WP2: Paleoclimatic and Paleoenvironmental reconstruction
Speleothems (e.g. stalagmites and flowstones) are now regarded as excellent paleoclimate archives. The aim of this activity is to perform a detailed study of selected speleothems in order to identify local and regional paleoclimate signals.
Major activity: ·
- New sampling campaign of suitable speleothems in the caves surrounding the study area
- Extensive program of precision speleothems radiometric dating and high-resolution geochemical analyses (δ18O, δ13C, Trace element) to reconstruct a multiproxy detailed palaeoclimate information
All collected speleothems will be inspected for visual and thin section evidence of dissolution, mineral alteration (aragonite-to-calcite diagenesis) and mineral-phase changes (calcite-to-aragonite transitions). Altered material will be avoided. First the upper and lower part of the speleothem will be dated and a 1 mm microsampling and δ18O, δ13C analysis of samples will be performed. Then trace element analysis will be carried out and a more detailed microsampling at 200-μm interval and δ18O, δ13C analysis will be conducted, to deep investigate crucial intervals (e.g. where isotope and/or trace element values show greater variations). Finally further dating will be carried out for a more detailed age model.
The study areas and sites are located along Italian continental margin and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Italian continental margin
The Castiglione Maar
Castiglione crater is an eccentric explosive centre, located on the northern flank of the Colli Albani volcanic complex, about 20 km E of Rome and about 35 km far from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its phreatomagmatic activity is related to the post-caldera volcanic activity of Colli Albani (Di Rita et al, 2013). Geochronologic and chronostratigraphic data pointed out that the crater-forming event occurred around 285 ka BP. Sedimentological and stratigraphical observation indicates that the origin of the lake takes place before 250 ka BP (Marra et al., 2003). A lake developed into the crater, after its eruptive phase, but it was drained during the Renaissance-era (Giordano & the CARG team, 2010)
Lepini-Ausoni-Aurunci karst area
Lepini, Ausoni and Aurunci are three distinct mountain groups belonging to the “Volsci mountain range”, part of the Lazio pre-Apennines. It is a NW-SE oriented mountain range that rises to about 1500 m a.s.l. between the volcanic complex of the Colli Albani to the NW and Roccamonfina to the SE. The mountain structure mainly consists of limestone rocks (limestone, dolomitic limestone, and dolostone) and is characterized by both superficial and underground karst forms such as sinkholes, poljes, canyons and caves. More than 700 cave entrances are known for a total length of tens of kilometers of karst conduits.
Rome Metropolitan area and Colli Albani
The Rome Metropolitan area is located between two quiescent volcanoes, Colli Albani to the SE and Mts. Sabatini to the NW (Marra et al., 2020), whose deposits are separated by the Tiber River. Anomalous diffuse soil CO2 release occurs in some zones on both sides of the river. Rome main gas discharge occurs at Solforata (SW periphery). Colli Albani volcanic complex contains several other zones characterized by a huge discharge of endogenous CO2, the most important of which is Cava dei Selci (Carapezza et al., 2019). Helium isotopic composition indicates that the gas has a magmatic imprint, likely from Colli Albani magma reservoir (Carapezza et al., 2021). CO2 is released both advectively from discrete vents and diffusively from the soil. The gas discharges are located above structural highs of the buried Mesozoic carbonatic basement, revealed by positive gravimetric anomalies, and trending toward NW, SW and SSW (Carapezza et al., 2012).
Tyrrhenian Sea
Marsili basin and Tiber river mouth cores
The Marsili basin is a rectangular bathyal plain located in the southeastern part of Tyrrhenian basin and has in its central part a homonym volcano. It is an oceanic-like backarc basin and is associated to the subduction of the Ionian Slab below the Calabrian Arc. Basin-filling units had been interpreted as turbidites, ash layers, and hemipelagic sediments. Their age is Pliocene through Quaternary. The Holocene interval is intercalated by several tephra layers associated with the volcanic activity of the Campania Plain (Somma-Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ischia Island volcanic areas) and of the Aeolian Arc (Tamburrino et al., 2016).
The investigated zone is part of a well defined physiographic unit, the Tiber delta. The submersed delta is built on the continental platform, about 100 m deep. The river basin comprises a large area of the central Apennines in which carbonate, siliciclastic, and volcanic rocks are present. The modern Tiber River delta evolution covers the last 6000 years, and can be separated into five main evolutionary stages (Bellotti et al., 2000).
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WP2: Paleoclimatic and Paleoenvironmental reconstruction
In the Castiglione volcanic paleo-lake the AMUSED project will carry out two 120 m-long parallel drillings spanning the last ~280 kyr of the lacustrine sedimentary sequence.
A 10 m-long drilling is also planned along the edge of the basin to obtain a representative and as complete as possible stratigraphic succession of the most recent part of the sequence investigated.
The three planned boreholes will be continuous core drilling with undisturbed recovery of the cores inside PVC punches.
