An increasing number of studies have documented the occurrence of sandy contourites in modern systems. However, knowledge on their characteristics and links with oceanographic processes remains limited. In particular, the pattern of bottom current circulation on the Pelagian Platform (central Mediterranean Sea) and its driving mechanisms are poorly understood. To address these gaps, we analyse newly acquired very high-resolution geophysical and sedimentological data from offshore the Maltese Islands, which allow us to identify small-scale, sandy contourite drifts (named EM1-5), located in shallow water (depths between 50 and similar to 100 m). Using a dense grid of high-resolution seismic profiles, multibeam bathymetry, and sedimentological analyses, we detail the internal and external geometry, morphology, and sedimentology of the deposits. Drifts EM1a, EM1b, EM1c, EM2, EM3, and EM5 appear as small elongated mounded deposits (separated and plastered drifts) cropping on the shelf seafloor, while EM4 is a buried mounded deposit located in the southern part of the study area. The spatial distribution of the studied drifts suggests that their formation is driven by a mesoscale anticyclonic gyre, tentatively ascribed to the Malta-Sicily Gyre, with currents enhanced by topographic interactions. Stratigraphic evidence suggests that this oceanographic dynamic has played a significant role in shaping the Maltese insular shelf since at least the Holocene, highlighting the potential of the Pelagian Platform to form carbonate sandy contourites. These findings advance the understanding of shallow-water (shelf-channelized) contourite systems and offer valuable insights to refine sedimentation models for carbonate-rich contourite deposits in temperate settings.

Here, we report the discovery of silica- and sulfur-enriched deposits forming on the seafloor off Zannone Island (western Mediterranean Sea), where hydrothermal activity is ongoing. Our multidisciplinary investigation reveals that these deposits form through the interplay between hydrothermal processes and microbial activity. The deposits result from a dynamic equilibrium involving microbial mediation, sedimentation, and episodic lithification, driven primarily by two mineralization pathways: silica and sulfur precipitation. This study provides new insights into the bio-sedimentary processes shaping authigenic crusts in shallow submarine hydrothermal settings, contributing to a broader understanding of mineralization in marine environments influenced by both geological and biological factors.

The re-analysis of high-resolution seismic profiles collected along the narrow (2-9 km) shelf facing -90 km of the Calabro-Tyrrhenian coastline has enabled the reconstruction of its sequence-stratigraphic architecture, along with the quantification of sediment volumes accommodated during the last post-glacial sea level rise and highstand. The shelf volumes are compared with the gross volumes supplied by the short and steep rivers draining the uplifted hinterland area, obtained from morphometric analysis and inferred denudation rates (derived from uplift rates) of the drainage basins. The study area is divided in two main sectors based on the different morpho-stratigraphic setting and fluvial network controlling sediment distribution on the shelf. The Coastal Range sector is characterized by closely spaced mountainous rivers and narrow coastal plains; on the shelf, the post-LGM deposits show a main depocenter (up to 60 m thick) elongated -27 km parallel to the coastline. This shelf sector hosts up to 80% of the sediment sourced from rivers, with a small percentage of sediment loss, mainly related to off-shelf export along a network of shelf-indenting submarine canyons. Sediment deficit due to river aggradation is considered negligible based on the narrow and V-shaped thalwegs typical of the rivers in this sector. The Santa Eufemia sector is characterized by larger rivers and a wider coastal plain, with a major depocenter (up to 50 m thick) confined off the Amato River. In this sector, the entire post-LGM sequence accounts only for about 30% of the sediment supplied by rivers (60% considering only the HST), indicating that, in addition to sediment exported off-shelf, a significant part is trapped by river aggradation within the coastal plain. The volumetric comparison has also evidenced local but significant discrepancies in sedimentary budget between adjacent sub-sectors, likely related to the effect of northward-directed shelf currents on sediment distribution along the shelf.

We present maps of geohazard features identified across north-western Sicily and Pantelleria in the framework of the Magic project (MArine Geohazard along Italian Coasts), which involved Italian marine geological researchers in 2007-2013. These seafloor features were recognized using high-resolution bathymetry data and rely on the morphological expression of the seafloor and shallow sub-surface processes. The north-western Sicily is a complex continental margin, affected by morphodynamic, depositional, and tectonic processes. The Egadi offshore is controlled by fault escarpments and alternating retreating and progradational processes. Ustica and Pantelleria submerged edifices show the effect of volcanic activity. The Ustica seafloor is interested in volcanic, tectonic, and gravitational instability processes, while the Pantelleria offshore underwent erosive-depositional processes and the effect of bottom currents. Two levels of interpretation are represented: the physiographic domain at a scale of 1:250.000 and the morphological units and morpho-bathymetric elements at a 1:100.000 scale.

