Geological Evolution of Coastal and Marine Environments off the Campania Continental Shelf Through Marine Geological Mapping - The Example of the Cilento Promontory

The geological evolution of coastal and marine environments offshore the Cilento Promontory through marine geological mapping is discussed here. The marine geological map n. 502 “Agropoli,” located offshore the Cilento Promontory (southern Italy), is described and put in regional geologic setting. The study area covers water depths ranging between 30 and 200 m isobaths. The geologic map has been constructed in the frame of a research program financed by the National Geological Survey of Italy (CARG Project), finalized to the construction of an up-to-date cartography of the Campania region. Geological and geophysical data on the continental shelf and slope offshore the southern Campania region have been acquired in an area bounded northward by the Gulf of Salerno and southward by the Gulf of Policastro. A high-resolution multibeam bathymetry has permitted the construction of a digital elevation model (DEM). Sidescan sonar profiles have also been collected and interpreted, and their merging with bathymetric data has allowed for the realization of the base for the marine geologic cartography. The calibration of geophysical data has been attempted through sea-bottom samples. The morpho-structures and the seismic sequences overlying the outcrops of acoustic basement reported in the cartographic representation have been studied in detail using single-channel seismics. The interpretation of seismic profiles has been a support for the reconstruction of the stratigraphic and structural setting of the Quaternary continental shelf successions and the outcrops of rocky acoustic basement in correspondence to the Licosa Cape morpho-structural high. These areas result from the seaward prolongation of the stratigraphic and structural units, widely cropping out in the surrounding emerged sector of the Cilento Promontory. The cartographic approach is based on the recognition of laterally coeval depositional systems, interpreted in the frame of system tracts of the Late Quaternary depositional sequence

Buried volcanic structures in the Gulf of Naples (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) resulting from high resolution magnetic survey and seismic profiling

In this paper we present a correlation between volcanic structures and magnetic anomalies in the Gulf of Naples (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) based on high resolution magnetic profiling. A densely spaced grid of magnetic profiles coupled with multichannel seismics (seismic source Watergun 15 cubic inch) was recorded in the Gulf of Naples, representing an active volcanic area during the Late Quaternary (volcanic centers of Somma-Vesuvius, Phlegraean Fields and Ischia and Procida islands). The dataset was collected during the oceanographic cruise GMS00-05 which took place during October-November 2000 in the South Tyrrhenian Sea onboard of the R/V Urania (National Research Council, Italy). Shallow volcanic structures in the subsurface of the gulf were recognized by seismo-stratigraphic analysis of high resolution profiles; the volcanic nature of some of these structures was inferred identifying the magnetic anomalies on a high resolution magnetic anomaly map of the gulf. Even if qualitative, the correlations between seismic and magnetic profiles allow us to better assess the geological structure of the Gulf of Naples

Prospezioni sismiche, geoelettriche ed elettromagnetiche ad alta risoluzione in prossimità della foce del Fiume Volturno

Nell’ambito dell’Obiettivo Realizzativo 2.3 “Sviluppo e allestimento di sensoristica e sistemi innovativi per osservazioni dell’iterazione terra-aria per la qualità dell’aria e degli ecosistemi agro-forestali” del progetto PON I-AMICA (Infrastruttura di Alta tecnologia per il Monitoraggio Integrato Climatico-Ambientale), l’Istituto per l’Ambiente Marino Costiero del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-I.A.M.C.) di Napoli, coordinato dal dott. Vincenzo Di Fiore, ha eseguito delle prospezioni sismiche, geoelettriche ed elettromagnetiche in un’area prospiciente la foce del Fiume Volturno. Tali indagini hanno avuto come obiettivo: La valutazione dell’intrusione nelle falde acquifere di componenti idrosaline provenienti dalla vicina area costiera; Lo studio, con risoluzione metrica, della porzione superficiale (0 - 80 metri di profondità) del sottosuolo al fine di caratterizzare, in termini di spessori e di velocità di propagazione, le serie riflettive che caratterizzano l’area in esame

Application of X-Band Wave Radar for Coastal Dynamic Analysis: Case Test of Bagnara Calabra (South Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

Sea state knowledge has a key role in evaluation of coastal erosion, the assessment of vulnerability and potential in coastal zone utilization, and development of numerical models to predict its evolution. X-band radar measurements were conducted to observe the spatial and temporal variation of the sea-state parameters along a 3 km long sandy-gravelly pocket beaches forming a littoral cell on Bagnara Calabra. We produced a sequence of 1000 images of the sea state extending offshore up to 1 mile. The survey has allowed monitoring the coastline, the directional wave spectra, the sea surface current fields, and the significant wave heights and detecting strong rip currents which cause scours around the open inlets and affect the stability of the submerged reef-type breakwaters. The possibility to validate the data acquired with other datasets (e.g., LaMMA Consortium) demonstrates the potential of the X-band radar technology as a monitoring tool to advance the understanding of the linkages between sea conditions, nearshore sediment dynamics, and coastal change. This work proves the possibility to obtain relevant information (e.g., wave number, period, and direction) for evaluation of local erosion phenomena and of morphological changes in the nearshore and surf zone

