The Upper Pleistocene deglaciation on the Apennines (Peninsular Italy)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18172/cig.2696Keywords:
peninsular Italy, Apennines, late Upper Pleistocene deglaciation, glacial phases, tephra layers, proglacial lacustrine sediments.Abstract
The synthesis of the published data and new researches allow to establish a more reliable chronology of the phases of deglaciation that occurred after the Apennine last glacial maximum. The chronological framework was assured by radiocarbon dating and by the presence of four geochemically and chronologically characterized tephra layers and a quartz-rich loess, that were found on different mountain massifs, mainly in Central Italy. After the Campo Imperatore Stade (local LGM) dated 28-27 ka cal BP, a first retreat took place during the Campo Felice Arid Spell, followed by a glaciers advance (Le Capannelle Stade) that started between 26 and 25 ka cal BP. During the readvance the glaciers reached a length about 90% of the local LGM glacier. The readvance was followed by a retreat broken by at least two readvances (Piano Pietranzoni and Lago Pietranzoni readvances) and then by a very fast withdrawal at the beginning of the Fornaca Interstade, dated ca. 22-21 ka cal BP. The Fontari Stade glacier’s advance began ca. 18 ka cal BP and was followed by a retreat broken by at least three small readvances (Fontari 2; Fontari 3; M. Aquila 1). The M. Aquila 1 readvance ended ca. 15-14 ka cal BP. The Venaquaro Interstade, dated 14-13 ka cal BP, was followed by the M. Aquila Stade. This stade was the last Late Pleistocene small glacial expansion and can be correlated to the Younger Dryas. The variations in the atmospheric circulation in the Mediterranean area likely played a role during the first deglaciation phases (between 27-26 and 21-22 ka cal BP). During the period between 19-18 and 12 ka cal BP the glacial fluctuations were linked, very likely, to the climatic impact of the North Atlantic ice rafted debris events. It is possible, therefore, that during the Fornaca Interstade (between 22-21 and 19-18 ka cal BP), there has been such a change in atmospheric circulation and the Central Mediterranean area became more prone to be influenced by the effects of the North Atlantic D/O and IRD events.
Downloads
References
Albert, P.G., Tomlinson, E.L., Lane, C.S., Wulf, S., Smith, V.C., Coltelli, M., Keller, J., Lo Castro, D., Manning, C.J., Müller, W., Menzies, M.A. 2013. Late glacial explosive activity on Mount Etna: Implications for proximal-distal tephra correlation and synchronisation of Mediterranean archives. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 265, 9-26.
Andersen, K.K., Svensson, A., Johnsen, S.J., Rasmussen, S.O., Bigler, M., Röthlisberger, R., Ruth, U., Siggaard-Andersen, M.L., Steffensen, J.P., Dahl-Jensen, D., Vinther, B.M., Clausen, H.B. 2006. The Greenland ice core chronology 2005, 15-42 ka. Part 1: constructing the time scale. Quaternary Science Reviews 25, 3246-3257.
Aufgebauer, A., Panagiotopoulos, K., Wagner, B., Schaebitz, F., Viehberg, F.A., Vogel, H., Zanchetta, G., Sulpizio, R., Leng, M.J., Damaschke, M. 2012. Climate and environmental change in the Balkans over the last 17 ka recorded in sediments from Lake Prespa (Albania/F.Y.R. of Macedonia/Greece). Quaternary International 274, 122-135.
Bond, G., Showers, W., Cheseby, M., Lotti, R., Almasi, B., deMenocal, P., Priore, P., Cullen, H., Hajdas, I., Bonani, G. 1997. A pervasive millennial scale cycle in North Atlantic holocene and glacial climates. Science 278, 1257-1266.
Brauer, A., Mingram, J., Frank, U., Günter, C., Schettler, G., Wulf, S., Zolitschka, B., Negendank, J. 2000. Abrupt environmental oscillations during the Early Weichselian recorded at Lago Grande di Monticchio, southern Italy. Quaternary International 73/74, 79-90.
