137 research outputs found
Microstratigraphic Records as Tools for the Detection of Climatic Changes in Tana di Badalucco Cave (Liguria, NW Italy)
Tana di Badalucco cave is located in Imperia (Liguria, Italy), not far from the French
border. This site is scarcely known and it has never been studied accurately, even though dierent
archaeological excavations have returned really important elements, both in the archaeological and
the paleoenvironmental aspects. Its stratigraphy ranges from Middle Paleolithic to Metal Ages, thus it
has registered important climate and environmental variations specific to the Upper Pleistocene
and Holocene. From 2012, the Soprintendenza Archeologia della Liguria, the Museo di Archeologia
Ligure, and DiSTAV (University of Genova) have been collaborating in order to finally study this
promising and complex stratigraphy, trying to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental context of the
region. In this work, we present what we were able to assess thanks to the use of micromorphology,
the study of undisturbed thin soil sections. This technique has proven useful in recognizing the
alternating of cold and warmer conditions during the Quaternary, as well as in identifying primitive
signs of human and animal occupation
Icno-archeology of a human palaeolithic ecosystem: The human and animal footprints in the Grotta Della Basura (Toirano, Northern Italy)
The footprints of human and animal trackmakers, which around 12,000 years B.P. attended the Cave of B\ue1sura (Toirano, Liguria, Northern Italy), were studied through morpho-classificatory and morphometric approaches. First results indicate at least three different human producers, two youths and the third of tender age, bears and wolves (or dogs). Analysis of the data demonstrate the power of 3D, of landmark based morphometrics and the utility to use the methods of forensic anthropology in the determination of human foot-prints. The analysis of the number of trackmakers using the PCA analysis on 'multi-trampling' surfaces could represent a model in the study of cave sites
Topological origin of the phase transition in a mean-field model
We argue that the phase transition in the mean-field XY model is related to a
particular change in the topology of its configuration space. The nature of
this topological transition can be discussed on the basis of elementary Morse
theory using the potential energy per particle V as a Morse function. The value
of V where such a topological transition occurs equals the thermodynamic value
of V at the phase transition and the number of (Morse) critical points grows
very fast with the number of particles N. Furthermore, as in statistical
mechanics, also in topology the way the thermodynamic limit is taken is
crucial.Comment: REVTeX, 5 pages, with 1 eps figure included. Some changes in the
text. To appear in Physical Review Letter
Topological aspects of geometrical signatures of phase transitions
Certain geometric properties of submanifolds of configuration space are
numerically investigated for classical lattice phi^4 models in one and two
dimensions. Peculiar behaviors of the computed geometric quantities are found
only in the two-dimensional case, when a phase transition is present. The
observed phenomenology strongly supports, though in an indirect way, a recently
proposed topological conjecture about a topology change of the configuration
space submanifolds as counterpart of a phase transition.Comment: REVTEX file, 4 pages, 5 figure
A new procedure for an effective management of geo-hydrological risks across the "Sentiero Verde-Azzurro" trail, Cinque Terre National Park, Liguria (North-Western Italy)
In recent years, Cinque Terre National Park, one of the most famous UNESCO sites in Italy, experienced a significant increase in tourist visits. This unique landscape is the result of the rough morphology of a small coastal basin with a very steep slope and a long-term human impact, mainly represented by anthropic terraces. This setting promotes the activation of numerous geo-hydrological instabilities, primarily related to heavy rainfall events that often affect this area. Currently, the main challenge for the administrators of Cinque Terre National Park is the correct maintenance of this environment along with the functional management of the hiking trail to ensure the safety of tourists. The definition of a methodology for effective management is mandatory for the sustainable administration of this unique site. We implement a new codified procedure based on the combined use of the Operative Monography and the Survey Form, focusing on the "Sentiero Verde-Azzurro" trail, for a proper description of the known landslides affecting the trail and the identification of damage and/or landslides activated by critical meteorological events. This guarantees effective geo-hydrological risk management, which is also applicable to other similar sites in a unique environmental and cultural heritage site such as Cinque Terre Park
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