Monitoraggio integrato di un'area marino-costiera: la foce del fiume Volturno (Mar Tirreno centrale)

Vengono presentati i risultati dell’attività di monitoraggio svolta nel corso del progetto PONa3_00363 I-AMICA (Infrastruttura di Alta tecnologia per il Monitoraggio Integrato Climatico-Ambientale; www.i-amica.it/i-amica/), nell’ambito delle attività relative all’Obiettivo Realizzativo 4.4 (Processi di interfaccia biosfera-idrosfera e funzionalità degli ecosistemi costieri). L’attività, che ha avuto come scopo l’acquisizione di conoscenze avanzate sulle dinamiche e/o variazioni nel tempo degli ecosistemi marino-costieri in relazione ai processi fisici, chimici e biologici che caratterizzano il loro habitat, si è sviluppata attraverso la sperimentazione di nuove metodologie di monitoraggio in relazione alle specifiche caratteristiche dell’area marino-costiera prospiciente la foce del fiume Volturno (Golfo di Gaeta). In particolare, oltre che sulle tecniche di monitoraggio classiche, lo studio si è principalmente focalizzato sulla acquisizione ed interpretazione di dati ambientali sia in colonna d’acqua che nei sedimenti a fondo mare e sulla identificazione di specie e/o associazioni di specie significative (bio-indicatori) da un punto di vista ambientale ed indicative dello stato di salute del sistema costiero. Poiché il sistema costiero rappresenta una struttura naturale complessa e delicata, la cui evoluzione è il risultato di delicati equilibri fisici, chimici e biologici, fortemente condizionabili dagli interventi antropici, l’attività di monitoraggio è stata integrata da studi sulla variazione della linea di costa, da studi sismostratigrafici della piana deltizia, sedimentologici e morfo-batimetrici dei fondali.Published1-714A. Oceanografia e climaJCR Journa

The stratigraphic setting of continental shelves of southern Italy investigated through seismic stratigraphy: techniques, methodologies and case studies from Campania and Basilicata offshore (southern Tyrrhenian sea)

The stratigraphic setting of continental shelves of Southern Italy is here studied and discussed through seismo-stratigraphic techniques and methodologies, focussing on case histories located in Campania and Basilicata offshore (Southern Tyrrhenian sea, Italy). Seismo-stratigraphic techniques and methodologies are examined, referring, in particular, to the Naples, Agropoli and Maratea areas (Campania and Basilicata regions). In the Campania offshore the stratigraphic architecture of the volcaniclastic basins of the Volturno Basin, Ischia offshore and Naples Bay is shown in detail and interpreted through the concepts of seismic stratigraphy. Regional geological concepts have also been utilized for a better land-sea interpretation of the seismic units filling the observed sedimentary basins. A correlation with land geology of Southern Apennines has been attempted to obtain a better geological comprehension of the interpreted structures. In the Volturno Basin (northern Campania) the trending of the seismic units is controlled by the Massico structural high, bounding the basin towards the north-west and controlling depositional geometries typical of a NE-SW striking fan complex. Deep litho-stratigraphic well data tied to the seismic lines have highlighted the pyroclastic layers and the conglomeratic strata of the lagoon and delta environments, evolving upwards towards marine sediments. Complex strata patterns have been revealed by seismic data in the Quaternary basin filling, overlying the Meso-Cenozoic carbonatic basement and the related flysch deposits. Seismo-stratigraphic evidence on buried volcanic structures and overlying Quaternary marine deposits are here presented to reconstruct the stratigraphic setting of the south-eastern continental shelf of the Ischia island (Naples Bay) and to draw attention to new implications on the marine geophysics and volcanology of the volcanic complex. In the eastern Ischia offshore relic volcanic edifices, representing the remnants of hydro-magmatic volcanic vents, mostly formed by hialoclastites and indicating an emplacement in a subaqueous environment have been investigated through high resolution seismics. The stratigraphic architecture of the Capri Basin and the Salerno Valley, tectonically-controlled and located southwards of the Capri-Sorrento master fault, strongly down throwing the Meso-Cenozoic carbonates cropping out in the Sorrento Peninsula has been studied in detail. The Capri Basin is a deep basin located southwards of the Naples Bay, filled by Pleistocenic-Holocenic sediments overlying Meso-Cenozoic carbonates. The Salerno Valley is a half-graben filled by three seismic units corresponding to Quaternary marine deposits, overlying Miocene siliciclastic chaotic sequences. The stratigraphic setting of the Quaternary marine successions of the Agropoli continental shelf, located offshore the Punta Licosa morpho-structural high, characterized by wide outcrops of rocky acoustic substratum and resulting from the seaward prolongation of the structural-stratigraphic units cropping out onshore in the adjacent emerged sector of the Cilento Promontory has been studied. In conclusion, the example of the continental shelf and slope off the Maratea Valley has been investigated. The relationships between the geological and structural settings on land and the seismic stratigraphy in the surrounding offshore have been examined. The geological framework of the Maratea Valley is connected with the late Pleistocene and Holocene geologic evolution on the shelf and slope, mainly in terms of late Quaternary sea level glacio-eustatic fluctuations

