Search

Hinterland basins are low-lying and often heavily populated areas at the back of orogenic belts which have significant economic and infrastructural importance. The tectonic-stratigraphic and regional characterisation of hinterland basins is fundamental for evaluating their subsurface utilisation and potential geohazards.This study focuses on the origin and development of the Tuscan hinterland basins of the Northern Apennines. These basins have been associated with a compressional regime lasting until the Late Pliocene-Pleistocene during which out-of-sequence thrusts and back-thrusts in the inner portion of the chain accommodated the compressive stress accumulated in the frontal zones. An alternative interpretation considers the evolution of these basins in an extensional regime as an effect of large-scale back-arc processes or gravitational collapse of thickened crust following the Apennine orogeny since the Early Miocene. In this tectonic regime, the basins have been interpreted as graben, half-graben or bowl-shaped basins evolving into graben.Our work aims to determine the tectonic-sedimentary evolution of the Valdera-Volterra Basin through the analysis of ~271.8 km of 2D seismic reflection profiles and wireline logs from two exploration wells. The Valdera-Volterra Basin basin is an NW–SE oriented depocenter ~60 km long ~30 km wide filled with a clastic succession of Miocene-Pleistocene fluvial-lacustrine to marine deposits up to ~2 km thick.The analysis has revealed a polyphased tectonic history of the basin with a Messinian-Zanclean compressional phase deforming the basin-infill as indicated by seismic imaging of synformal geometries and strongly tilted unconformities. Such deformation is tentatively associated with E/NE vergent blind thrusts and SW vergent blind back-thrusts. During the Piacenzian, the activity of normal border faults and the presence in their hanging wall of associated sedimentary wedges thickening towards NE suggest an extensional phase following the earlier Messinian-Zanclean compression. Broad folding of the shallow Piacenzian units in the hangingwall of the normal faults suggests the occurrence of mild positive inversion at the end of the Piacenzian/Lowermost Pleistocene?.This tectonic history has been associated with crustal shortening in the Northern Apennines hinterland, accommodated by thrusting, that occurred discontinuously until the end of the Pliocene/Lowermost Pleistocene?. The formation of the border faults during the Piacenzian has been related to a prolongated phase of tectonic quiescence that led to the collapse of the sedimentary pile and the Pre-Neogene substrate. In this setting, the positive inversion occurred at the end of the Piacenzian/Lowermost Pleistocene? represents the last compressive event related to crustal shortening.

Extension of continental plates should typically result in the development of normal faults perpendicular or sub-perpendicular to the plate motion vector. However, several factors such as linkage of rift segments and the presence of pre-existing fabrics may result in the development of complex fault systems, with structures oblique or even sub-parallel to the extension vector. This paper is focused on the extension-related deformation of the central sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) and shows the presence of a transverse structure (ie., sub-parallel to extension) in the central MER that played an important role during the Late Quaternary, influencing the hydrographic evolution in this area. Structural data evidence its tectonic activity and the analysis of distribution of magmatic centres and other volcanic features shows that interaction between transverse structures and the faults delimiting the rift may favour formation of volcanic centres. The orientation of this transverse structure, sub-parallel to extension, is interpreted as being caused by the linkage of major segments of the MER that likely exploited pre-existing structures, as widely documented in the MER.

The monitoring of stone alteration represents a key factor in the knowledge and prediction of the status of conservation of building stones in the urban framework. A continuous monitoring requires a non-destructive analytical approach and, possibly, a simple, low-cost and effective tool to study the decay processes. Previous studies demonstrated the capability of the SWIR hyperspectral technique to gain information on the degree of sulfation of carbonate stone surfaces. In this study we aim at setting up a protocol to investigate on-site the sulfation degree of the white marble cladding surfaces of the worldwide-famous Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence (Italy). The proposed protocol couples information by SWIR hyperspectral and colorimetric techniques. We have proved that, in selected areas investigated at a distance of nine years, the colour and the mineralogical changes (i.e., sulfation) are significantly greater than the relative uncertainties of the two methods. Moreover, the proposed protocol results rapid, repeatable and fully not invasive.

L'articolo affronta, in una prospettiva di diritto costituzionale, il tema delle nuove forme di intervento diretto dello Stato nell'economia con finalità di politica industriale. In una prima parte, si ritorna agli albori del processo di privatizzazione delle partecipazioni societarie dello Stato. Una seconda parte è dedicata all'analisi di un fondamentale strumento di intervento proiettivo dello Stato nell'attività economica pubblica, qual è la Cas-sa depositi e prestiti S.p.A. Una terza parte, infine, tratta uno strumento cruciale di intervento protettivo dello Stato nei confronti dell'attività economica pubblica e privata, dato dai poteri speciali, che tendono anche ad assumere, oggi, una spiccata finalità di politica industriale.

