Millstones as indicators of relative sea-level changes in northern Sicily and southern Calabria coastlines, Italy

摘要

New data are presented for late Holocene relative sea-level changes in two coastal sites of Sicily andCalabria, southern Italy. Reconstructions are based on precise measurements of submerged archaeologicalremains that are valuable indicators of past sea-level position. The archaeological remains aremillstone quarries carved on sandstone coastal rocks and nowadays partially submerged which, to theauthors’ knowledge, are used for the first time as sea-level markers. Millstones of similar typology arelocated on the coast of Capo d’Orlando (northern Sicily) and Capo dell’Armi (southern Calabria). Whenthe archeologically-based sea-level position is compared with the shoreline elevation provided bygeological markers (Holocene beachrock, Late Pleistocene marine terraces), a refined understanding ofrelative sea-level changes and rates of vertical tectonic movements for these coastline locations is gained.