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SGM - Tyrrhenian Coast (Italy)

Aim of the mission

Sea level indicators may depict either rapid sea level changes or slow, depending on whether the fluctuation comes from ice melting and eustasy or tectonic activity. In areas of the world, such as the Mediterranean, sea level indicators may represent a combination of both causes. It is essential to remove the tectonic factor and take into account only the eustatic factor.
Geoarchaeological analysis in coastal areas provides good proxies for past sea levels when it is possible to relate some coastal structures (fish tank, docks) to sea level (Schmiedt, 1972; Pirazzoli, 1976). During the Roman Period several fish tanks were built along the Tyrrhenian coast and particular elements belonging to the tank were tide-controlled (e.g. crepidini, moles, sluice gate). Furthermore the age of these fish tanks is well known and archaeologically dated between the end of the first century BC and early second century AD.
In such a way fish tanks may be considered as palaeo-sea level markers that allow accurate evaluation of relative sea level variations during the last millennia. The measurements of the depth of the particular elements, such as crepidine, sluice gate, top of channels, moles give an idea of relative sea level at the time of construction. It is possible to use this value as markers of past sea level, but only after the corrections for tide and atmospheric pressure values at time of the surveys and after the evaluation of errors bars for elevations.
The purpose of this meeting was to study sea level indicators and in fact Roman fish tanks in order to extract sea level changes and use it as input to GIA models. For that purpose, it was considered necessary to examine the data on the field, in order to record all available information.
Roman piscinae dated by the nearby Roman structures, clearly define the upper and lower limits of sea level at the time of their construction. Estimates of the upper limits are based on the measurement, relative to mean sea level, of the present height of the top of some parts (surrounding walls, partition walls between basins, shore benches in which channels for water supply have been cut, and grooves for sliding of water gates and of fishing nets) and on the assumption that these parts were above water at high tide. Estimates of the lower limits are mainly based on the fact that with less than 5 or 10 cm of water at high tide over the bottom of the channels or at the basin entrances, water or fry inflow would not have been possible (Schmiedt, 1972).

organizer, dates, place

Organizer: Prof. Niki Evelpidou, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Dates: September 26th – 1st October 2010

Location: Tyrrhenian coast, Italy

participants

a/a	Name	Country
1.	Niki Evelpidou	Greece
2.	Andreas Vassilopoulos	Greece
3.	Paolo Pirazzoli	France
4.	Giorgio Spada	Italy
5.	Gabriella Ruggieri	Italy
6.	Glaudio Picchi	Italy

Images