The study of a huge repertory of sparse glazed ware from Donoratico (Livorno, Italy) dated back to the ninth century was carried out to investigate the production technology via petro- graphic, chemical, and isotopic investigations. The mineralogical and chemical evidence suggested the application of a lead oxide flux to an unfired non-calcareous ceramic body, in accordance with late Antique and early-Medieval traditions. The isotopic investigation of the glazes also suggested different sources for PbO, which was frequently applied as a mix of different metal batches. The Pb isotopic record identified the Southern Tuscany districts (Campiglia Marittima and Colline Metallifere) and a source controlled by the Carolingian kings in the northern districts of Central Europe (either in Aquitaine or in the Middle German ore districts) as the most reliable sources. SEM-EDS showed the presence of tin impurities in the form of secondary cassiterite agglomerates in most of the glazes obtained by the use of lo- cal lead. The presence of cassiterite veins in Southern Tuscany lead sulphide deposits was con- sidered as the main cause for tin impurities in the glazing mixture and, thus, an important marker for the exploitation of local lead.

Although Pliocene palaeosols can supply palaeoclimate information and help to disentangle stratigraphic reconstructions, soils are sparsely represented in global datasets for Pliocene climate. Pliocene was characterised by global mean annual temperatures 2–4 °C warmer than today, representing an analogue for future climate prevision. We aimed, thus, to investigate palaeosols as suitable archives for reconstructing geomorphic processes, ecosystems and climate patterns in the Pliocene.We compared the palaeosol record stored in Zanclean and Piacenzian successions locate in central and southern Tuscany, respectively. Palaeosol morphological features observed in the field were used for the sequence-stratigraphic interpretation. To qualitatively evaluate soil development, we considered the time needed to attain various soil properties. Pedogenetic processes and the intensity of weathering were also quantified by applying a range of proxies based on geochemical analyses. Climofunctions based on major element ratios were used to estimate mean annual palaeoprecipitation (MAP). Carbon and oxygen isotopes analysis were performed on carbonate nodules, to verify their pedogenic origin and as a proxy for palaeovegetation and palaeotemperatures.Though all soils are unconformities in the record, the rank and type of unconformity were defined in detail, to precisely place the soil formation time within the sedimentary sequence and to correlate soil-forming intervals with general environmental changes. Then, soil characteristics were interpreted, considering the geomorphological setting reconstructed by the stratigraphic and sedimentological analysis.The Zanclean-age soils represent a presumably long-time span, likely a few thousand years, and exhibit strong redoximorphic features such as low-grade plinthite, suggesting that they developed in intervals of humid climate. The mid Piacenzian-age soils represent rhythmic and short intervals of pedogenesis, which correlate to sea level highstands. The main characteristics of palaeosols are due to clay shrink-swell properties (vertic) and carbonate translocation (calcic). Calcic features were interpreted as recording the duration of pedogenesis and thus of the sedimentary hiatuses, suggesting a range of development from 1,000 to 10,000 years. These soil features and the isotopic proxies converge towards indicating a highly seasonal rainfall pattern. This inference matches the sedimentological facies, which point to sediment transport and deposition from highly laden flood flows, recalling the sedimentary dynamics of seasonal fluvial systems. The hypothesis of a very high degree of rainfall seasonality would match well with existing palaeoclimatic records for the Mediterranean Middle Pliocene Warm Period (MPWP), and could shed light on certain unusual features in such records.Comparing soils developed in the Early and in the Late Pliocene, the MAP estimates confirm the differences in climate condition which likely led to the divergent pedogenesis pathways. Furthermore, the palaeotemperatures estimated from the oxygen isotopic composition of pedogenic carbonates within Piacenzian calcic horizons, point to values matching the modelled temperatures for the MPWP.

The upper Miocene mollusc assemblages of Monti Livornesi, used as a means to study the nature of Mediterranean benthic communities at the edge of the Messinian salinity crisis, are framed in a high-resolution stratigraphic scheme and quantitatively approached by the study of historical museum collections and modern samples. Instead of a single assemblage from either Tortonian or Messinian age, as previously thought, this fauna comes from three consecutive shallowing-upward depositional sequences bounded by regional unconformities, the Luppiano (upper Tortonian-lowermost Messinian), Rosignano and Raquese units (early Messinian). Facies analysis, taphonomy and quantitative paleoecology show that the Luppiano assemblage is characterised by aragonitic species from a eutrophic brackish-water shallow marine muddy bottom, the Rosignano assemblage by calcitic species from an oligotrophic coarse-grained seafloor close to a coral reef and the Raquese assemblage from an open-marine muddy bottom. Published comparisons between Miocene and Pliocene faunal lists should be considered only crude estimates of faunal change until more is known about the distribution of species along paleoenvironmental gradients. The analysis of Miocene and Pliocene abundance data allows us to frame the Monti Livornesi molluscs along carbonate-siliciclastic and water depth gradients and to reach a better understanding of the effects of salinity crisis on the Mediterranean biota.

