Talks by Salvatore Milli
Papers by Salvatore Milli
Sedimentology, 2016
The Late Pleistocene/Holocene Tiber delta succession represents the most recent and one of the be... more The Late Pleistocene/Holocene Tiber delta succession represents the most recent and one of the best preserved, high-frequency/low-rank depositional sequences developed along the Latium continental margin of the Italian peninsula. Several previous studies have established a robust data set from which it has been possible to describe the stratigraphic architecture of the entire Tiber depositional sequence from the landward to seaward sectors and over a distance of 60 km. The Tiber depositional sequence shows many characteristics found in other Late Pleistocene to Holocene deltaic and coastal successions of the Mediterranean area. The stratigraphic architecture of the Tiber depositional sequence is controlled mainly by glacioeustasy, although factors such as tectonic uplift, volcanism and subsidence, exert an influence at a local scale. The resulting depositional model allowed discussion of some important points such as: (1) the genesis of the Tiber mixed bedrock-alluvial valley, extending from the coastal plain to the innermost portion of the shelf, recording (i) multiple episodes of incision during relative sea-level fall, and (ii) a downstream increase of depth and width of the valley during the base-level fall and the subsequent base-level rise; (2) the different physical expression of the Tiber depositional sequence boundary from landward to seaward, and its diachronous and composite character; (3) the maximum depth reached by the Tiber early lowstand delta at the end of the sea-level fall is estimated at ca 90 m below the present sea-level and not at 120 m as suggested by previous works; (4) the backward position of the Tiber late lowstand delta relative to the deposit of early lowstand; (5) the change of the channel pattern and of the stacking pattern of fluvial deposits within the Lowstand Systems Tract, Transgressive Systems Tract and Highstand Systems Tract. All of these features indicate that the Late Pleistocene/ Holocene Tiber delta succession, even if deposited in a short period of time from a geological point of view, represents the result of the close interaction among many autogenic and allogenic factors. However, global eustatic variations and sediment supply under the control of climatic changes can be considered the main factors responsible for the stratigraphic architecture of this sedimentary succession, which has been heavily modified by human activity only in the last 3000 years.
Geologica romana
Many Middle Pleistocene vertebrate assemblages of the Campagna Romana occur in well defined sedim... more Many Middle Pleistocene vertebrate assemblages of the Campagna Romana occur in well defined sedimentary units and are characterised by an abundance of fossil remains which enable us to recognise several faunal complexes. In particular, the faunas occurring in deposits correlated with the OISs 9 and 7 (Aurelia and Vitinia Formations) have been respectively attributed to the Torre in Pietra and Vitinia FUs, being the latter essentially characterised, with respect to the former, by the abundance of Dama dama "tiberina". The stratigraphic reinterpretation of some outcrops in the urban area of Rome (Sedia del Diavolo, Monte delle Gioie), where this taxon occurred, in addition to analysis of new outcrops and new radiometric dating, suggest a revision of the biochronological scheme up to now adopted. Basing on these data and taking into account that the bioevents utilised to define the Vitina FU are predated, this FU may be suppressed. Consequently the Middle-Upper Pleistocene faunal complexes of the Latium coastal area, occurring in the Aurelia and Vitinia Formations or in the fourth order depositional sequences PG6 (OIS 10-8 partim) and PG7 (OIS 8-6 partim) by Milli (1997), must be referred to the Torre in Pietra FU that in its new acceptation is characterised by the first appearance of Canis lupus, Ursus spelaeus, Megaloceros giganteus, Dama dama, by the persistence of Dama clactoniana and by the assemblage of Elephas antiquus, Bos primigenius and cervids.
ABSTRACT A new pollen and plant macrofossil record from Pesce Luna (Fiumicino, Rome) provides the... more ABSTRACT A new pollen and plant macrofossil record from Pesce Luna (Fiumicino, Rome) provides the reconstruction of the vegetation history in the Tiber Delta region between 13,000 and 8400 cal. BP. Marked fluctuations of hydro- and hygrophytes depict a variety of marsh-lagoon conditions reflecting marked changes in water-table level and salinity, determined by the transition from a continental environment with a strong fluvial influence, to a freshwater/brackish environment typical of an inner estuary, followed by a saline outer estuary environment. Both deciduous (mostly Quercus, Corylus, Tilia, Ulmus and Fagus) and evergreen elements (Quercus ilex and Ericaceae) were already present during the Younger Dryas, being possibly enhanced by water availability and the vicinity to the sea that may have favoured long-term persistence of tree populations. Evergreen populations progressively increased during the early Holocene. Despite the strong effect of local environmental processes, a comparison of the Pesce Luna pollen record with other southern European sequences and the GISP2 δ18O record indicates that the vegetation development was also influenced by centennial-scale climate processes acting at global scale. In particular, a mid-Younger Dryas climate reversal can be recognized at Pesce Luna, similar to other Mediterranean sites both in marine and continental environments. This study improves our knowledge on the vulnerability and resilience of coastal-estuarine wetlands to the global warming and sea level rise of the last deglaciation, adding insights into the response of coastal environments to the predicted global climate changes.
