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This paper accompanies the Maps of Geohazard features of the Cilento and the Calabro- Tyrrhenian continental margin in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy). The main geohazardrelated features were derived from extensive seafloor mapping through the collection of high-resolution multibeam data acquired during several oceanographic cruises. They encompass many fluids seepage features, fault scarps, landslides scars, gullies, channels, and canyons. Hazards related to coastal landslides and shelf-indenting canyons are very high in these sectors (especially in southern Calabria) due to active seismicity coupled with rapid uplift, high sedimentation rates and narrow or totally absent continental shelf, thus promoting a direct connection between steep slopes and coastal areas. In this setting, masswasting features can directly impact coastal or submarine infrastructures or indirectly create local tsunami waves, as observed in historical times. Moreover, this physiographic setting of the margin facilitates the transfer of marine litter toward deep-sea areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maps of the geohazard-related features of the North Sardinia continental margin produced by the Magic project (MArine Geohazard along Italian Coasts) are here presented. The maps were created on the base of morphobathymetric data obtained by with multibeam echo sounders. ThreCoNISMa, DSCG Università degli studi di Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria Monserrato - S.P. Monserrato-Sestu, Monserrato (CA), Italye wide canyon systems, Castelsardo to the west, Lavezzi and Caprera to the east, originate from the continental shelf between the islands of Sardinia and Corsica and run toward the Sardinia Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, respectively. The canyons feature very wide and articulated heads, meandered sections of the main axis. The continental shelfhosts several coastal lithotomies, genetically related to late Quaternary sea-level oscillation and coastline migration. Furthermore, in the Bonifacio Strait, several bedform fields testify to the present-day activity of strong bottom currents. The main geohazard potential from the North Sardinia is related to the retreating of Castelsardo canyon heads, in offshore of Castelsardo and Asinara, which cuts the continental shelf reaching a few kilometers from the coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new seafloor sedimentological map of Bagnoli-Coroglio SIN (Sites of National Interest) in the Gulf of Pozzuoli (Napoli), Italy, based on the analysis of the acoustic backscatter, calibrated with grain size distribution of sampled surficial marine deposits. Geophysical and ground-truthing (geological) data were acquired during a series of marine surveys designed for a seafloor characterisation aimed at remediation of the marine environment offshore the dismissed industrial area of Bagnoli. This study describes the acquisition and processing of the multibeam echo-sounder (Reson SeaBat 7125 high-resolution) backscatter data recorded during geophysical survey and illustrates the approach followed in the construction of a high-resolution seafloor map of the Bagnoli-Coroglio offshore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a seafloor map of the summit of Palinuro Seamount, an E–W elongated volcanic ridge located in the Eastern Tyrrhenian Sea. The seafloor was mapped using multibeam backscatter and seafloor samples collected between 80 and 1000 m below the sea level. The high-resolution imaging of the Palinuro seafloor was obtained by merging a Digital Terrain Model with a 2.5 m-sized grid and a backscatter mosaic with 2.5 m pixel. The resulting 1:20,000 scale map includes six main facies recognized based on their backscatter properties. These six facies reflect different lithologies. The Palinuro seafloor map represents a useful tool for morphological and geological studies of the Palinuro volcanic ridge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]