The sequence-stratigraphic analysis of continental and shallow marine successions is a helpful tool for investigating the cyclicity of the sedimentary record. A similar approach is adopted in the present study to illustrate the composite cyclothemic facies architecture that characterizes the Piacenzian strata of the southern Valdelsa Basin (Central Italy). Specifically, we integrated facies analysis, paleopedology, paleobiology of marine mollusk assemblages and biostratigraphy to assess the response of geomorphic, sedimentary and biotic systems to Piacenzian multifrequency relative sea-level fluctuations. This integrated approach resulted in the definition of a composite sequence-stratigraphic framework that includes a hierarchy of units ranging from the elementary to the composite depositional sequences, referred to the 5th to 3rd order cycles of sea-level fluctuations, respectively. A correlation with the Piacenzian oxygen isotopic signature of glacial and interglacial stages and related sea-level fluctuations associates the cyclic development of fluvial, coastal and shallow marine depositional systems to the mid-Piacenzian Warm Period and to the subsequent transition to the Gelasian. Thus, the glacio-eustatic control prevailed on the development of the described multi-scale cyclical pattern of sedimentation, compared to the role played by the deformation of the Northern Apennines orogen.

Giardiasis, the disease caused by the flagellate Giardia duodenalis (syn. G.lamblia, G. intestinalis), is the most commonly reported among the five food- and waterborne parasitic diseases under mandatory surveillance in 24 EU countries. From November 2018 to April 2019, an outbreak of giardiasis occurred in a municipality of the Bologna province, in north-eastern Italy. Microscopy and immunochromatography identified cysts and antigens, respectively, of the parasite in stool samples of 228 individuals. Molecular typing of 136 stool samples revealed a vast predominance (95%) of G. duodenalis assemblage B. Investigations into potential sources indicated tap water as the most likely vehicle of infection, although cysts were not detected in water samples. Control measures mostly aimed at preventing secondary transmission by informing citizens about the outbreak, and by treatment of patients with anti-parasitic drugs. This is the first documented human outbreak of giardiasis in Italy; its investigation has highlighted the difficulties in the timely detection and management of this parasite, which is often overlooked as a cause of human gastroenteritis. The long and variable incubation time, absence of specific symptoms and a general lack of awareness about this pathogen contributed to delay in diagnosis.

Archaeological investigations of the Colline Metallifere district (Southern Tuscany, Italy) have highlighted several Medieval sites located close to the main Cu-Pb-Fe (Ag) ore occurrences. This study is focused on the investigation of late-medieval slags from Cugnano and Montieri sites using both geochemical and mineralogical methods to understand slag heterogeneities as result of ore differences and technological processes. Matte-rich slags present in both sites (with abundant matte &plusmn, speiss and frequent relict phases) represent waste products related to primary sulphide ore smelting to obtain a raw lead bullion. The distribution of slags between the Ca-rich or Fe-rich dominant composition, and the consequent mineralogy, are tracers of the different ore&ndash, gangue association that occurred in the two sites. Silver is present only in very small matte-rich slags and ores enclosed within the mortar of the Montieri site, wastes derived from silver-rich mineral charges were probably crushed for the recovery of silver. Matte-poor slags found at Montieri represent a second smelting, raw lead bullion obtained from matte slags (both Fe- and Ca-rich) was probably re-smelted, adding silica and Al2O3-phase-rich fluxes, under more oxidizing conditions to reduce metal impurities. This second step was probably employed for Zn-rich lead ores, this process helped to segregate zinc within slags and improve the quality of the metal.

Fluvial sediments of the Paglia River, a tributary of Tiber River (Central Italy), are contaminated by mercury (Hg) as a consequence of past mining activity (1846–1981, with main production 1900–1970) in the Monte Amiata district (the 3rd largest Hg producer worldwide). In this study, we combine a geomorphological analysis with geochemical data to try and understand the influence of fluvial dynamics on the spatial distribution of Hg in fluvial sediments over a 43 km segment of the river. By considering the evolution of the river course between 1883 and 2013, eight different geomorphic units (GUs) were recognised, including the active channel bed (baseflow channel and bar), the floodplain, and five orders of terraces. The distribution of Hg in sediments of these GUs reflects the timing of their formation with respect to evolution of the mining activity. In GUs formed before the main peak of mining activity, or after mine closure, sediments show mean Hg contents comparable to, or slightly higher than, the local background, estimated at 2–6 mg/kg; in GUs formed during the peak production, Hg mean contents are definitely higher (up to 26 mg/kg). The current floodplain also shows high contents (mean 19 mg/kg), because of continuous reworking and transport of older contaminated sediments during major flood events. Therefore, the point contaminant sources represented by mining centres evolved into a diffuse source spread over several tens of kilometres. By combining geochemical data with calculated sediment volumes, we estimate that not less than 63 tonnes of Hg are currently contained in the sediments of the investigated river stretch. Such amount of Hg will probably limit for the near future a full land use along the Paglia–Tiber course.

