Apuan Alps

The still ongoing studies on the geology of the Apuan Alps
show the presence of a deformational event which is developed
in the late-metamorphic to post-metamorphic conditions (D3),
that has occurred on the previous structures and has created the
low-angle shear zones and high-angle faults, associated with both
right hand and left hand complicated movement systems. These
shear zones represent a new element in the geological landscape
of the Apuan Alps, and our knowledge about them is deducted
from the information obtained from the traditional geologicalstructural
surveys and photo-interpretation of data derived from
aerial LIDAR and optical proximal sensing. The effects of brittle/
ductile to ductile deformation which characterizes the Apuan
Metamorphic Complex, has established the development of shear
zones consisting the mylonitic marbles, such as the specific types
of Bianco, Bardiglio, Nuvolato and Arabescato marbles, which
are distinguished by their excellent physical and mechanical
characteristics, as well as having high commercial and aesthetic
value. These particular structures and their three-dimensional
architecture affect the geometry of the deposits of ornamental
stones and as the consequence, also on the planning of medium
and long-term mining activities.

territory, in the Cardoso and Giardino valleys (Stazzema, LU) many cup marks and bowls have been identified along mountainside paths and on boulders near cliffs. An ancient path is known, which went from Basati to Terrinca through the valley floor. Along this path there was a boulder (Zingola Boulder), probably used as a ford in the Giardino stream, which has engraved figures on it, as a twelve-coils spiral and an anthropomorphic figure with orthogonal limbs and a probable horned helmet. There are also boulders engraved with cup marks and gutters on lithic tablelands in a
panoramic position on cliffs along mountainside paths in the Giardino valley (boulders of Terrinca, Furetto, Fordazzani). On the Terrinca boulder there are many cruciforms, some anthropomorphic figures and various signs, among which two tauriforms, now disappeared because of the fire that interested the left slope of the Giardino valley. The Fordazzani boulder has, in the middle, two series of cup marks united by a short 10 cm gutter; two oval signs are relevant as well as a big 20 cm wide
cup mark with two gutters symmetrically departing on the sides and ending in two more little cup marks. On the crag above Terrinca there is the Tanaccio cave, where couples of cup marks united by a gutter have been mapped. They are engraved on little boulders probably fallen from the entrance vault of the cave. The presence of iconographic elements and of some cruciform is recurring in high altitude sites, on which the presence of foot-shaped figures and of probable pruning hooks (billhooks) is remarkable, the geomorphological data and the exploitation of several mineral veins of the Apuan Alps are remarkable as important elements for the development of this
area: there are veins of copper, chalcopyrite, antimony, cinnabar, limonite, iron, mercury, lead, silver and many more in which men have been interested since ancient times

This paper presents a morphological description and contextualization of dhole remains from the Late Pleistocene site (MIS 3) of Equi (Fivizzano, Massa-Carrara, Italy). The site was excavated in the first decades of the twentieth century, and the palaeontological remains are housed in the Paleontological Museum of the University of Florence. In Europe, the occurrence of dhole remains is spread over the continent and ranges chronologically from the early Middle Pleistocene to the Holocene. The current knowledge allows definition of the northern limit range of this carnivore, which never crossed the 51st parallel. The ethology of extant populations allows us to make inferences about its behaviour, with special regard to the occurrence of other large carnivores at the same site, such as Panthera spelaea and Panthera pardus, based on mutual segregation related to the environment and prey availability.

Riassunto. Viene segnalata per la prima volta la presenza degli ortotteri Bicolorana bicolor bicolor (Philippi, 1830) ed Euthystira brachyptera (Ocskay, 1826) sulle Alpi Apuane. Viene inoltre riportata una stazione di raccolta di E. brachyptera posta sull'Appennino tosco-emiliano che, insieme a quella del massiccio apuano, costituiscono anche le prime segnalazioni della specie per la Toscana. Infine un dato inedito di raccolta di B. bicolor bicolor in Campania fissa il nuovo limite meridionale per la specie nella penisola italiana. Abstract. Faunal notes on Bicolorana bicolor bicolor (Philippi, 1830) and Euthystira brachyptera (Ocskay, 1826) in Italy (Orthoptera). The presence of Bicolorana bicolor bicolor and Euthystira brachyptera is recorded for first time in the Apuan Alps. Another station of E. brachyptera was found in the Tusco-Emilian Appennines and these two findings represent the first presence for Tuscany. Finally an unpublished record for B. bicolor bicolor in the Campania region represents a new southern limit for the species in the Italian territory.