In this paper, we describe the geohazard-related elements of the Eastern Tyrrhenian Sea continental margin, situated between the 40 degrees and 41 degrees North latitude. These features were recognised principally through morphological analysis. The investigation utilized medium - and high-resolution digital models of the submarine landscape, produced within the framework of the Magic project (Marine Geohazard along Italian Coasts), and primarily focusing on the bathymetric range of 50-700 meters. The surveyed area encompasses a recently formed continental margin, which connects the internal segments of the Apennine fold-and-thrust belt, verging NE, to the Tyrrhenian Sea bathyal plain, a 3000-m-deep back-arc basin that has developed since the Middle-Late Miocene. Several classes of hazard-related elements have been identified offshore, primarily associated with high-gradient slopes and a large number of volcanic edifices and banks. These include canyon systems, erosive scarps, landslide complexes, fault - and volcanic-related features, such as the products of the volcanic edifices instability, which claim to varying degrees of geo-hazard. Additionally, bedforms, fluid seepages and creeping phenomena in the prodelta slopes suggest high morpho-tectonic and environmental dynamics.HighlightsThis article reports on the thematic maps developed along the Lazio - Campania offshore (Central-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) within the framework of the Magic Project, based on geomorphological analysis of the HR Digital Elevation Model of the seafloor.Several classes of hazard-related elements have been identified offshore, mainly associated with high-gradient slopes, volcanic activity and intense morphodynamic processes.The entire suite of maps created in the context of the Magic Project serves as a valuable base of knowledge, extending to the national scale and benchmarks for future monitoring of critical sites and geo-hazard-related features, as well as for maritime spatial planning actions.

The La Gomera-Tenerife Channel is a narrow passage between La Gomera and Tenerife Islands, i.e., two volcanic edifices of the Canary Archipelago (Atlantic Ocean). A geophysical study was conducted to identify the main geomorphic processes affecting the seabed and their interplay. In particular, submetric resolution bathymetric and side scan sonar backscatter data were collected in the southern sector of the Channel, down to 1200 m water depth. Their integrated analysis revealed a complex seabed morphology and a variety of morpho-sedimentary features, resulting from three main geomorphic processes: submarine volcanic activity, mass wasting (e.g., turbidity currents, small landslides and exotic blocks emplaced by a massive landslide event), and bottom currents activity. Bottom currents strongly reshaped the seabed into bedforms, confined drifts, and moats. Although the flanks of volcanic islands are typically dominated by mass wasting and volcanic features, our results indicate that bottom current activity can be predominant in confined settings and around topographic features due to modification of flow patterns and enhancement of current flows. This study is the first to document volcanic, mass wasting and bottom current features within the La GomeraTenerife Channel. Furthermore, it provides insights on: i) morpho-sedimentary reconstructions of narrow passages between volcanic islands; ii) interplay among different geomorphic processes; iii) oceanographic reconstructions. The variety of geomorphic processes shaping the La Gomera-Tenerife Channel makes this area significant for high-resolution studies. Moreover, it provides new insights on poorly known processes, such as: the interaction of bottom currents with complex topography and bottom current morpho-dynamic in curved moats.

This paper accompanies the Maps of Geohazard features of the Cilento and the Calabro-Tyrrhenian continental margin in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy). The main geohazard-related features were derived from extensive seafloor mapping through the collection of high-resolution multibeam data acquired during several oceanographic cruises. They encompass many fluids seepage features, fault scarps, landslides scars, gullies, channels, and canyons. Hazards related to coastal landslides and shelf-indenting canyons are very high in these sectors (especially in southern Calabria) due to active seismicity coupled with rapid uplift, high sedimentation rates and narrow or totally absent continental shelf, thus promoting a direct connection between steep slopes and coastal areas. In this setting, mass-wasting features can directly impact coastal or submarine infrastructures or indirectly create local tsunami waves, as observed in historical times. Moreover, this physiographic setting of the margin facilitates the transfer of marine litter toward deep-sea areas.