This paper illustrates the results of a stratigraphic, sedimentologic and structural study of the continental succession exposed at the core of the Adrar Aglagal syncline, located at the southern front of the Central High Atlas (Morocco). This structure deforms a Lower Jurassic-Upper Cretaceous succession, resting unconformably on Triassic clastic and volcanic deposits. Marine-transitional Lower Jurassic limestone, dolomite and gypsum crop out at the syncline's limbs whereas the core is characterized by a continental clastic succession which is the local expression of a sedimentary complex regionally known as Couches Rouges (red beds). These continental successions, attesting to a Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous regressive phase, have different interpretations in the frame of the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Central High Atlas. According to some authors these red beds record localized early compressive-transpressive stages of deformation, others refer them to a period of tectonic quiescence. Facies analysis and recognition of unconformities have allowed a stratigraphic revision and a new subdivision of these, mostly fluvial, deposits in five units. Paleocurrent analysis, compositional data and the evidence of syn-depositional growth of the syncline support a picture of crustal shortening that affected this axial portion of the Central High Atlas in a period considered tectonically quiescent. This case study supports the hypothesis that the Moroccan Atlas system experienced significant relief formation, as the consequence of the peculiar geodynamic setting in which the northern margin of the Africa plate was located during the Mesozoic.

A paleosurface with a concentration of wooden-, bone-, and stone-tools interspersed among an accumulation of fossil bones, largely belonging to the straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus, was found at the bottom of a pool, fed by hot springs, that was excavated at Poggetti Vecchi, near Grosseto (Tuscany, Italy). The site is radiometrically dated to the late Middle Pleistocene, around 171,000 years BP. Notable is the association of the artifacts with the elephant bones, and in particular the presence of digging sticks made from boxwood (Buxus sp.). Although stone tools show evidence of use mainly on animal tissues, indicating some form of interaction between hominins and animals, the precise use of the sticks is unclear. Here we discuss about the role played by the hominins at the site: paleobiological and taphonomic evidence indicates that the elephants died by a natural cause and were butchered soon after their death. The associated paleontological and archeological evidence from this site provides fresh insights into the behavior of early Neanderthals in Central Italy. The discovery of Poggetti Vecchi shows how opportunistically flexible Neanderthals were in response to environmental contingencies.

The paper presents a stratigraphic and structural revision of the Late Mesozoic succession exposed in the Dades River valley (eastern Ouarzazate Basin), at the southern front of the Central High Atlas. Facies analysis, recognition of different rank erosional, angular and progressive unconformities and new paleontological data, allowed a subdivision into five units of four formations formerly ascribed to the Late Cretaceous. The local stratigraphy is tentatively correlated with the Middle Jurassic-Upper Cretaceous successions exposed in different sectors of the Central High Atlas. Integrated structural and stratigraphic data led to infer a predominant tectonically-driven development of these units. The local tectono-depositional scenario suggests since the Middle-Late Jurassic the occurrence of southward-directed fluvial systems sourced from an uplifting basement high in the axial portion of the Central High Atlas and paired to an incipient foreland basin confined by the Anti-Atlasic ranges. Crustal shortening may have caused an early tectonic inversion of the basement high progressively propagated to the south with subsequent deformation of the sedimentary cover.

Pliocene has a key role in assessing future climate impact and specifically, the mid-Piacenzian is considered the most recent period in Earth’s history in which temperatures reached values similar to those predicted for the end of the 21st century, about 2°–3°C warmer globally on average than today. Palaeopedology offers a great potential for elucidating high resolution, deep time palaeoclimate records. Thus, we aimed to investigate palaeosols as suitable archives for reconstructing surface processes, paleo-ecosystem structures and local- to global-scale paleoclimate patterns in the Pliocene.A favourable opportunity to study soils developed in the Early and in the Late Pliocene was provided on two alluvial sediments in Tuscany (Central Italy). Piacenzian palaeosol-stratigraphic sequences were compared with previously known Zanclean stratigraphic records. A multi-proxy approach, combining stratigraphic and paleopedological evidence, was adopted to produce more robust palaeoenvironmental insights. Field observations were related with quantitative techniques based on geochemical and isotopic analysis, to evaluate pedogenic processes, past-climate and palaeovegetation.Pedological evidence of two contrasting environments were present at the two sequences. Strong redoximorphic features such as low-grade plinthite were observed in the Zanclean-age soil, suggesting that these soils evolved in humid palaeoclimate in a time span of a few thousand years. On the other hand, the Piacenzian-age soils of central Tuscany represented rhythmic and short intervals of pedogenesis, connected with sea level highstands. The best developed palaeosols show very well-expressed Calcic horizon. Pedogenic carbonates are typically associated with well-drained soil profiles in sub-humid, semi-arid and arid climates characterized by relatively low rainfall and high evapotranspiration. This suggest that Mediterranean-type rainfall patterns may have prevailed in the warmest intervals of Late Pliocene. The studied Piacenzian soils with carbonates were weak- to moderated-developed based on the characteristics of carbonate accumulation that are II and III stage moving from the ancient to the recent ones, suggesting a range of development from 103 to 104 years.The estimates of the mean annual precipitation (MAP), based on weathering indices (CIA-K) and geochemical climofunctions, further allowed us to solidly inferred that substantial differences in climate conditions leaded to the divergent pedogenesis pathways, even considering the large difference in time as a factor (about one order of magnitude) between the two outcrops.