A sedimentary sequence of fluvial deposits preserved in the Corchia Cave (Alpi Apuane) provides new chronological constraints for the evolution of the cave system and the timing and rate of uplift of this sector of the Alpi Apuane since the late Pliocene. Supported by magnetostratigraphic analysis performed on fine-grained fluvial deposits, and by radiometric dating of speleothems, we suggest that the deposition of fluvial sediments occurred between ~1.6–1.2 Ma. This implies that the host volume of rock was already located close to the local base level, adding key information about the recent tectonic evolution of the Alpi Apuane. A few before ~1 Ma, an erosive phase occurred due to the base-level lowering, followed by continuous speleothem deposition since at least 0.97 Ma. From that time, Monte Corchia uplifted at a maximum rate of ~0.5 mm/year, which is consistent with isostatic uplift mainly driven by erosional unloading. The petrographical study of the fluvial deposits highligh...

A sedimentary sequence of fluvial deposits preserved in the Corchia Cave (Alpi Apuane) provides new chronological constraints for the evolution of the cave system and the timing and rate of uplift of this sector of the Alpi Apuane since the late Pliocene. Supported by magnetostratigraphic analysis performed on fine-grained fluvial deposits, and by radiometric dating of speleothems, we suggest that the deposition of fluvial sediments occurred between ~1.6–1.2 Ma. This implies that the host volume of rock was already located close to the local base level, adding key information about the recent tectonic evolution of the Alpi Apuane. A few before ~1 Ma, an erosive phase occurred due to the base-level lowering, followed by continuous speleothem deposition since at least 0.97 Ma. From that time, Monte Corchia uplifted at a maximum rate of ~0.5 mm/year, which is consistent with isostatic uplift mainly driven by erosional unloading. The petrographical study of the fluvial deposits highligh...

The reconstruction of the polymetamorphic history of basement rocks in orogens is crucial for deciphering past geodynamic evolution. However, the current petrographic features are usually interpreted as the results of the metamorphic recrystallization of primary sedimentary and/or magmatic features. In contrast, metamorphic rocks derived by protoliths affected by pre-metamorphic hydrothermal alterations are rarely recognized. This work reports textural, mineralogical and geochemical data of metasedimentary and metaigneous rocks from the Paleozoic succession of the Sant'Anna tectonic window (Alpi Apuane, Tuscany, Italy). These rocks were recrystallized and reworked during the Alpine tectono-metamorphic event, but the bulk composition and some refractory minerals (e.g., tourmaline) are largely preserved. Our data show that the Paleozoic rocks from the Alpi Apuane were locally altered by hydrothermal fluids prior to Alpine metamorphism, and that the Permian magmatic cycle was likely responsible for this hydrothermal alteration. Finally, the Ishikawa Alteration Index, initially developed for magmatic rocks, was applied to metasedimentary rocks, providing a useful geochemical tool for unravelling the hydrothermal history of Paleozoic rocks, as well as a potential guide to the localization of hidden ore deposits in metamorphic terranes.