The MaGIC project (Marine Geohazard along the Italian Coasts) had the aim of mapping the geohazard in the Italian seas and resulted in the production of numerous maps covering parts of the Italian Seas. In this paper, we present the maps: 'The submerged portions of the Aeolian volcanic islands and the north-eastern Sicilian margin', located in the south-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea. Both areas are affected by active geological processes, which represent important geohazards elements. Inthe submarine parts of the Stromboli volcanoremobilization of volcaniclastic deposits occur along the Sciara del Fuoco, where small-scale instabilities may represent a source of geohazard. Hydrothermal activity occurs on Enarete and Enaretino conical seamounts. The north-eastern Sicilian margin has a narrow continental shelf. Numerous canyon heads indent the shelf and, sometimes, reach close to the coast. Canyons have often a retrogradational trend and further eventual landward shift through sliding can iendangeri coastal or offshore infrastructures. Many of the canyons connect with leveed channels with widespread sediment instability. In the Gioia Basin, some of the channels connect to form the Stromboli slope Valley. Volcanic unrest or local and regional earthquakes are proven to have caused submarine landslides and tsunamis.

High-resolution multibeam data integrated with seismic reflection profiles are used to identify and characterize the main primary volcanic and erosive-depositional features along the submarine part (about the 80%) of the active Pantelleria volcano located in the Sicily Channel. Volcanic features include lava flows, cones and elongated ridges. Lava flows are mainly recognized over the insular shelf, while volcanic cones and ridges are mostly concentrated along the steep submarine flanks, especially along the wider SE and NW ones. A strong volcano-tectonic interaction is envisaged for their formation, as indicated by their preferential elongation or alignment along the (main) SE-NW and (secondary) SW-NE directions that have controlled the evolution of the whole volcanic edifice. Erosive-depositional features mainly include small-scale landslide scars and narrow gullies affecting the edge of the insular shelf and overlying submarine depositional terraces. Gullies sometimes merge downslope in larger channels, whose formation is primarily controlled by the distribution of volcanic features and/or shelf sectors characterized by different age or lithologies. Based on the marked morphological differences between the different flanks of the Pantelleria volcano, we infer an overall migration of the volcanic activity from SE to NW over time. This migration is apparently in contrast with the presence of a much wider but shallower NW insular shelf with respect to the SE one. This anomaly can be explained through a two-stage model, with the formation, in the NW sector, of a polygenic shelf rejuvenated by volcanic progradation during the last eustatic hemicycle. The different depths of the insular shelf edge around the island also provide insights on vertical deformations that affected the Pantelleria volcano during the Late-Quaternary.

The integrated interpretation of high-resolution multibeam bathymetry, seismic profiles and backscatter data in the S. Eufemia Gulf (SEG; Calabro-Tyrrhenian continental margin, south-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea) documents the relationship between postglacial fault activity and morpho-sedimentary processes. Three systems of active normal faults that affect the seafloor or the shallow subsurface, have been identified: 1) the S. Eufemia fault system located on the continental shelf with fault planes mainly oriented N26E-N40E; 2) the offshore fault system that lies on the continental slope off Capo Suvero with fault planes mainly oriented N28E-N60E; 3) the Angitola Canyon fault system located on the seafloor adjacent to the canyon having fault planes oriented N60EN85E. The faults produce a belt of linear escarpments with vertical displacement varying from a few decimeters to about 12 m. One of the most prominent active structures is the fault F1 with the highest fault length (about 9.5 km). Two main segments of this fault are identified: a segment characterised by seafloor deformation with metric slip affecting Holocene deposits; a segment characterised by folding of the seafloor. A combined tectonostratigraphic model of an extensional fault propagation fold is proposed here to explain such different deformation.In addition to the seabed escarpments produced by fault deformation, in the SEG, a strong control of fault activity on recent sedimentary processes is clearly observed. For example, canyons and channels frequently change their course in response to their interaction with main tectonic structures. Moreover, the upper branch of the Angitola Canyon shows straight flanks determined by fault scarps. Tectonics also determined different sediment accumulation rates and types of sedimentation (e.g., the accumulation of hanging wall turbidite deposits and the development of contourite deposits around the Maida Ridge). Furthermore, the distribution of landslides is often connected to main fault scarps and fluids are locally confined in the hanging wall side of faults and can escape at the seabed, generating pockmarks aligned along their footwall.