Mercury dispersion in the Paglia and Tiber river catchments (Central Italy) from the abandoned Monte Amiata mining district has long been documented (Rimondi et al., 2019, and references therein). However, there are comparatively fewer data on fluxes of the metal across the basin to the Tyrrhenian sea. The only published estimates (Rimondi et al., 2014) refer to the first 40 km of the Paglia River between Abbadia San Salvatore and Allerona Scalo. They reported highly variable total (dissolved + suspended particulate) Hg loads, up to 34 g/day, strongly depending on river discharge. We report here unpublished data from a sampling campaign of September 2014 (Millacci, 2016), that included three samples along the Tiber river. The data refer to low flow conditions at the end of the dry season. As expected, loads progressively increase with discharge from 1-5 g/day near the source of the Paglia river to about 100 g/day in the city of Rome. There is an anomalous value of 220 g/day just south of the Alviano dam (near Orvieto): a possible explanation is a release of Hg-rich sediments from the dam during maintenance operations.Millacci G. (2016) – Unpublished thesis (Laurea magistrale) in Geological sciences, Università di FirenzeRimondi V., et al. (2014) – Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 21:5575–5585Rimondi V., et al. (2019) - Environmental Pollution 255, 113191

The integration of sedimentary facies analysis, ichnology and benthic mollusc quantitative paleoecology allowed to interpret factors controlling deposition of the Altavilla Milicia alluvial to marine succession, near Palermo, Sicily. Two major composite units are recognised, separated by an angular unconformity and internally subdivided into elementary depositional sequences. Calcareous nannoplankton biostratigraphy allowed to recognize the upper Pliocene and lower Pleistocene, a time interval that covers the onset of the Quaternary glaciation. The main asset of the succession is driven by tectonic compression and accommodation by transpressional faults, a regime that led to a change in the direction of fluvial sediment delivery, from axial to transverse with respect to the basin elongation. High-frequency eustatic changes have driven the formation of elementary depositional sequences. The upper Piacenzian is characterised by marine bioclastic strata, deposited during maximum flooding intervals of the two large composite units. Mixed carbonate-siliciclastic lithosomes show a good correlation with shallow marine shell-rich detrital carbonates of Northern and Southern Italy and with Mediterranean deep-water sapropel clusters, suggesting common climatic forcing. Some tropical species previously thought to disappear from the Mediterranean at around 3.0 Ma, are instead present in the upper Piacenzian of Sicily. The study suggests that the Pliocene macrobenthos with tropical affinities disappeared from different sectors of the Mediterranean at different times.

The Middle Bronze Age site of Gorgo del Ciliegio is located in the Afra valley (Upper Tiber basin) in the proximity of strategic trans-Apennine passes connecting the Tyrrhenian regions of Central Italy to the Po plain and the Umbrian-Marches territories. At Gorgo del Ciliegio a Middle Bronze Age small settlement composed of a single house and various kinds of ancillary features was discovered. Through a multi-disciplinary approach it was possible to gather a large amount of information about settlement dynamics implemented by people living at Gorgo del Ciliegio and about the ways in which this community interacted with and took advantage of the surrounding environment/landscape, while adapting the site's economy to natural features. This paper focuses on the evidence provided by material culture, environment and landscape considered as interrelating indicators of social identity and economic strategies. In order to contextualize these issues, broad space was given to the spatial organization and the architectural features as key factors of socio-economic complexity. The authors conclude that Gorgo del Ciliegio was a farm settlement being probably part of a more extensive settlement system, composed of several farms dispersed along the Afra valley. This specific context proved to be particularly suitable for interweaving relations and exchanges with the Adriatic regions, and thus promoting (and being promoted by) the development of an economy mainly based on mobile pastoralism.

Quaternary sediments along a belt that extends from inland to bottom sediments of the Tyrrhenian Sea in southern Tuscany, Italy, are characterized by high concentrations of As (up to >1000 mg/kg). Earlier studies ascribed this anomaly to anthropogenic activities, e.g., past metallurgical processes of materials mined from pyrite and polymetallic deposits. Such activities, however, can only explain local anomalies. Alternatively, the extensive distribution of these high As contents in the Quaternary sediments is referred to a natural dispersion of eroded materials from ore deposits present in the area. This study provides fluid inclusion data in detrital quartz, as well as mineralogical and geochemical data of Quaternary sediments, from two contiguous catchments draining their waters toward the Tyrrhenian Sea. Results constrain the nature of the mineralized crust eroded and deposited in the coastal continental valleys and at the bottom of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Fluid inclusion data suggest that the As anomaly is related to the erosion of pyrite and polymetallic ore deposits, and that the original depth of the ore deposits ranged between about 500 and 2000 m. This shows that the erosion of such ores left an extensive legacy in southern Tuscany coastal valleys and in the Tyrrhenian sea.