The drilling activities of the Castiglione paleolake sediments were successfully completed in the spring of 2021. We thank Count Flavio Cavazza, owner of the land inside the crater, for the courtesy, curiosity and availability shown by granting the permission to carry out preliminary investigations and perforations. We also thank the company GEO L’AQUILA s.r.l. for the excellent work carried out which allowed the complete recovery of the stratigraphic succession object of this study.
After drilling, the cores will be stored in a refrigerated room, before being splitted lengthwise into two halves (working and archive) and documented in detail, including photo acquisition, composition, color, grain size.
To obtain a good correlation of the two parallel cores, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) will be used as a continuous investigation technique that will allow to reconstruct the sampled continental succession in greater detail, thus highlighting any sample losses during drilling and recovery of the cored succession.
In order to reconstuct and characterize the investigated stratigraphic successions several physical, bio-geochemical, and paleontological laboratory analyses will be carried out. In particular, the methodologies and techniques are:
- Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic analyses;
- Micropaleontological analyses;
- Palynological characterization;
- Carbon content (TC/TIC/TOC)
- Isotopic analyses (δ18O, δ13C, δ11B,87Sr/86Sr, 143Nd/144Nd);
- Tephrochronology and tephrostratigraphy
- Radiometric Absolute dating (14C; 40Ar-39Ar; U/Th; 210Pb,137Cs);
An extensive network including italian and foreign universities and research institutes has been created in order to fulfill the aims of the project.
Università degli Studi di Padova
Via G. Gradenigo n.6 - 35131- Padova
Contact person: Luca Capraro
Activity: Palynological analyses of continental cores
Università degli Studi di Venezia
Dorsoduro, 3246, 30123 Venezia VE
Contact person: Patrizia Ferretti
Activity: Measurements of δ18O, δ13C on marine and continental sediment
CNR-ISMAR
Calata Porta di Massa, 80133 Napoli NA
Contact person: Fabrizio Lirer, Donatella Insinga
Activity: Micropaleontology (planktonic foraminifera), Tephrostratigraphy
CNR-IRPI Perugia
Via Madonna Alta 06128 Perugia PG
Contact person: Giulia Margaritelli
Activity: Micropaleontology (planktonic foraminifera)
Università degli Studi di Perugia
Piazza dell'Universita', 1 06123 Perugia
Contact person: Maurizio Petrelli
Activity: Trace elements concentration on volcanic glass
IGG-CNR Pisa
Via G. Moruzzi 1 56124 - Pisa
Contact person: Samuele Agostini, Gianfranco Di Vincenzo, Irene Cornacchia
Activity: 40Ar/39Ar absolute dating on tephra layers, Carbon content TC, TIC and TOC,δ18O, δ13C, records for speleothems, Isotopic δ11B composition on marine sediment cores
CNR, Bologna
Via Piero Gobetti, 101, 40129 Bologna BO
Contact person: Stefano Miserocchi
Activity: XRF-corescan analysis of sediment cores, Radionuclides analysis on marine sediment cores
IGAG-CNR Roma
Area della Ricerca di Roma 1- Strada Provinciale 35d, 9 – 00010, Montelibretti (RM)
Contact person: Ilaria Mazzini
Activity: Micropaleontological characterization of continental cores
Università di Palermo
Via Archirafi, 28, 90123 Palermo PA
Contact person: Antonio Caruso Giovanna Scopelliti
Activity: δ18O and δ13C from foraminifera samples in marine cores
Università La Sapienza Roma
Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale
Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma
Contact person: Prof.ssa Laura Sadori
Activity: Palynological analyses of continental cores
Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale - OGS
Borgo Grotta Gigante 42/C-34010- Sgonico (TS) - Italy
Contact person: Prof.ssa Renata Giulia Lucchi
Attività: paleoenvironmental reconstruction of polar areas
Tellus s.r.l. Spin off/ Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
P.za S.Antonio 4, 56125 Pisa
Activity: Soil characterization, planting
The Godwin Laboratory for Palaeoclimate Research
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
Downing Site
Downing Street
Cambridge. CB2 3EQ
Contact person: Patrizia Ferretti
Activity: δ18O and δ13C of continental cores
Alfred Wegener Institute
Am Alten Hafen 26
27568 Bremerhaven
Contact person: Dr. Gerhard Kuhn
Activity: δ14C dating of marine and continental cores.
Institute of Geology and Mineralogy
University of Cologne
Zülpicher Str. 49a, D-50674 Cologne
Contact person: Dr. Konstantinos Panagiotopoulos
Activity: palynology of continental cores.
Institute of Geology and Mineralogy
University of Cologne
Zülpicher Str. 49a, D-50674 Cologne
Contact person: Bernd Wagner
Activity:high-resolution image and XRF scanning of continental cores.
School of Geography, The University of Melbourne
Parkville 3010 VIC, Australia.
Contact person: Dr. Russell Drysdale
Activity: U/Th, δ18O δ13C and trace elements of speleothems