The Pacific, Antarctic, and Macquarie lithospheric plates diverge from the Macquarie Triple Junction (MTJ) in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, south of Macquarie Island. Morphobathymetric, magnetic, and gravity data have been used to understand the evolution of the three accretionary/transform boundaries that meet at the MTJ. Plate velocities, estimated near the MTJ and averaged over the past 3 m.y., indicate an unstable ridge–fault–fault triple junction. The long life (>6 m.y.) of this configuration can be attributed to a rapid increase in spreading asymmetry along the Southeast Indian Ridge segment as it approaches the MTJ, and to transtension along the southernmost strand of the Macquarie–Pacific transform boundary. A major change in plate motion triggered the development of the Macquarie plate at ca. 6 Ma and makes clear the recent evolution of the MTJ, including (1) shortening of the Southeast Indian Ridge segment; (2) formation of the westernmost Pacific-Antarctic Ridge, which increased its length over time; and (3) lengthening of the two transform boundaries converging in the MTJ. The clockwise change of the Pacific-Antarctic motion (ca. 12–10 Ma) led to complex geodynamic evolution of the plate boundary to the east of the triple junction, with fragmentation of the long-offset Emerald transform fault and its replacement over a short time interval (1–2 m.y.) with closely spaced, highly variable transform offsets that were joined by short ridge segments with time-varying asymmetries in the spreading rates.

By combining real-field observations and theoretical predictions, we describe role and relationships among north-propagating internal solitary waves (ISWs) generated by tidal currents in the Messina Strait (Mediterranean Sea), buoyancy deformation, sediment resuspension, and mixing effects. In particular, our results show that the presence of ISWs traveling along the Gioia Basin (north of the Strait) is not strictly related to seasonality. During winter, when the remote observation of ISWs from satellite is particularly rare due to the weak water column stratification, we observe elevation-type ISWs from hydrographic data. This finding reveals a different scenario with respect to the summer one, when the high stratified water column gives rise to depression-type north-propagating ISWs and the subsequent sea surface manifestations, detectable from satellite imagery. Moreover, our beam transmission observations and theoretical predictions of the induced near-bottom horizontal velocity suggest that these elevation-type ISWs induce sediment resuspension over the seafloor, as well as mixing effects as they break on the frontal slope nearby Capo Vaticano.

Abstract The Messina Strait is a c. 3–8 km-wide and 40 km-long extensional area that connects the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Ionian Sea (Mediterranean Sea), and where tectonics, oceanographic and erosive-depositional downslope processes strongly interact with each other. Based on the analysis of high-resolution multibeam data, we present an updated morphosedimentary framework that reveals a complex seabed morphology, characterized by a variety of features linked to bottom currents and downslope processes. In particular, we recognize a suite of large- to medium-scale erosive and depositional features, related to different bottom currents (e.g. reverse tidal flows, residual flows, internal waves) acting over diverse time periods. Large-scale bottom-current features are represented by contourite drifts and channels developed over long periods (more than thousands of years). Medium-scale features formed during shorter time periods, and include scours, furrows, transverse ridges (pinnacles) and narrow longitudinal bodies in the sill sector, along with several sand-wave fields, located at greater depths on the Ionian and Tyrrhenian sides of the Messina Strait. Downslope processes encompass channelized features originated by sedimentary gravity flows, coarse-grained aprons and fans, and submarine landslides. They mostly occur along the margins of the strait and become predominant in the southern exit where the axial Messina canyon and its tributaries are present. Overall, our study shows that the Messina Strait is a fruitful area in which to investigate the interaction between recent erosive-depositional sedimentary and oceanographic processes, also modulated by sea-level fluctuations, during the last eustatic cycle. Moreover, the observed seabed morphologies and the associated processes provide insights into interpreting similar features in modern and ancient similar straits and seaways.