Detrital apatite fission-track (AFT) thermochronology has been applied to lower Pleistocene lacustrine fan-delta sediments of the NE shoulder of the Mugello Basin, the youngest and closest to the main watershed among the Northern Apennines intermontane basins. The aim was to decode the shoulder uplift dynamics during the development of the basin through the analysis of the Quaternary fluvio-lacustrine deposits. Bedrock shoulder analysis, performed to match the detrital AFT data with their source, revealed the presence of a unexpected only partially annealed portion of a turbidite foredeep unit (AFT ages >7–5 Ma) belonging to the structural complex that constitutes the shoulder bedrock. These data disagree with the AFT age distribution pattern of the well-studied Northern Apennines chain, suggesting a segmentation of the foredeep basin. The latter may have been related to the presence of a tectonically induced topographic high (pre-late Langhian) in the area limiting the thickness of the overriding Ligurian lid. On the other hand, detrital AFT data provided arguments for understanding the dynamics of Mugello Basin shoulder uplift and rotation. The proportion in the different stratigraphic units of the fan-delta sediments of single grains showing young (reset) and old (non-reset) ages points to late Early Pleistocene timing of the development of the SW-verging backthrust that characterizes the study area. These data confirm and detail the picture of an early Quaternary development of the Mugello Basin under a compressional setting, only later (middle Pleistocene to present) superimposed by normal faultings.

The Mt. Amiata area hosts the 3 rd largest Hg district in the world, overlapping with a present-day geothermal system that is exploited for energy production. Mining activity ceased in 1980; remediation of mining areas was only partial, and is still under way. A significant transport of mercury is documented in the streams draining the district. By far the largest output occurs to the southeast in the Paglia River catchment; this river is tributary of Tiber River, the largest river of central Italy. A much smaller transport occurs to the north, in the Orcia-Ombrone catchment. Most transport is in particulate form; mercury is temporarily stored in stream and overbank sediments, and can be significantly mobilized and redistributed by extreme events such as flash floods. Transfer to the biosphere and food chain is not negligible, as some fish in Paglia and Tiber Rivers show Hg contents that may be harmful for human consumption. The overall output from the Monte Amiata district represents a significant contribution to the Mediterranean Sea budget of this metal.

Iron deposits from Elba Island (Tuscan Archipelago) were extensively exploited since the 1st millennium BC: both raw iron ore and smelted blooms were extensively traded through the Mediterranean region. Within the frame of the multidisciplinary research Project “AITHALE” (from the Greek name for Elba Island), we have performed a series of archaeometallurgical experiments primarily to investigate the traceability of Elban iron ores during the various steps of the chaine operatoire of bloomery iron production. Results of experiments performed both in the field (reconstruction of a bloomery furnace) and in the laboratory (smelting experiments carried out in a gas mixing furnace) are discussed in the text. Slags produced by smelting of W-Sn-rich iron (hematite) ores, like those from Elba island, show the presence of these elements in phases of their own, either relic (scheelite, ferberite, cassiterite) and/or newly formed (iron-tin alloys). Iron bloom obtained from this kind of iron ore could also bear evidence of the peculiar geochemistry of smelted ore, with tungsten preferentially associated with slag inclusions and tin eventually enriched in the metallic phase.

We have used a multi-aliquot method to obtain precise (U + Th)/He ages of hydrothermal hematite and to assess the extent to which He loss from fine-grained hematite caused by diffusion and recoil. Hematite (n = 6) from the Rio Marina mine, Elba (Italy) yields (U + Th)/He ages that range from 5.36 ± 0.33 to 5.64 ± 0.11 Ma, giving a weighted mean age of 5.53 ± 0.14 Ma and an isochron age of 5.25 ± 0.20 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar data from cogenetic adularia yield flat age spectra with analytically indistinguishable plateau ages (5.575 ± 0.008 and 5.583 ± 0.013 Ma). An additional adularia has a more complex spectrum and yields an interpreted age of 5.64 ± 0.03 Ma. The hematite (U + Th)/He ages overlap the 40Ar/39Ar ages, albeit they are less precise (2–6% vs. 0.2–0.5%). This indicates that the loss of in situ radiogenic 4He from complex fine-grained hematite, either by diffusion and recoil, is insignificant. The study shows that multi-aliquot method has the potential to reliably deliver precise and accurate ages for iron oxide mineralisation that has not suffered significant post-crystallisation thermal perturbation.