EPICA Community Members. 2006. One-to-one coupling of glacial climate variability in Greenland and Antarctica. Nature 444, 195-198.
Federici, P. 1979. Una ipotesi di cronologia glaciale würmiana, tardo e post- würmiana nell’Appennino Centrale. Geografia Fisica Dinamica Quaternaria 2, 196-202.
Florineth, D., Schlüchter, C. 2000. Alpine evidence for atmospheric circulation patterns in Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary Research 54, 295-308.
Frezzotti, M., Narcisi, B. 1996. Late Quaternary tephra-derived palaeosols in central Italy’s carbonate Apennine range: stratigraphical and palaeoclimatological implications. Quaternary International 34-36, 147-153.
Giardini, M. 2007. Late Quaternary vegetation history at Stracciacappa (Rome, central Italy). Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 16, 301-316.
Giraudi, C. 2004a. The Apennine Glaciations in Italy. In Ehlers,J., Gibbard, P.L. (eds.), Quaternary Glaciations-Extent and Chronology, Part. I: Europe. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 215-223.
Giraudi, C. 2004b. The Upper Pleistocene to Holocene sediments on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa (Italy). Journal of Quaternary Science 19 (6), 537-545.
Giraudi, C. 2005. Middle to Late Holocene glacial variations, periglacial processes and alluvial sedimentation on the higher Apennine massifs (Italy). Quaternary Research 64, 176-184.
Giraudi, C. 2011. Middle Pleistocene to Holocene glaciations in the Italian Apennines. In J. Ehlers, P.L. Gibbard and P.D. Hughes (eds.), Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and Chronology. A closer look, Developments in Quaternary Science, 15: 211-219, Elsevier.
Giraudi, C. 2012a. The Campo Felice Late Pleistocene Glaciation (Apennines – Central Italy). Journal of Quaternary Science 27 (4), 432-440.
Giraudi, C. 2012b. The Holocene record of environmental changes in the “Stagno di Maccarese” marsh (Tiber River delta – Central Italy). The Holocene 22 (12), 1461-1471.
Giraudi, C., Frezzotti, M. 1997. Late Pleistocene glacial events in the Central Apennine, Italy. Quaternary Research 48 (3), 280-290.
Giraudi, C., Zanchetta, G., Sulpizio, R. 2013. A Late-Pleistocene phase of Saharan dust deposition in the high Apennine mountains (Italy). Alpine and Mediterranean Quaternary 26 (2), 111-122.
Giraudi, C., Bodrato, G., Ricci Lucchi, M., Cipriani, N., Villa, I.M., Giaccio, B., Zuppi, G.M. 2011. Middle and Late Pleistocene Glaciations in the Campo Felice basin (Central Apennines – Italy). Quaternary Research 75, 219-230.
Hughes, P.D., Woodward, J.C. 2008. Timing of glaciation in the Mediterranean mountains during the last cold stage. Journal of Quaternary Science 23, 575-588.
Hughes, P.D., Woodward, J.C., Gibbard, P.L. 2006. Quaternary Glacial History of the Mediterranean Mountains. Progress in Physical Geography 30, 3: 334-364.
Jaurand, E. 1998. Glaciers disparus de l’Apennin: géomorphologie et paléoenvironments glaciaires de l’Italie peninsulaire. Monographie de l’Université de la Sorbonne, Geographie 10, 382 pp.
Lowe, J.J. 1992. Lateglacial and early Holocene lake sediments from the northern Apennines, Italy- pollen stratigraphy and radiocarbon dating. Boreas 21, 193-208.
Magny, M., de Beaulieu, J.L., Drescher-Schneider, R., Vannière, B., Walter-Simonnet, A.V., Millet, L., Bossuet, G., Peyron, O. 2006. Climatic oscillations in central Italy during the Last Glacial-Holocene transition: the record from Lake Accesa. Journal of Quaternary Science 21, 311-320.