The Gioia-Mesima Canyon-Channel System (GMS) incises the northern part of the Gioia Basin, a post-Tortonian intra-slope basin located along the south-eastern Tyrrhenian margin. Integration of multibeam, side scan sonar and seismic reflection data allowed to reconstruct the morpho-stratigraphic evolution of the GMS and the main factors controlling its development and maintenance. The GMS drains the entire continental margin and displays a complex morphology consisting in two main courses: the Gioia-Petrace Canyon and the Mesima CanyonChannel. These courses run parallel to each other, changing from narrow straight to meandering geometry until they merge into a single, relatively straight lower reach, which debouches in the Stromboli Valley. Seismic reflection profiles and morphometric analysis highlight a strong tectonic control on GMS location and morphology throughout its course. At large scale, tectonic structures cross cutting the GMS caused both the formation of a mini-basin in the upper slope and a larger confined sub-basin downslope. These features promote abrupt changes in slope gradients that in turn are reflected on the plan-view morphology and stratigraphic architecture (seismic facies and sediment depocenters) of the GMS. Particularly, the progressive infilling of the confined sub-basin caused changes in the GMS base level, determining a polyphased evolution of the system encompassing repeated erosional and depositional events. The complete infill of the sub-basin promoted a bypass of turbiditic flows in the lower slope, leading to the development of the lower reach of the GMS and its connection with the Stromboli Valley. This connection favoured a base level lowering of the GMS, causing its rejuvenation by retrogressive upslope erosion. This stage was recorded only in the shelf-indenting Gioia Canyon, characterized by a narrow and entrenched course, with irregular longitudinal profile and multiple knickpoints. Based on these results, we propose an evolutionary architectural model of the GMS to point out how erosional and depositional processes of channel/canyon system in a tectonically controlled margin can rapidly change in space and time in relation to multiple factors.

This article offers an overview of the main sedimentary systems defining the geomorphology of deep sea environments from low to high latitudes. Mass-transport deposits, turbidite systems, contourites, volcaniclastic aprons, glacial trough mouth systems, carbonate mounds and other bathyal systems, such as pelagites, hemipelagites, mid-ocean channels and polymetallic mineral deposits, are presented with special attention to their morphology, sediments, processes and controlling factors. The integration of the main systems on the continental margins and adjacent abyssal plains in the North Atlantic and westernmost Mediterranean allows to characterize different sedimentation models.

Rhodoliths (nodular calcareous red algae) are considered one of the most important bioengineers in the Mediterranean Sea, making rhodolith beds ecologically relevant ecosystems. On the insular shelf surrounding the western Pontine Archipelago (depth from 43 to 112 m), rhodolith beds were identified through the analysis of an extensive dataset of grab samples and videos to ground-truth the backscatter acoustic facies. Six acoustic facies (low backscatter, dishomogeneous low-backscatter, dishomogeneous high-backscatter, high-backscatter, rocks and high backscatter, and rocks and medium backscatter) were recognized. We studied how rhodoliths characteristics (density, morphotype, size and structure) differently influence the backscatter signature. At the western Pontine Archipelago, rhodolith beds are mainly represented by facies dishomogeneous high backscatter, high backscatter, high backscatter with rocks, and medium backscatter with rocks. The obtained results increase both the knowledge on the heterogeneous structure of such ecologically relevant benthic habitat and highlight the use of distinctive acoustic facies for their identification. Finally, the used approach could be considered a useful method for indirect detection and mapping of rhodolith beds.

The upper continental slope offshore Capo Vaticano (southern Tyrrhenian Sea) is characterized by a contourite depositional system with well-developed elongated sediment drifts. This system is related to a northward paleo-bottom current, similar to the present-day modified-Levantine Intermediate Water (modified-LIW) flowing from the Messina Strait. In this work, we show results from an integrated analysis of descriptive oceanography, high-resolution seismic profiles and core data (i.e., grain size, foraminiferal assemblages, tephrostratigraphy and AMS radiocarbon dating) collected from the crest and moat sectors of drift deposits. The studied succession formed since the mid Holocene, under the action of the modified-LIW and the stratigraphic architecture indicates an upslope migration of the moat and rather stable position of the crest sector. Grain-size features recorded from two sediment cores indicate the occurrence of a succession of complete bi-gradational sand-rich contourite sequences. Sandy facies were observed both as lag deposits formed in active moat channel and as coarser intervals of bi-gradational sequences forming drift deposits close to its crest. Their occurrence would highlight that upper slope environments impacted by intermediate water masses and proximal to sandy sources may represent favorable settings for accumulation of sandy sediment. The moat sector is characterized by a more complex stratigraphic record, where either moat sedimentation or lateral deposition of finer sediment occur, suggesting that further investigation is required to better understand this complex element of contourite systems. Based on available age information, some of the bi-gradational sequences probably formed during the Dark Age Cold Period, providing example of a small-scale cyclicity of contourite deposition, likely related to short-term (possibly multicentennial scale) fluctuations of the paleo modified-LIW. According to age constraints and analysis of foraminiferal assemblages, these fluctuations were likely governed by climate variations, with a weaker activity during warmer periods and faster currents during colder events.