A high-magnitude flash flood, which took place on 25 October 2011 in the Magra River catchment (1717 km2), central-northern Italy, is used to illustrate some aspects of the geomorphic response to the flood. An overall methodological framework is described for using interlinked observations and analyses of the geomorphic impacts of an extreme event. The following methods and analyses were carried out: (i) hydrological and hydraulic analysis of the event; (ii) sediment delivery by event landslide mapping; (iii) identification and estimation of wood recruitment, deposition, and budgeting; (iv) interpretation of morphological processes by analysing fluvial deposits; (v) remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) analysis of channel width changes. In response to the high-magnitude hydrological event, a large number of landslides occurred, consisting of earth flows, soil slips, and translational slides, and a large quantity of wood was recruited, in most part deriving from floodplain erosion caused by bank retreat and channel widening. The most important impact of the flood event within the valley floor was an impressive widening of the overall channel bed and the reactivation of wide portions of the pre-event floodplain. Along the investigated (unconfined or partly confined) streams (total investigated length of 93.5 km), the channel width after the flood was up to about 20 times the channel width before the event. The study has shown that a synergic use of different methods and types of evidence provides fundamental information for characterizing and understanding the geomorphic effects of intense flood events. The prediction of geomorphic response to a flood event is still challenging and many limitations exist; however a robust geomorphological analysis can contribute to the identification of the most critical reaches. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A multidisciplinary investigation of some open-air manufactured rocky blocks (both of Proto-historic and Medieval Age) found in the archaeological site of Pietralba (Arezzo, Italy) was performed. The Pietralba blocks display different typologies: a rectangular tub, an L-shaped tub, a throne, and a pyramid. Their study has been approached from the geo-morphologic, mineralogical and chemical standpoint with the threefold purpose of selecting how to better preserve the exposed surfaces from the atmospheric agents, of shedding light on their enigmatic use and, as a consequence, of developing a study-method never applied so far in this field. Even though rock “monuments” are largely widespread and constitute a very intriguing issue, just few studies have been carried out on such artefacts and they have never produced univocal and definitive outcomes regarding their use and age. Samples collected from the tubs were analysed in order to identify the mineralogical and chemical inorganic composition, as well as the possible presence of organic components.

Detailed stratigraphic, sedimentary facies and palaeosol analyses were performed on an outcrop on Late Quaternary deposits in the coastal area of Tuscany. The outcrop was selected as representative of one of the major Quaternary alluvial fan complexes of Central Italy, the ancient Cecina river fan, and as showing contrasting, if related, palaeosols. The oldest relic palaeosol was identified as an Ultisol, representative of the most developed soil type normally found as relic soil in Italy, and about whose possible ages only approximate interpretations presently exist. OSL dating set the whole succession of sediments, palaeosols and geomorphic surfaces into a firm chronological setting. As a result, evolution of the Cecina fan complex in Late Pleistocene could be fully reconstructed. Assessment of the age of the relic Ultisol produced results contrasting with current interpretations, showing how such a soil type can have developed in Italian conditions in a relatively short time, i.e. since about MIS 5d.

Monte Amiata is a small volcano composed by trachytic to olivine latitic lava flows and domes emplaced in a very short time between 305 and 231 ka. The main petrographic features are represented by the occurrence of i) abundant rounded magmatic enclaves increasing in dimension and quantity passing from early to late erupted Monte Amiata volcanic rocks, ii) large sanidine megacrysts, mainly confined in the second stage of activity characterised by the emplacement of exogenous domes and massive lava flows, and iii) mafic olivine latitic lava flows, with intermediate compositions between the early silica-rich volcanic rocks and the most mafic rounded magmatic enclaves hosted by the Monte Amiata volcanic rocks. The occurrence of rounded magmatic enclaves testifies fresh magma injection and stirring within a differentiated magma reservoir. This triggered the pouring out of the viscous trachydacitic resident magma. A reverse differentiation pathway is observed with time of magma emplacement, which is accompanied by the decrease of silica contents and increase of MgO and compatible elements passing from early trachydacites to final olivine-latites. The same timely reverse differentiation pathway is observed among magmatic enclaves, with the most mafic terms hosted by final olivine-latitic lava flows. Fine-grained rounded magmatic enclaves, indeed, range in composition from potassic trachybasalt (absarokite) to olivine-latite. The overall geochemical and isotopic features agree with a mixing process between a highly differentiated (i.e., high silica), and partially crystallised, high-K calc-alkaline end- member and a mafic ultrapotassic magma possibly leucite-bearing. Absence of leucite in the Amiata rocks and enclaves is due to high-silica activity of derived magmas caused by the high-silica end-member of the mixing process.