Stratigraphic and structural setting of the Ischia volcanic complex (Naples Bay, Southern Italy) revealed by submarine seismic reflection data

High-resolution seismic reflection profiles(Sparker Multitip) offshore southern Ischia Island (Naples Bay) are presented, together with a geological interpretation of their volcanic, structural and sedimentary features. In this frame, new seismo-stratigraphic evidences on buried volcanic structures and overlying Quaternary deposits of the southeastern offshore of the Ischia Island are discussed to highlight their implications on the marine geophysics and volcanology. The Ischia Bank is a large and flat relic volcanic edifice with steep slopes, merging on the continental shelf. The age of this monogenic volcano is unknown, lacking a direct datation of its basement. It represents the eruptive center of the pyroclastic fall cropping out onshore in the eastern sectors of the island, ranging in age from 8 to 6 ky BP. In the eastern Ischia offshore relic volcanic edifices, mostly formed by hialoclastites, have been investigated through high-resolution seismics. They represent remnants of hydro-magmatic volcanic vents and suggest a subaqueous emplacement. Regional seismic sections in the southeastern Ischia offshore, across buried volcanic structures, are finally presented and discussed

Seismic stratigraphy and marine magnetics of the Naples Bay (Southern Tyrrhenian sea, Italy): the onset of new technologies in marine data acquisition, processing and interpretation

Seismic stratigraphy and marine magnetics in the case histories of the Somma-Vesuvius volcanic complex, Phlegrean Fields offshore and Ischia and Procida islands offshore (Naples Bay, Southern Tyrrhenian sea) are here discussed. Detailed geo-volcanologic setting of these areas is presented to give a better framework of the presented data. Seismo-stratigraphic techniques and methodologies are discussed, focussing, in particular, on the Naples area, where the Quaternary volcanic activity prevented the application of classical stratigraphic concepts, due to the occurrence of interlayered sedimentary sequences and intervening volcanic bodies (volcanites and volcaniclastites). The onset of new technologies in marine data acquisition, processing and interpretation is also discussed taking into account some historical aspects

Stratigraphic and structural styles of half-graben offshore basins in Southern Italy: multichannel seismic and Multibeam morpho-bathymetric evidences on the Salerno Valley (Southern Campania continental margin, Italy)

New results on the seismic stratigraphy and morpho-bathymetry of the Pleistocene sedimentary basin of the Salerno Valley focused on the regional seismic stratigraphy of the Southern Campania passive continental margin (Southern Tyrrhenian sea, Italy) are presented here.Original data include Multibeam bathymetry as well as multichannel and single-channel seismic profiles, recently collected onboard the R/V Urania of the National Research Council of Italy (oceanographic cruise SISTERII). The Salerno Valley represents a half-graben sedimentary basin, whose identification has been controlled, during the Early Pleistocene, by the master fault Capri-Sorrento Peninsula, showing vertical throws of 1500 metres, which downthrows theMeso-Cenozoic carbonatic acoustic basement under the sedimentary basin.The geologic interpretation of multichannel seismic profiles has enabled the identification of amain unconformity, located at depths ranging from 3000 to 3500 metres under the sea bottom and correlated to the top of the Meso-Cenozoic carbonatic sequence,extensively cropping out onshore in the Sorrento Peninsula structural high. This unconformity bounds upwards the carbonatic acoustic basement, strongly deformed by normal faulting, and represents the base of the Pleistocene basin filling, the Salerno Valley. The basin filling, with an overall thickness exceeding 1000metres, is characterised by parallel and continuous seismic reflectors alternating with chaotic intervals, having acoustically-transparent seismic facies. The strong synsedimentary tectonics lasting up to Late Pleistocene times in correspondence to NNW-SSE trending listric normal faults triggered gravity mass instability processes, evident as chaotic acoustic intervals intercalated at various stratigraphic levels in the stratigraphic record shown by the multichannel seismic profiles