The Subboreal palaeoenvironment and human impact in Campocatino basin: multidisciplinary study of a glacial geosite in the Apuan Alps. The Campocatino glacial basin is one of the most emblematic and representative geosites in the Apuan Alps, regarding the evidence of glacier activity developed during the Last Glacial Maximum. This contribution aims to provide a geological-stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental evolutionary model for the Campocatino geosite, resulting from a multidisciplinary study that integrates sedimentological analysis, radiocarbon dating and anthracological analysis. The main results indicate that the Campocatino basin deposit is represented by glacial till, resedimented during the Holocene after a short transport due to surface runoff. In particular, the investigated sediments are narrowly constrained by radiocarbon dates to the time interval between 4,500 and 3,400 years ago. The composition of the analyzed deposits, characterized by the diffuse occurrence of iron-manganese nodules, support the hypothesis of their formation during a previous phase of hot and humid climate, referable to the Holocene Climatic Optimum. In the northern Apennines the development of termophilous mixed forests dominated by silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) can be traced back to the same period. As schown by the studied charcoals shown in the Campocatino area, this coniferous still persisted in the central phase of the Subboreal (3.5 ka cal BP) corresponding to the Middle Bronze Age, during the cool and wet Löbben oscillation (3.8-3.4 ka cal BP), perhaps opposing the fast rise of the beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). The abundance in the sampled deposits of small charred plant remains, allowed to introduce the discussion on the natural and/or anthropogenic origins of the repeated fires affecting the silver fir woods, which have contributed to first the rarefaction and then to the almost complete extinction of this tree in the Apuan Alps during historical times, more significantly than the colder and wetter climate changes of the Neoglaciation.

The study area is located in the Alpi Apuane (Tuscany, Italy), and extends between N 44°0 ′ 49.883 ′′-E 10°20 ′ 23.467 ′′ (SW corner) and N 44°2 ′ 53.403 ′′-E 10°23 ′ 19.175 ′′ (NE corner). The area shows a pile of tectonic units belonging either to the Apuane metamorphic complex, and Tuscan Nappe, stacked during the Alpine orogeny. The latter is represented by a sedimentary Triassic-Miocene succession, and it is characterized by a large-scale east-dipping monocline, with local excision of stratigraphic terms due to the occurrence of intra-unit low-angle normal faults. The Apuane metamorphic complex is formed by Paleozoic phyllites, post-Variscan magmatic rocks (Fornovolasco Metarhyolite Fm.), and Mesozoic-Tertiary metasedimentary formations. The 1:5000 scale geological map and the cross-sections illustrate the tectonic setting of the Fornovolasco area, resulting from the Tertiary tectono-metamorphic events. In the Fornovolasco area, small Tl-rich pyrite + magnetite ore bodies occur close to the contacts between the Paleozoic basement and the cover metasedimentary formations. ARTICLE HISTORY

A sedimentary sequence of fluvial deposits preserved in the Corchia Cave (Alpi Apuane) provides new chronological constraints for the evolution of the cave system and the timing and rate of uplift of this sector of the Alpi Apuane since the late Pliocene. Supported by magnetostratigraphic analysis performed on fine-grained fluvial deposits, and by radiometric dating of speleothems, we suggest that the deposition of fluvial sediments occurred between ~1.6–1.2 Ma. This implies that the host volume of rock was already located close to the local base level, adding key information about the recent tectonic evolution of the Alpi Apuane. A few before ~1 Ma, an erosive phase occurred due to the base-level lowering, followed by continuous speleothem deposition since at least 0.97 Ma. From that time, Monte Corchia uplifted at a maximum rate of ~0.5 mm/year, which is consistent with isostatic uplift mainly driven by erosional unloading. The petrographical study of the fluvial deposits highligh...

The Paleozoic basement of the Northern Apennines is formed
by a metasedimentary and metavolcanic sequence whose age was
established mostly through correlations with Paleozoic formations
of Sardinia. Only a few geochronological data are currently available
and this lack of data poses some limitations to an accurate reconstruction
of the pre-Triassic geological evolution of this area. In order to
fill this gap, petrographical and U-Pb zircon geochronological data
collected on three selected samples belonging to the “Filladi
Inferiori” Fm and the “Porfiroidi e Scisti Porfirici” Fm are reported.
The new data: i) agree with previous depositional ages reported for the
“Filladi Inferiori” Fm; ii) stress the occurrence of a possible Permian
hydrothermal alteration; and iii) indicate that some outcrops mapped
as belonging to the “Porfiroidi e Scisti Porfirici” Fm are metaparaconglomerate
having an Ediacarian maximum depositional age possible
related to the Ordovician eo-Caledonian unconformity event.