In the past decade, the methodologies and techniques of paleoseismological studies have
evolved towards a multidisciplinary approach for the characterization of past earthquakes. Along with traditional geologic and geomorphologic near-fault investigations, off-fault studies of evidence
for past earthquakes, such as soft sediment deformation (e.g. Moretti, 2000; Marco and Agnon, 2005), evidence of liquefaction (e.g. Tuttle et al., 2002; Guarnieri et al., 2009) and tsunami deposits
(Dawson and Stewart, 2007; Pantosti et al., 2008; De Martini et al., 2009) are considered useful tools in the assessment of paleoearthquakes ages, magnitudes, and earthquake recurrence rates. We present the preliminary results of off-fault paleoseismological studies carried out
in south-eastern Sicily, focused to identify evidence of tsunami inundations

Barbano, M. S.

De Martini, P. M.

Gerardi, F.

Pinzi, S.

Pirrotta, C.

Smedile, A.

Earth-prints Repository

waves are responsible of the boulders accumulation. Two waves can be associated to the strongest
storms responsible of the motion of many boulders. Whereas the third one, responsible of the trans-
port of boulders at longer distance from the coastline, is probably a tsunami wave having a longer
period and therefore a lower attenuation. This kind of wave could also remove and displace further
inland boulders that have been previously displaced on the rocky platform by storm waves.
Radiocarbon dating performed on three likely tsunami boulders, having weight of about 15 t and
sited at a distance >40 m from the shoreline, suggests that two of them were probably deposited by
the 1693 tsunami, and one by a tsunami occurred after 650-930 AD. This inundation could be both
an unknown event but also one of the historical tsunamis (1169, 1542, 1693) that affected the Ionian
coast of Sicily. In fact, since the radiocarbon datings are made on Vermetids and Lithophaga shells,
they estimate the age of organism death, but not the moment of the boulder final displacement and
impact. Absolute age dating, such as optical stimulated luminescence, should be necessary to gath-
er a correct imprint of the paleotsunami event.
Acknowledgements. This work was funded by the Italian Dipartimento della Protezione Civile in the frame of
the 2007-2009 agreement with Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia - INGV. We wish to thank P. M.
De Martini, G. Mastronuzzi D. Pantosti, C. Pignatelli and A. Smedile for useful discussion and the students F.
Bombaci and M.C. Marzullo for helping us during the boulder surveys. 
References
Gerardi F., Barbano M.S., De Martini P.M., Pantosti D.; 2008: Discrimination of tsunami sources (earthquake vs. landslide) on the
basis of historical data in eastern Sicily and southern Calabria. Bull. Seism. Soc. Am. 98 (6), 2795–2805.
Mastronuzzi G., Pignatelli C., Sansò P., Selleri G.; 2007: Boulder accumulations produced by the 20th February 1743 tsunami
along the coast of southeastern Salento (Apulia region, Italy). Marine Geology, 242 (1), 191-205.
Noormets R., Crook K.A.W., Felton E.A.; 2004: Sedimentology of rocky shorelines: 3. Hydrodynamics of megaclast emplacement
and transport on a shore platform, Oahu, Hawaii. Sedimentary Geology 172, 41–65.
Nott J.; 2003: Waves, coastal boulder deposits and the importance of the pre-transport setting. Earth and Planetary Science Letters
210, 269– 276.
Pignatelli C., Sansò P., Mastronuzzi G.; 2009: Evaluation of tsunami flooding using geomorphological evidence. Marine Geology,
260, 6–18.
Scheffers A., Scheffers S.; 2007: Tsunami deposits on the coastline of west Crete (Greece). Earth and Planetary Science Letters,
259, 613–624.
Tinti S., Maramai A., Graziani L.; 2007: The Italian Tsunami Catalogue (ITC), Version 2. Available on-line at:
http://www.ingv.it/servizi-e-risorse/BD/catalogo-tsunami/catalogo-degli-tsunami-italiani
IDENTIFICATION OF TSUNAMI DEPOSITS IN SOUTH-EASTERN SICILY: 
EVIDENCE OF THE 365 A.D. CRETE EARTHQUAKE?
M.S. Barbano 1, P.M. De Martini 2, F. Gerardi 1, C. Pirrotta 1, A. Smedile 2, S. Pinzi 2
1 Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, Università di Catania
2 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Roma 
In the past decade, the methodologies and techniques of paleoseismological studies have
evolved towards a multidisciplinary approach for the characterization of past earthquakes. Along