The Mt. Amiata mining district (Southern Tuscany, Italy) is a world class Hg district, with a cumulate production of more than 100,000 tonnes of Hg, mostly occurring between 1870 and 1980. The Hg mineralization at Mt. Amiata is younger than 0.3 Ma, and is directly related to shallow hydrothermal systems similar to present day geothermal fields of the region. There is likely a continuum of Hg deposition to present day, because Hg emission from geothermal power plants is on-going. In this sense, the Mt. Amiata deposits present some analogies with "hot-spring type" deposits of western USA, although an ore deposit model for the district has not been established. Specifically, the source of Hg remains highly speculative. The mineralizing hydrothermal fluids are of low temperature, and of essentially meteoric origin. Recent results by our research group indicate that, 30 years after mine closure, the environmental effects of Hg contamination related to mining are still recorded by the ecosystem, namely on waterways of the Paglia and Tiber River basins. In particular, the close spatial connection between the town of Abbadia San Salvatore, the Hg mine within its immediate neighborhood, and the drainage catchment of the Paglia River has an influence also on Hg speciation, transported mainly in the particulate form by the river system. The extent of Hg contamination has been identified at least 100 km from Abbadia San Salvatore along the Paglia-Tiber River system. Estimated annual Hg mass loads transported by the Paglia River to the Tiber River were about 11 kg yr-1. However, there is evidence that flood events may enhance Hg mobilization in the Paglia River basin, increasing Hg concentrations in stream sediment. The high methyl-Hg/Hg ratio in water in this area is an additional factor of great concern due to the potential harmful effects on human and wildlife health. Results of our studies indicate that the Mt. Amiata region is at present a source of Hg of remarkable environmental concern at the local, regional (Tiber River), and Mediterranean scales. Ongoing studies are aimed to a more detailed quantification of the Hg mass load input to the Mediterranean Sea, and to unravel the processs concerning Hg transport and fluid dynamics.

Southern Tuscany (Italy) hosts geothermal anomalies with associated widespread CO2 gas-rich manifestations and active travertine-deposing thermal springs. Geothermal anomalies have been active since the Late Miocene and have led to the formation of widespread Late Miocene-Pleistocene travertine deposits and meso- and epithermal mineralizations. This study investigates the travertine deposit exposed in the Castelnuovo dell'Abate area of southern Tuscany. Here, a fissure-ridge type travertine deposit and its feeding conduits, currently filled with banded calcite veins (i.e. banded travertine), represent a spectacular example of fossil hydrothermal circulation in the peripheral area of the exploited Monte Amiata geothermal field. The Castelnuovo dell'Abate travertine deposit and associated calcite veins were analysed to establish the characteristics of the parent hydrothermal fluids, and the age of this circulation. The focus of the study was on fluid inclusions, rarely considered in travertine studies, but able to provide direct information on the physico-chemical characteristics of the original fluid. Uranium-thorium geochronological data provided further constraints on the: (1) age of tectonic activity; (2) age of the hydrothermal circulation; and (3) evolution of the Monte Amiata geothermal anomaly. Results indicate that brittle deformation (NW- and SE-trending normal to oblique-slip faults) was active during at least the Middle Pleistocene and controlled a hydrothermal circulation mainly characterized by fluids of meteoric origin, and as old as 300-350 ka. This is the oldest circulation documented to date in the Monte Amiata area. The fluid chemical composition is comparable to that of fluids currently exploited in the shallow reservoir of the Monte Amiata geothermal field, therefore suggesting that fluid composition has not changed substantially over time. These fluids, however, have cooled by about 70 °C in the last 300-350 ka, corresponding to a cooling rate of the Monte Amiata geothermal area of about 20 °C 100 ka-1.

The Etruscan site of Populonia-Baratti (Southern Tuscany, Italy) became in the first millennium BCE one of the most important iron metalworking sites in the Mediterranean region thanks to the exploitation of nearby Elba Island iron ores. Recent studies, however, have demonstrated that, before iron, copper was smelted therein (9th–8th century BCE). The ancient Hellenistic text De mirabilibus auscultationibus by Pseudo-Aristotle states that the ancient inhabitants of Elba Island firstly exploited copper and that, later in, iron was won from the same mines by the inhabitants of Populonia. However, copper occurrences are extremely scanty on the island, while mainland southern Tuscany hosts a number of copper-rich deposits which could have been profitably exploited since Eneolithic. In order to investigate if, and to what extent, copper mining and smelting/working was practiced in this area in Final Bronze Age (FBA) to Early Iron Age (EIA), we have thus compared the lead isotope composition of copper slags found in the Populonia-Baratti area and dated to the 9th–8th century BCE with those of copper-rich ore deposits of southern Tuscany and Elba Island. In addition, few copper-based items from to FBA-EIA hoards of Elba Island have been investigated as well. All copper slag from Baratti-Populonia have lead isotope composition fully comprised within the nearby Campiglia Marittima district, but the ophiolitic copper (either form Tuscan mainland or the neighboring island of Elba) was never worked in this site. Differently, all items from the island of Elba do not show clear genetic relationship neither with Elban nor with the Tuscan mainland copper ores but display a “foreign” Pb signature, suggesting that, even before iron exploitation started, the island of Elba - one of the main crossroads of the Mediterranean Sea - was probably involved in metal trading (rather than metal working) with other regions.