Magri, D., Sadori, L. 1999. Late Pleistocene and Holocene pollen stratigraphy at Lago di Vico, central Italy. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 8, 247-260.
Narcisi, B. 2001. Palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic implications of the Late-Quaternary sediment record of Vico volcanic lake (central Italy). Journal of Quaternary Science 16 (3), 245-255.
Nimmergut, A.P., Allen, J.R.M., Jones, V.J., Huntley, B., Battarbee, R.W. 1999. Submillennial environmental fluctuations during marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 2: a comparison analysis of diatom and pollen evidence from Lago Grande di Monticchio, South Italy. Journal of Quaternary Science 14, 111-123.
Ohmura, A., Kasser, P., Funk, M. 1992. Climate at the equilibrium line of glaciers. Journal of Glaciology 38, 130, 397-411.
Palmentola, G., Acquafredda, P., Fiore, S. 1990. A new correlation of the glacial moraine in the Southern Apennines, Italy. Geomorphology 3, 1-8.
Ramrath, A., Nowaczyk, N.R., Negendank, J.F.W. 1999. Sedimentological evidence for environmental changes since 34,000 years from Lago di Mezzano, central Italy. Journal of Paleolimnology 21, 423-435.
Sadori, L., Jahns, S., Peyron, O. 2011. Mid-Holocene vegetation history of the central Mediterranean. The Holocene 21 (1), 117-129.
Schmidt, R., van den Bogaard, C., Merkt, J., Müller, J. 2002. A new lateglacial chronostratigraphic tephra marker fort he south-eastern Alps: The Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) in Längsee (Autria) in the context of a regional biostratigraphy and paleoclimate. Quaternary International 88, 45-56.
Siani, G., Sulpizio, R., Paterne, M., Sbrana, A. 2004. Tephrostratigraphy study for the last 18,000 14C years in a deep-sea sediment sequence for the South Adriatic. Quaternary Science Reviews 23, 2485-2500.
Svensson, A., Andersen, K.K., Bigler, M., Clausen, H.B., Dahl-Jensen, D., Davies, S.M., Johnsen, S.J., Muscheler, R., Rasmussen, S.O., Röthlisberger, R., Steffensen, J.P., Vinther, B.M. 2006. The Greenland ice core chronology 2005, 15-42 ka. Part 2: comparison to other records. Quaternary Science Reviews 25, 3258-3267.
Svensson, A., Andersen, K.K., Bigler, M., Clausen, H.B., Dahl-Jensen, D., Davies, S.M., Johnsen, S.J., Muscheler, R., Parrenin, F., Rasmussen, S.O., Röthlisberger, R., Seierstad, I., Steffensen, J.P., Vinther, B.M. 2008. A 60000 year Greenland stratigraphic ice core chronology. Climate of the Past 4, 47-57.
Watts, W.A., Allen, J.R.M., Huntley, B. 1996. Vegetation history and palaeoclimate of the last glacial period at lago Grande di Monticchio, southern Italy. Quaternary Science Reviews 15, 133-153.
Wulf, S., Kraml, M., Brauer, A., Keller, J., Negendank, J.F.W. 2004. Tephrochronology of the 100 ka lacustrine sediment record of Lago Grande di Monticchio (southern Italy). Quaternary International 122, 7-30.
Zolitschka, B., Negendank, J.F.W. 1996. Sedimentology, dating and palaeoclimatic interpretation of a 0.73 ka record from Lago Grande di Monticchio, southern Italy. Quaternary Science Reviews 15, 101-112.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
The authors retain copyright of articles and authorize Cuadernos de Investigación Geográfica / Geographical Research Letters the first publication. They are free to share and redistribute the article without obtaining permission from the publisher as long as they give appropriate credit to the editor and the journal.
Self-archiving is allowed too. In fact, it is recommendable to deposit a PDF version of the paper in academic and/or institutional repositories.
It is recommended to include the DOI number.
This journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