with traditional geologic and geomorphologic near-fault investigations, off-fault studies of evidence
for past earthquakes, such as soft sediment deformation (e.g. Moretti, 2000; Marco and Agnon,
2005), evidence of liquefaction (e.g. Tuttle et al., 2002; Guarnieri et al., 2009) and tsunami deposits
(Dawson and Stewart, 2007; Pantosti et al., 2008; De Martini et al., 2009) are considered useful
tools in the assessment of paleoearthquakes ages, magnitudes, and earthquake recurrence rates. The
outcomes obtained from these type of studies should be also consistently combined with on-fault
results. In particular, among off-fault studies, the research of paleotsunami deposits can play an
important role in areas without clear surface faulting evidence and strong earthquake instrumental-
ly recorded or where the potential seismic sources are located off shore such as Eastern Sicily. In
83
GNGTS 2009 SESSIONE 1.1
84
GNGTS 2009 SESSIONE 1.1
fact, Sicily has been affected
in historical time by large
earthquakes (CPTI Working
group, 2004), among which
the 1693 and 1169 events,
followed by devastating
tsunamis, that have seismic
sources not well identified
yet. Furthermore, both his-
torical data (Tinti et al,
2007) and tsunami model-
ling (Lorito et al., 2008)
show that the Sicilian Ionian
coast can also experience the
effects of tsunamis originat-
ed from distant sources, such
as those belonging to the
Aegean subduction zone
(e.g. the A.D. 365 Crete
earthquake). We present the preliminary results of off-fault paleoseismological studies carried out
in south-eastern Sicily, focused to identify evidence of tsunami inundations. Following a multi-
theme approach, we used the avail-
able historical information to
address geomorphological study of
the coastal landscape. Aerial-pho-
tographs and satellite images inter-
pretation and field surveys allowed
us to select areas likely invaded by
tsunami waves in the past and that
represent trap-site for sedimenta-
tion and preservation of their
deposits.
Pantano Morghella, a lagoon
environment located along the
southeastern Sicilian coast shows
the morphologic condition of
coastal low-land, favourable for
tsunami deposit findings. It is a
area 1.3 km long and 0.8 km wide
Fig.1 – a) Google earth location
of Pantano Morghella; b) picture
of the site.
Fig. 2 – Log representing Pantano
Morghella stratigraphy from 0 cm to -150
cm depth.
(Fig. 1), surrounded by Upper Cretaceous lavas and volcanoclastic deposits, Late Cretaceous lime-
stone calciruditi, calcarenites and Marls (Pliocene). To the east quaternary deposits, beach sands and
fossil dunes (Holocene and Late Pleistocene) separate the Pantano from the sea (Lentini et al., 1986)
forming the intertidal ponds with a little channel from which sea water can rush into. The wet land,
was partially used as salt-pans in the past. In the Pantano Morghella site, we dug 33 cores down to
a maximum depth of 5.80 m, until to 1200 m from the coastline. Test coring campaigns were car-
ried out using hand auger equipment for preliminary stratigraphical reconstruction of the sedimen-
tary sequence and the collection of samples for laboratory analyses. Coring of 100 cm long undis-
turbed samples, within specific pvc tubes, were successively realized thanks to appropriate vibra-
coring device (gasoline powered percussion hammer).
Accurate sedimentological descriptions, collection of samples for paleontological analyses and
isotopic dating have been executed. Magnetic and X-ray analyses were also performed on the undis-
turbed core to observe possible susceptibility variations and peculiar small-scale sedimentary struc-
tures (e.g. sharp contacts, convoluted layers, etc.) not easily detectable trough the standard strati-
graphic analysis. The Pantano Morghella cores reveal a fine stratigraphic sequence mainly com-
posed by clay and silty clay (Fig. 2), interrupt by a yellow bioclastic sandy layer, detected at about
one meter of depth (Fig. 3a). Sedimentological and paleontologic analyses showed that the sandy
samples have different lithic and microfauna composition with respect to the samples collected
above and below in the sedimentary sequence, characterized by an oligothipic lagoonal assemblage
of benthic foraminifera (Haynesina germanica and Ammonia tepida). The sandy samples show an
assemblage made of several reworked foraminifera (both planktonic and benthonic), few littoral and
