Stratigrafia, geocronologia e paleoclimatologia del Quaternario (DTA.AD001.298)

Thematic area

Earth system science and environmental technologies

Project area

Structure responsible for the research project

Institute of environmental geology and geoengineering (IGAG)

Project manager

BIAGIO GIACCIO
Phone number: 3397739971
Email: biagio.giaccio@cnr.it

Abstract

High-precision chronologies and reliable correlations of sedimentary records are fundamental requirements for reconstructing the Earth's history and evaluating the role of the processes underlying its evolution. This is particularly true for palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic studies dealing with Quaternary orbital and millennial-scale variability. Our understanding of the spatial-temporal variability, magnitude, regional expressions, and underlying mechanisms of the triggering, propagation, and sustaining of past climate change is dependent on high-quality and high-resolution proxy series, provided that they are anchored to precise and accurate time scales.
The main objective of the project is to overcome the current limits of the global Quaternary climate-chronology and magneto-chronology, mostly relying on orbital or physical assumptions. We intend to achieve this aim by building an independent radioisotopic time scale for the Quaternary, based on high-precision 40Ar/39Ar geochronology directly anchored to high-resolution paleoclimatic and paleomagnetic proxy series from the Quaternary continental successions hosted in Central Italy intermountain basins.

Goals

General objective: Assembling a high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dated tephrochronological record for the last ~1.3 Ma anchored to a detailed paleoclimate record that may be regionally to globally spread via tephrostratigraphic synchronization and paleoclimatic alignments.

Specific objectives
1. Paleoclimatology: Determining sequence, timing, duration, and dynamics of past climatic change in Mediterranean and North Atlantic areas

2. Volcanology: Improving the knowledge of the history, tempo and dynamics of the Quaternary explosive peri-Tyrrhenian volcanism;

Start date of activity

22/10/2019

Keywords

Paleoclima, Geocronologia, Quaternario

Last update: 17/03/2025