Sedimentary Geology, 2013
This paper presents a detailed description of the stratigraphic architecture of the Late Pleistoc... more This paper presents a detailed description of the stratigraphic architecture of the Late Pleistocene/Holocene Tiber delta succession in order to document the passage from wave-dominated estuary to wave-dominated delta in the broader context of Late Quaternary sea level fluctuations. This succession constitutes a sequence-stratigraphic unit known as Tiber Depositional Sequence (TDS), which was deposited during the last glacial-interglacial cycle (last 120 ka). Our study is based on the examination of an enormous amount of data derived from the stratigraphy of about 300 wells, petrographical and paleontological data (foraminifera, ostracoda, pollen, and plant macrofossils), 14 C dating, and from the integration of geomorphological and geoarcheological data. Recently a 100 m deep core (Pesce Luna well) was studied through a multidisciplinary approach and a detailed description of sedimentary facies, foraminifer and ostracod assemblages, pollen and 14 C dating is presented in this paper. The new data allowed to produce three new correlation panels and to describe in more detail, with respect to previous interpretations, the stratigraphic-depositional architecture of the TDS, which internally shows the preservation of sediment deposited during the early and late lowstand, the transgressive and the highstand systems tracts. Alluvial and coastal depositional systems characterize the early lowstand phase of the TDS, which developed during the eustatic sea-level fall between about 120 and 30-26 yr BP. During the late lowstand phase, which is characterized by stillstand and slow eustatic sea-level rise a prograding delta and an aggrading incised-valley fluvial fill developed. The Tiber incised valley was transformed into a wave-dominated estuary during the transgressive phase (TST), whereas a coastal-shelf sedimentation took place during the subsequent highstand phase (HST). This study confirms the lithofacies distribution resulting from transgression and infilling of the wave-dominated estuaries, but also shows how the transition to a wave-dominated delta, prograding at the time of sea-level highstand occurred. Changes in sediment input, climatic variations and, more recently, human activities played a major role in the development of the Tiber delta during the last 20,000 yr BP. In the last 3000 years a relationship between progradational phases of the delta and flood events of the Tiber river has been highlighted, suggesting also the formation and merging of barrier-spits to the mainland.
Tectonophysics
ABSTRACT Fluid migration along faults can be highly complex and spatially variable, with the pote... more ABSTRACT Fluid migration along faults can be highly complex and spatially variable, with the potential for channeled flow, accumulation in capped porous units, fault cross-flow, lateral migration along strike, or complete sealing. Extensional basin margins can be important for such migration, given the associated crustal thinning and decompression that takes place combined with potential geothermal or mantle gas sources. One such example is near the urban area of Rome, situated along the active extensional continental margin of the Tyrrhenian back arc basin and surrounded by Middle-Upper Pleistocene K-rich and arc-related volcanoes. Recent research activities in the area around Fiumicino, a town 25 km to the west of Rome, has highlighted the close spatial link between degassing CO2 and the faults that provide the necessary vertical migration pathways. In particular, detailed soil gas and gas flux surveys have highlighted the release at surface of large volumes of asthenospheric mantle CO2 in correspondence with normal faults observed in a new seismic reflection profile acquired along the Tiber River. Detailed reconstruction of the Pleistocene–Holocene stratigraphy of the area dates fault activity from 20,000 to 9000 years BP. It is proposed that the gas migrates preferentially along the cataclastic tectonic breccias of the faults until it encounters recent, unconsolidated sediments; porous units within this shallow stratigraphy act as temporary secondary traps for the leaking gas, with local gas release at the ground surface occurring where the sealing of the overlying aquitards has been compromised. Degassing and active faults confirm the extensional tectonics affecting the area and the geodynamic scenario of a mantle wedge beneath the western Apennines, associated with ongoing W-directed subduction. Moreover, degassing highlights the potential geochemical and seismic risks for the highly populated urban areas near Rome.
PloS one, 2015
The Ficoncella site in northern Latium (Italy) represents a unique opportunity to investigate the... more The Ficoncella site in northern Latium (Italy) represents a unique opportunity to investigate the modalities of a short occupation in an alluvial setting during the Lower Palaeolithic. The small excavation area yielded a lithic assemblage, a carcass of Palaeoloxodon antiquus, and some other faunal remains. The main objectives of the study are to better characterize the depositional context where the Palaeoloxodon and the lithic assemblage occur, and to evaluate with greater precision the occupation dynamics. A 25 m-long well was drilled just above the top of the terrace of the Ficoncella site and faunal and lithic remains were analyzed with current and innovative techniques. The archaeological site contains floodplain deposits as it is located next to a small incised valley that feeds into a larger valley of the Mignone River. A tephra layer capping the site is 40Ar/39Ar dated to 441± 8 ka. Collectively, the geochronologic, tephrochronologic and geologic data, suggest the site was o...
Periodico di Mineralogia
In this short note we draw attention to a new melilititic dyke rock, related to the Central Italy... more In this short note we draw attention to a new melilititic dyke rock, related to the Central Italy Quaternary volcanism. The dyke outcrops near Cobalto Mountain (Ricetto). The lava shows a quenching texture with prevalent melilite and wollastonite, subordinate leucite, spinel and secondary zeolite set in a brown glassy groundmass In questa breve nota si segnala una lava melilititica affiorante nei Monti Carseolani in provincia di Rieti, riferibile al vulcanismo ultrabasico quaternario dell’Italia Centrale. Si tratta di un dicco lavico di piccole dimensioni a forma di U molto schiacciata, intruso nelle marne ad Orbulina. Il filone ha una struttura fortemente composita di non facile interpretazione, costituita da alternanze convolute di una facies ricca di melilite e wollastonite con vetro di colore marrone e una facies ricca di piccoli cristalli di prevalente quarzo e subordinato pla-gioclasio, immersi in un vetro per lo più incolore. La facies a melilite mostra tipici caratteri da quenching che ricordano le tessiture tipo «spinifex».
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Talks by Salvatore Milli
Papers by Salvatore Milli