-based method for the coastal plain area and drainage network. The percentage of accuracy decreased by about 20–30% for marine and fluvial terraces, while the overall accuracy of the ACL map is 69%. Our results suggest that geomorphon-based classification could represent a basic and robust tool to recognize the main geomorphological elements of landscape at a large scale, which can be useful for the advanced steps of geomorphological mapping such as genetic interpretation of landforms and detailed delineation of complex and composite geomorphic elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]