Publication Date:
2024-05-09
Description:
This study aims to understand the relationship between the palaeoenvironmental
evolution of the southern margin of the Salpi lagoon (Tavoliere coastal plain, Apulia,
Italy) and the development of settlements on its shores during the last part of the
Holocene (Late Northgrippian to Late Meghalayan) to complement recent
archaeological investigations at the site of pre-Roman Salpia Vetus, Roman Salapia
and Medieval Salpi. Micropalaeontological, palynological, and sedimentological
analyses were conducted on a total of ten drilled cores, revealing local and regional
events. Facies and micropalaeontological analyses show that the lagoon was partially
connected to the sea between 6.2 ka BP and 3.1 ka BP. Between 3.1 ka BP and 2.4 ka
BP, the area was characterised by marshes and swamps with restricted brackish
lagoon conditions and permanent freshwater input. After 2.4 ka BP, the continuous
freshwater influx from the major rivers of the coastal plain determined the progradation
of the floodplain and the closure of the lagoon, with the formation of the two coastal
lakes of Lago Salso (north) and Lago Salpi (south). Pollen data show the expansion of
halophytic herbs under local brackish conditions during the Early Meghalayan and the
continuous spread of dryland herbs consistent with the closure of the basin. The
alluvial plain progradation during the Late Meghalayan allowed the intensive
exploitation of the area and the development of a highly anthropogenic landscape. The
development of the settlements of pre-Roman Salpia Vetus, Roman Salapia, and
Medieval Salpi was mainly determined by the insalubrious condition of the surrounding
marshes, due to the reduction in water depth and oscillations in salinity.
Description:
Published
Description:
37-54
Description:
5A. Ricerche polari e paleoclima
Description:
JCR Journal
Keywords:
Holocene
;
Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction
;
04.04. Geology
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
