The Lower to Middle Pleistocene Valle di Manche section (Calabria, Southern Italy): state of the art and current advances

The Valle di Manche (VdM) section represents one of the best-documented on-land marine records of the Early to Middle (E/M) Pleistocene transition available to date. Accordingly, the VdM succession is among the few appropriate candidates to host the GSSP of the Middle Pleistocene (“Ionian”) Stage. In particular, the VdM section uniquely documents the Matuyama–Brunhes magnetic reversal (mid-MIS 19), which is agreed to be the main criterion for defining the chronostratigraphic position of the base of the Middle Pleistocene. The section also yields a wide range of chronological, paleoclimatic and stratigraphic data sets that allow long-distance correlation with both marine and terrestrial reference records. Notably, the stratigraphy across the MIS 19 interglacial is greatly expanded, permitting a precise and detailed investigation of this critical interval. The section is also easy to reach, and fortunately the exposure is destined to persist. Therefore, the section fulfills the essential requirements to host the GSSP for the “Ionian” Stage and Middle Pleistocene Subseries. We suggest that the GSSP be placed at the base of the “Pitagora ash”, a prominent bed that occurs in mid-MIS 19, close to the Matuyama–Brunhes magnetic reversal. Here, we present and discuss scientific information gathered in the past two decades, and give a preliminary account of the work to which we are presently committed, that aims at improving our knowledge on the VdM section.