Ableitung von Bodenchronofunktionen auf Meeresterrassen in Süditalien zur Pedo-Datierung
Final Report Abstract
The project aimed at quantitative analysis of soils on flights of marine terraces in three coastal regions of South Italy and Sicily, namely in the areas Metaponto – Pisticci, Reggio di Calabria and Castelluzzo / San Vito lo Capo (NW Sicily). It focused especially on identifying such quantitative soil parameters which are most closely related to terrace age. Measured soil parameters on terraces of known age were used for establishing soil chronofunctions. Soil data of non-datable terraces were linked to these soil chronofunctions in order to estimate their ages as well. Hence, the project contributed to the chronological reconstruction of the Quaternary morphogenesis of three selected coastal areas in S Italy and Sicily. Using the degree of soil development for estimating terrace ages seemed particularly interesting for the Metaponto area, because the generally assumed stratigraphy of the terraces in this area had recently been questioned by Bentivenga et al. (2004). Combination of new absolute datings and detailed analysis of soils on the marine terraces substantiated the chronology of the Metaponto terraces and falsified the hypothesis of Bentivenga et al. (2004). New ESR datings of mollusk shells in the Reggio area corroborated the chronology of the terraces in this area as well. Parent material and soil development in the Reggio area seem to be comparable to those in the Metaponto area (parent material in both areas consists of gravelly, sandy and marly littoral deposits), suggesting that similar soil chronofunctions may be applied to regions with similar parent material and climate. Due to a limited number of soil profiles in the Reggio area this can only be a preliminary conclusion. Increase in maximum solum thickness and Fed/Fet ratio, and decrease in minimum ratio (Ca+Mg+K+Na)/Al over time could be best described by power functions, resulting in coefficients of determination of R^2 = 0.88 (solum thickness), R^2 = 0.87-0.98 (Fed/Fet), and R^2 = 0.95-0.96 ((Ca+Mg+K+Na)/Al). To our knowledge, the Castelluzzo – San Vito lo Capo soil chronosequence is the first one that has been studied on limestone in a Mediterranean area. Despite great variability in solum thickness within the terraces of this area, it turned out that the most promising approach to use soil development for estimating terrace ages in such a karstic limestone terrain is to map solum thickness in the central part of each terrace and plot the maximum solum thickness against assumed terrace age. Research developed generally according to the original concept without surprises regarding the course of the project. Field work in 2008 included the study areas 1 (Metaponto) and 2 (Reggio), field work in 2009 comprised the study areas 2 (Reggio) and 3 (Castelluzzo), field work in 2010 focused on study areas 1 (Metaponto) and 3 (Castelluzzo). Each field campaign was followed by a phase of laboratory analyses. Since the availability and suitability of exposures differed between the Metaponto and Reggio areas, the distribution of soil profiles was modified with regard to the original plan, in that the project focused rather on the Metaponto than the Reggio area. The number of samples analyzed was higher than originally planned (250 vs. 180) because two diploma theses and four bachelor theses contributed to the project. The number of profiles was somewhat lower than planned (26 vs. 31) because many soils were so deeply developed and differentiated that they required a relatively high number of samples per profile. The main surprise with respect to the results was the cognition that the interplay of soil-forming processes, paleoclimatic changes, and geomorphological processes, especially in the Metaponto area, is more complex than expected. It is evident that soil development was not uniform but underwent a number of glacial-interglacial cycles so that all soils (except for the Holocene ones) are polygenetic. Pollen records from Lago Grande di Monticchio indicate alternations between steppe (stadials) and wooded steppe (interstadials) for the Last Glacial period. Indeed, we discovered – to our knowledge for the first time – correlating buried forest steppe soils in the Reggio area. Moreover, it became obvious that over the studied time span of 730,000 years significant geomorphological processes such as erosion, colluviation, in places also loess accumulation, took place. It is recommended that also the latter processes are clearly addressed in reports of soil chronosequence studies over such long periods of time. Paleoclimatic changes and geomorphological dynamics play such an important role in soil chronosequences over long periods of time that they need to be integrated to greater extent into pedological concepts.