We present a semi-analytical model for predicting the breaking location of internal solitary waves (ISWs) over a sloping seabed. Our conceptual model is based on laboratory experiments, performed in a wave tank, that reproduce the ISW breaking mechanisms and show how the steepening of the trailing edge leads to verticalization of the wave profile during the shoaling phase. We derive the location of ISWs breaking, that is, the wave verticalization point, through two-layer, interfacial theoretical models and conservation of wave mass. We apply our model to the case of tidally forced ISWs that are generated in the Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Sea), where northward traveling ISWs are expected to refract and break over the frontal slope of Capo Vaticano. Our application is then assessed through numerical investigations, which allow to consider realistic field conditions in terms of water column stratification and geometrical setting. Our results, and the expected ISW-induced bed shear stress, suggest a link between the predicted breaking locations and the occurrence of sediment resuspension over that specific portion of the slope.

Diagnostic morphological features (e.g., rectilinear seafloor scarps) and lateral offsets of the Upper Quaternary deposits are used to infer active faults in offshore areas. Although they deform a significant seafloor region, the active faults are not necessarily capable of producing large earthquakes as they correspond to shallow structures formed in response to local stresses. We present a multiscale approach to reconstruct the structural pattern in offshore areas and distinguish between shallow, non-seismogenic, active faults, and deep blind faults, potentially associated with large seismic moment release. The approach is based on the interpretation of marine seismic reflection data and quantitative morphometric analysis of multibeam bathymetry, and tested on the Sant’Eufemia Gulf (southeastern Tyrrhenian Sea). Data highlights the occurrence of three major tectonic events since the Late Miocene. The first extensional or transtensional phase occurred during the Late Miocene. Since the Early Pliocene, a right-lateral transpressional tectonic event caused the positive inversion of deep (>3 km) tectonic features, and the formation of NE-SW faults in the central sector of the gulf. Also, NNE-SSW to NE-SW trending anticlines (e.g., Maida Ridge) developed in the eastern part of the area. Since the Early Pleistocene (Calabrian), shallow (<1.5 km) NNE-SSW oriented structures formed in a left-lateral transtensional regime. The new results integrated with previous literature indicates that the Late Miocene to Recent transpressional/transtensional structures developed in an ∼E-W oriented main displacement zone that extends from the Sant’Eufemia Gulf to the Squillace Basin (Ionian offshore), and likely represents the upper plate response to a tear fault of the lower plate. The quantitative morphometric analysis of the study area and the bathymetric analysis of the Angitola Canyon indicate that NNE-SSW to NE-SW trending anticlines were negatively reactivated during the last tectonic phase. We also suggest that the deep structure below the Maida Ridge may correspond to the seismogenic source of the large magnitude earthquake that struck the western Calabrian region in 1905. The multiscale approach contributes to understanding the tectonic imprint of active faults from different hierarchical orders and the geometry of seismogenic faults developed in a lithospheric strike-slip zone orthogonal to the Calabrian Arc.

The seabed of the Pontine Archipelago (Tyrrhenian Sea) insular shelf is peculiar as it is characterized by a mixed siliciclastic–carbonate sedimentation. In order to reconstruct the Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental evolution of the Pontine Archipelago, this study investigates the succession of facies recorded by two sediment cores. For this purpose, benthic foraminifera and rhodoliths assemblages were considered. The two cores (post-Last Glacial Maximum in age) were collected at 60 (CS1) and 122 m (Caro1) depth on the insular shelf off Ponza Island. The paleontological data were compared with seismo-stratigraphic and lithological evidence. The cores show a deepening succession, with a transition from a basal rhodolith-rich biodetritic coarse sand to the surface coralline-barren silty sand. This transition is more evident along core Caro1 (from the bottom to the top), collected at a deeper water depth than CS1. In support of this evidence, along Caro1 was recorded a fairly constant increase in the amount of planktonic foraminiferal and a marked change in benthic foraminiferal assemblages (from Asterigerinata mamilla and Lobatula lobatula assemblage to Cassidulina carinata assemblage). Interestingly, the dating of the Caro1 bottom allowed us to extend to more than 13,000 years BP the rhodolith record in the Pontine Archipelago, indicating the possible presence of an active carbonate factory at that time.