well preserved benthic foraminifera, marine macro fossil fragments (corals, sea urchins, bryozoa
and molluscs), few lagoonal specimens and also it contain a lithic component made of well-round-
ed yellowish mainly carbonatic clasts, revealing similarity to the local beach sand. Moreover, X-ray
analysis reveals that this out of sequence sandy layer is characterized by a fining upward granulom-
etry and a sharp, possibly erosional, basal contact (Fig. 3b). 
The anomalous sandy layer, interpreted as a tsunami deposit, was mainly detected in most of the
numerous cores dug in the central area of Pantano Morghella. The reconstruction of its distribution
allowed us to delineate the probable inundation area of about 350 m2 and to assess a possible tsuna-
mi flooding until 1.2 km from the coastline (Fig. 4), the deposit thickness decrease with distance
85
GNGTS 2009 SESSIONE 1.1
Fig. 3 – (a) Detail of the MOR-S3 core showing the sandy layer within the silty clay; (b) X-ray film of the core.
from the sea. Radiocarbon dating, performed on three samples collected just above, within and
below the sandy anomalous layer, gave ages close in time, confirming a sudden deposition due to a
high energy event occurred in the interval 270-650 A.D. These preliminary results allow us to ten-
tatively correlate the marine inundation of Pantano Morghella with the 365 A.D. Crete tsunami.
Further analyses are in progress to better define the sand distribution and to better constrain the
age of the probable tsunami deposit. 
Acknowledgements. This work was funded by the Italian Dipartimento della Protezione Civile in the frame of
the 2007-2009 agreement with Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia - INGV. We are indebted with
Dott. L. Bellucci, from ISMAR-CNR-Geologia Marina, Bologna, for the help provided for the susceptibility
and X-ray analyses. 
References
Dawson A. G., Stewart I.; 2007: Tsunami deposits in the geological record. Sedimentary Geology 200 (3-4), pp.166–183.
De Martini P.M., Barbano M.S., Smedile A., Gerardi F., Pantosti D., Del Carlo P., Pirrotta C.; 2009: A 4000 yrs long record of
tsunami deposits along the coast of the Augusta Bay (eastern Sicily, Italy): paleoseismological implications. Marine Geology
(submitted).
Guarnieri P., Pirrotta C., Barbano M.S., De Martini P.M., Gerardi F., Pantosti D., Smedile A.; 2009: Paleoseismic investigation of
historical liquefactions along the Ionian coast of Sicily. Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 13, pp. 68–79. 
Lentini F., Carbone S., Cugno G., Grasso M., Scamarda G., Sciuto F., Montanari L., Romeo M., Ferrara V., 1986. Geological map
of the north-eastern Hyblean sector. Ed. S.E.L.C.A. Map scale 1:50.000, Firenze (in Italian).
Lorito, S., Tiberti, M.M., Basili, R., Piatanesi, A., Valensise, G.; 2008: Earthquake-generated tsunamis in the Mediterranean Sea:
Scenarios of potential threats to Southern Italy. J. Geophys. Res. 113, B01301, doi:10.1029/2007JB004943.
Marco S., Agnon, A.; 2005: High-resolution stratigraphy reveals repeated earthquake faulting revealed by high resolution
stratigraphy. Tectonophysics 408, 101–112. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2005.05.036.
Moretti M.; 2000: Soft-sediment deformation structures interpreted as seismites in middle-late Pleistocene aeolian deposits
(Apulian foreland, southern Italy). Sedimentary Geology, 135, pp. 167–179.
Pantosti D., Barbano M.S., De Martini P.M., Smedile A.; 2008: Geological Evidence of Paleotsunamis at Torre degli Inglesi (NE
Sicily). Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L05311, doi:10.1029/2007GL032935.
Tinti, S., Maramai, A., Graziani, L.; 2007: The Italian Tsunami Catalogue (ITC), Version 2. Available on-line at:
http://www.ingv.it/servizi-e-risorse/BD/catalogo-tsunami/catalogo-degli-tsunami-italiani
Tuttle M. P., Dyer-Williams K., Barstow N. L.; 2002: Paleoliquefaction study of the Clarendon–Linden fault system, western New
York State. Tectonophysics, 353, pp. 263– 286.
86
GNGTS 2009 SESSIONE 1.1
Fig. 4 – Location of the Morghella cores. The black line delimits the area where the sandy layer has been found.
 


Identification of tsunami deposits in south-eastern Sicily: evidence for the 365 A.D. Crete earthquake?

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Identification of tsunami deposits in south-eastern Sicily: evidence for the 365 A.D. Crete earthquake?

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