Publications
- (2008). Marine terraces and related soil development near Metaponto, southern Italy. European Geosciences Union, General Assembly in Vienna, Austria, 13-18 April 2008. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 10, EGU2008-A-02618, 2008
Sauer, D., Wagner, S., Brückner, H., Scarciglia, F., Stahr, K.
- (2008). Pedogenesis on two sequences of marine terraces in Southern Italy. Eurosoil Congress 2008
Wagner, S., Sauer, D., Costantini, E.A.C., Brückner H., Stahr, K.
- (2009). Boden- (Chrono-) Sequenzen auf marinen Terrassen – Pedogenese in zwei Küstengebieten von Basilicata und Sizilien, Italien. Berichte der DBG
Wagner, S., Sauer, D., Brückner H., Costantini, E.A.C., Stahr, K.
- (2009). Bodenentwicklung auf Kalksandstein in Nordwestsizilien. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Bodenkundlichen Gesellschaft, September 5-13, Bonn
Al-Sharif, R., Wagner, S., Sauer, D., Brückner, H., Stahr, K.
- (2009). Soil development on Middle to Late Pleistocene marine terraces in southern Italy. International conference “Soil geography - new horizons” in Huatulco (Oaxaca, Mexico) November 16 – 20, 2009
Sauer, D., Wagner, S., Brückner, H., Scarciglia, F., Mastronuzzi, G., Stahr, K.
- (2010). Approaches to quantify progressive soil development with time in Mediterranean climate - I. Use of field criteria and soil development indices. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, 173, 6, 822-842
Sauer, D.
- (2010). Soil development on marine terraces near Metaponto (Gulf of Taranto, southern Italy). Quaternary International 222 (1-2): 48-63
Sauer, D., Wagner, S., Brückner, H., Scarciglia, F., Mastronuzzi, G., Stahr, K.
- (2010). The period from the Last Interglacial to the Last Glacial Maximum (MIS 5 – 2) in different archives of southern Italy. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 12, EGU2010-13023
Sauer, D., Wagner, S., Al-Sharif, R., Brückner, H., Scarciglia, F., Mastronuzzi, G., Stahr, K.
- (2010). Zeitlicher Verlauf der Bodenentwicklung in verschiedenen Klimazonen im Vergleich. Jahrestagung des Deutschen Arbeitskreises für Geomorphologie, 07.-08. Oktober in Schmitten / Frankfurt a.M.
Sauer, D., Schülli-Maurer, I., Wagner, S., Scarciglia, F., Sperstad, R., Sørensen, R., Brückner, H., Schellmann, G., Stahr, K.
- (2011). Bodenentwicklung auf Meeresterrassen am Golf von Tarent in Süditalien. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Bodenkundlichen Gesellschaft in Berlin
Al-Sharif, R., Wagner, S., Sauer, D., Brückner, H., Brak, M., Stahr, K.
- (2011). Pleistocene soil development in Calabria and Basilicata, southern Italy. Landscapes & Soils through time. International Palaeopedology and Soil Geography Conference, July 28 – August 1, 2011, Hohenheim University, Stuttgart, Germany. Conference Proceedings: 132-133.
Al-Sharif, R., Sauer, D., Wagner, S., Brückner, H., Scarciglia, F., Hilgers, A., Heibili, S., Scholten, T., Stahr, K.
- (2011). Soil development in climatically different periods in S Italy. Conference “Co-Evolution of soils and organic substances: Links between soil forming processes and the stabilisation of organic substances”, March 2 – 4, 2011 in Landau/Pfalz (Germany). Conference Guide and Abstracts, p. 14
Sauer, D., Al-Sharif, R., Wagner, S., Scarciglia, F., Brückner, H., Hilgers, A., Heibili, S., Scholten, T., Stahr, K.
- (2012). Soils on a sequence of eleven marine terraces in the Metaponto area, Gulf of Taranto, S Italy. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 14, EGU2012-12849
Sauer, D., Al-Sharif, R., Wagner, S., Scarciglia, F., Brückner, H., Stahr, K.
