Morphological, sedimentological and tectonic features of Diamante - M. Carpinoso marine terrace flight (Tyrrhenian coast of Northern Calabria, Italy)

Marine terrace flights resulting from the interaction of Quaternary glacio-eustatic fluctuations and tectonic uplift are a typical feature of the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria in Southern Italy; in particular a terrace flight with four orders of terraces is evident in the Diamante area. The lowest terrace levels (fourth order: Diamante-Cirella terrace) are typified by a calcarenitic deposit with Cladocora caespitosa which give a Th/U age >300 000 yrs. The third order terrace has a sedimentary cover formed of a basal discontinuous level of well rounded pebbles which underlies a deeply weathered coarse-grained sand horizon. The deposit ends with a paleosol locally cut by erosional scours filled by yellowish tuff deposits. The formation of this terrace dates from the Middle Pleistocene. The second order terrace presents a sedimentary cover composed of two generations of soils and is attributed to Middle Pleistocene age. The first order terrace (M. Carpinoso terrace) presents a wave-cut platform covered by a clastic deposit of marine and continental origin; this deposit consists of superimposed depositional events separated by unconformities, bounded by two diachronous surfaces. The formation of the wave-cut platform could be related to several sea level stands during a long-lasting slow susidence phase of the coastal area during the Lower Pleistocene. The uplift following terrace formation displaced the first order terrace most markedly; tectonic lineations controlled the hydrographic pattern and erosion of the surfaces.