Soil chronosequences on Quaternary marine terraces along the northwestern coast of Calabria (Southern Italy)

Soil development over millennial timescales - a comparison of soil chronosequences of different climates and lithologies

“…Mediterranean soil formation that had been interrupted during glacial periods continued, characterised by carbonate leaching, clay migration, and rubification. These conclusions are in agreement with Scarciglia et al [13] who studied chronosequences of typical Mediterranean soils on Early to Late Pleistocene marine terraces along the northwestern coast of Calabria (southern Italy). A combination of chemical, mineralogical and micromorphological analyses revealed that soil-forming processes in those soils did apparently not proceed continuously but polycyclically.…”

“…Important studies were done by Alonso et al [11] and Dorronsoro and Alonso [12] on soils on Holocene to Pleistocene fluvial terraces in Spain, and by Scarciglia et al [13] on soils on Quaternary marine terraces in Calabria (southern Italy).…”

“…Hotchkiss et al [13], for example, discuss the impact of Pleistocene environmental changes on soil and ecosystem development in Hawaii. In such long soil chronosequences, the factor climate per se cannot be kept constant over time, as demanded in the original definition of soil chronosequences, specifying soil chronosequences as sequences of soils of different age that are supposed to have developed under similar conditions with regard to climate, vegetation and other living organisms, relief and parent material (see introduction).…”

New morphostratigraphic and chronological constraints for the Quaternary paleosurfaces of the Molise Apennine (southern Italy)

“…This is also indicated in the upper horizons by vertic features, moderate clay translocation, the latter being typical of Quaternary interglacials or mild interstadials within glacial periods in mid-latitude areas (e.g. Catt 1989; Kemp et al 2004;Scarciglia et al 2006), and secondary CaCO 3 precipitation. The modest extent of clay illuviation, the occurrence of carbonate concretion and the complete lack of rubification better support drier (and possibly colder) conditions of glacial phases rather than interglacials.…”

Late Pleistocene relic Ultisols and Alfisols in an alluvial fan complex in coastal Tuscany

“…Filocamo et al (2009) interpreted the second lowest marine terrace of Southern Calabria as being of MIS 7 or older age. On this terrace, Scarciglia et al (2006) describe strongly weathered Alfisols, classified as such due to resupply of exchangeable bases from overlying recent sediments. Sauer et al (2010) describe Ultisol-like soils on terraces along the Ionian coast of Lucania.…”