BRANCACCIO L., MUNNO R., PAOLILLO G., PETROSINO P., ROLANDI G. & SANTANGELO N.,
Processi di erosione e sedimentazione nei campi carsici: un esempio dai Piani d’Ischia, Monte Terminio, Italia meridionale – Erosional and sedimentary processes in polje: example from the “Piani d’Ischia” polje, Terminio mount, Southern Italy
Pages 95-102
Abstract
The Mt. Terminio karstic area is characterized by the occurcnce of many structural polje within which, during the Quaternary, pyroclastic fall deposits deriving from the Phlegrean-Vesuvio volcanic districr accumulated. The upper part of the succession filling the polje is well exposed on the slopes of a ponor located ill the Piani d’lscbia palje. Such straiigraphic succession allowed us to reconstruct the geomorphological evolution of the area from the end of the Upper Pleistocene until the Holocene. Furthermore, chemical analysis of the pyroclastic fall deposits and [he correlation of these tephra layers with ilie main eruptions of Vesuvio volcanic complex allow us to date the main erosional and depositions! processes occured in the area. At the end of the las[ glaciaiion (17ka) a little lake existed in the area as testified by the presence of a sis meter thick sequence of silts and clays with frequent micro and meso sedimentary structures (parallel and convolute lamination, slumping). A paleosol located on the top of the clayey deposits, which has a “”C age of 10 ka, testifies that the lake filled up at [he beginning of the Holocene. The area then became a little swamp similar to the present one. Starting from that momen[, the morphological evolution of the area has been controlled by karst processes and particularly by the opening of collapse dolines which induced new erosional and depositional processes to take place within the polje.