Abstract
The Scaglia Rossa is a pink limestone composed of 1–20% forams and ∼5% clay in a coccolith matrix that outcrops extensively in the Umbria–Marches Apennines of northern peninsular Italy. It has universally been considered to be a pelagic sedimentary rock deposited during the late Cretaceous to middle Eocene. The Scaglia Rossa has been studied intensively as a record of micropalaeontological1–7, palaeomagnetic8–30, sedimentological31–34, and geochemical33,35–39 events. Recently, Wezel40 reported that the limestones are not of pelagic origin but are entirely turbiditic, and were deposited in the Miocene. He also criticized magnetic polarity stratigraphy investigations done on the Scaglia Rossa, concluding that the polarity is a function of sedimentation rate, not of geomagnetic field polarity. His evidence has cast doubt on previous stratigraphie information from the Scaglia Rossa41 and compels us to respond. Although the observation by Coccioni42 and Wezel40 of the presence of fossils of anomalously young ages in clay seams between the limestone beds is of interest, we show here that the proposed redating of the Scaglia is wrong for several palaeontological, sedimentological and palaeomagnetic reasons.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Renz, O. Eclog. Geol. Helv. 29, 1 (1936).
Luterbacher, H. P. & Premoli Silva, I. Riv. Ital. Paleont. Stratigr. 68, 253 (1962).
Luterbacher, H. P. & Premoli Silva, I. Riv. Ital. Paleont. Stratigr. 70, 67 (1964).
Premoli Silva, I., Paggi, L. & Monechi, S. Mem. Soc. Geol. Ital. 15, 21 (1976).
Premoli Silva, I. Bull. geol. Soc Am. 88, 371 (1977).
Monechi, S. Proc. Cret. Tert. Bound. Events Symp. 11, 164 (1979).
Wonders, A. A. H. Bull. Utrecht. Miropaleont. 24, (1980).
Lowrie, W. & Alvarez, W. Nature 251, 285 (1974).
Premoli Silva, I., Napoleone, G. & Fischer, A. G. Boll. Soc. Geol. Ital. 93, 647 (1974).
Lowrie, W. & Alvarez, W. J. geophys. Res. 80, 1579 (1975).
Channell, J. E. T. & Tarling, D. H. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 25, 177 (1975).
Van den Berg, J., Klootwijk, C. T. & Wonders, A. A. H. Prog. in Geodynamics, Roy. Ned. Acad. Arts & Sci. 165 (1975).
Klootwijk, C. T. & Van den Berg, J. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 25, 263 (1975).
Lowrie, W. & Alvarez, W. Mem. Soc. Geol. Ital. 15, 41 (1976).
Napoleone, G. Mem. Soc. Geol. Ital. 15, 51 (1976).
Larson, R. L. Mem. Soc. Geol. Ital. 15, 61 (1976).
Roggenthen, W. M. Mem. Soc. Geol. Ital. 15, 73 (1976).
Van den Berg, J. Mem. Soc. Geol. Ital. 15, 83 (1976).
Wonders, A. A. H. Mem. Soc. Geol. Ital. 15, 91 (1976).
Channell, J. E. T. Mem. Soc. Geol. Ital. 15, 119 (1976).
Lowrie, W. & Alvarez, W. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 88, 374 (1977).
Roggenthen, W. M. & Napoleone, G. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 88, 378 (1977).
Alvarez, W. et al. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 88, 383 (1977).
Lowrie, W. & Alvarez, W. Geophys J. 51, 561 (1977).
Van den Berg, J., Klootwijk, C. T. & Wonders, A. A. H. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 89, 133 (1978).
Alvarez, W. & Lowrie, W. Geophys. J. 55, 1 (1978).
Channell, J. E. T. et al. Earth planet Sci. Lett. 39, 199 (1978).
Van der Berg, J. Geol. Ultraiectina 20, (1979).
Lowrie, W. et al. Geophys. J. 60, 263 (1980).
Lowrie, W., Channell, J. E. T. & Alvarez, W. J geophys. Res. 85, 3597 (1980).
Gratziu, C. & Schiaffino, L. Atti Soc. tosc. Sci. nat. 74, 502 (1967).
Arthur, M. A. & Fischer, A. G. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 88, 367 (1977).
Arthur, M. A. thesis, Princeton Univ. (1979).
Wonders, A. A. H. & Verbeek, J. W. Proc. K. ned. Akad. Wet. B 82, 171 (1979).
Alvarez, W. et al. EOS 60, 734 (1979).
Alvarez, W. et al. Geol. Soc. Am. Abstr. Prog. 11, 350 (1979).
Vannucci, S. et al. Ateneo Parmense Acta Nat. 15, 261 (1979).
Renard, M. Bull. B.R.G.M. 4, 133 (1979).
Alvarez, L. W. et al. Science 208, 1095 (1980).
Wezel, F. C. Ateneo Parmense Acta Nat. 15, 243 (1979).
Surlyk, F. Nature 285, 187 (1980).
Coccioni, R. Ateneo Parmense Acta Nat. 14, 223 (1978).
Premoli Silva, I. & Luterbacher, H. P. Riv. Ital. Paleontol. 84, 667 (1978).
Centamore, E., Jacobacci, A. & Martelh, G. Boll. Serv. Geol. Ital. 93, 155 (1973).
Guerrera, F. G. Geol. 42, 109 (1977).
Lowrie, W. et al. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. (submitted).
Napoleone, G. et al. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. (submitted).
AGIP Mineraria, Microfacies Italiane (1959).
Crescenti, U. Mem. Soc. Geol. Ital. 8, 155 (1969).
Crescenti, U. et al. Mem. Soc. Geol. Ital. 8, 343 (1969).
Centamore, E. et al. Note Illustr. Foglio 291 Pergola, Serv. Geol. Ital. (1975).
Chiocchini, M. et al. Stud. Geol. Camerti. 2, 7 (1976).
Ganapathy, R. Science 209, 921 (1980).
Smit, J. & Hertogen, J. Nature 285, 198 (1980).
Asaro, F. et al. (in preparation).
Tauxe, L. et al. Geol. Soc. Am. Abstr. Progr. 12, 533 (1980).
Chave, A. D. EOS 61, 944 (1980).
Irving, E. & Major, A. Sedimentology 3, 135 (1964).
Kent, D. V. Nature 246, 32 (1973).
McElhinny, M. W. & Opdyke, N. D. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 84, 3697 (1973).
Barton, C. E., McElhinny, M. W. & Edwards, D. J. Geophys J. 61, 355 (1980).
LaBrecque, J. L., Kent, D. & Cande, S. C. Geology 5, 330 (1977).
Alvarez, W. & Lowrie, W. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. (1981).
Kyte, F. T., Zhou, Z. & Wasson, J. T. Nature 288, 651 (1980).
Lowrie, W. & Alvarez, W. Geology 9, 392 (1981).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Alvarez, W., Lowrie, W. Upper Cretaceous to Eocene pelagic limestones of the Scaglia Rossa are not Miocene turbidites. Nature 294, 246–248 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/294246a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/294246a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
