The Geologic Time Scale and the Italian stratigraphic record

The construction of the Geologic Time Scale (GTS) is a titanic scientific challenge that has been under way for two centuries and will require much dedicated effort in the future. Italy preserves a paramount stratigraphic record of Mesozoic and Cenozoic marine sediments that have been significant in the development of the modern GTS. The Italian stratigraphic record has been histori-cally important in introducing and defining the standard Chronostratigraphic Units (CUs) of the Neogene and Quaternary. Pelagic successions from Northern Apen-nines and Southern Alps have been used in the seventies for integrating the late Cretaceous-Paleogene Geomag-netic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS) with planktonic microfossil biostratieraohv and standard CUs. This was a major contribution to the construction of a new gener-ation of GTS based on integrated magnetobiochronol-ogy. The middle Miocene to early Pleistocene marinerecord from Sicily and southern Italy has been funda-mental for establishing the recently developed Astro-nomical Time Scale (ATS). In prospect, there are many potentials still to be exploited in the Italian marine stratigraphic record for implementing the GTS by defin-ing GSSPs of various CUs, improving magneto-biochronology and extending downwards the ATS.     

The Lagoon of Venice： geological setting,evolution and land subsidence

The paper deals with the geological setting, history and subsidence of the Venetian Plain. Major attention is paid to the Pleistocene-Holocene stratigraphic sequence in the Lagoon of Venice, in relation to its origin that datesback to 6-7 kyr BP. Geological land subsidence, which played an important role in the origin and the evolution of the lagoon, and anthropogenic subsidence, that has recently assumed a major importance for the Venetian environment, are discussed. Considering also the sealevel rise, 23 cm loss in land elevation has occurred in the last century, leading to increased flooding events and environmental problems that require protective works.     

Mantle processes during ocean formation：Petrologic records in peridotites from the Alpine－Apennine ophiolites

Mantle peridotites were early exposed at the sea-floor of the Jurassic Tethys derived from the subcontinental mantle of the Europe-Adria system. During continental rifting and oceanic spreading, these lithospheric peri-dotites were percolated via diffuse reactive porous flowby melt fractions produced by near-fractional melting of the upwelling asthenosphere. Ascending melts inter-acted with the lower lithosphere, dissolving pyroxenes and precipitating olivine, and crystallized at shallower levels in the mantle column causing melt impregnation.Subsequent focused porous flow formed replacive dunitechannels, cutting the impregnated oeridotites, which were conduits for upward migration of MORB-type liq-uids. Melt migration produced depletionlrefertilization and significant heating of the percolatedlimpregnated mantle, i.e the thermochemical erosion of the litho-sphere. Impregnated and thermally modified lithos-pheric mantle was cooled by conductive heat loss dur-ing progressive lithosphere thinning and was intrudeaby MORB magmas, which formed Mg-rich and Fe-richgabbroic dykes and bodies. Alpine-Apennine ophiolitic peridotites record the deep-seated migration of melts which changed their compositions and dynamics during the rift evolution. The thermochemical erosion of the lithospheric mantle by the ascending asthenospheric melts, which induces significant compositional and rhe-ological changes in the lower lithosphere, is a major process in the evolution of the continent-ocean transi-tion towards a slow spreading oceanic system.     

Geology of the Dolomites

The Dolomites region is a spectacularly exposed portion of the Southern Alps, a northern Italian chain derived from the comparatively gentle deformation of the Tethyan passive continental margin of Adria. The regionhad an active Permo-Jurassic tectono-magmatic evolu-tion, leading from Permian magmatism, through a Mid-die Triassic episode offast subsidence and volcanism, to the Jurassic oceanic break-up. Although the sedimentary succession ranges in age from Middle Permian to Creta-ceous, the geological landscape is largely dominated by the majestic Triassic carbonates, making the area a clas-sical one for the early Mesozoic stratigraphy. Particu-larly noteworthy are the Anisian to Carnian carbonate platforms, recording an evolution from regional muddy banks to isolated high-relief builduos. The hlline of the various basins and the development of a last generation of regional peritidal platform followed. The carbonate platforms of the Dolomites bear witness to a remarkable set of changes in the carbonate production and to signif-icant palaeoclimatic fluctuations,from arid to moist con-difions and vice versa; a great range of margin and slope depositional styles is therefore recorded. Alpine tectonic shortening strongly affected the area, with a first Eocenede formation, followed by later Neogene overthrusting and strike-slip movements.     

一个与转移作用有关的盆地的演化：Ardea盆地（意大利中部拉齐奥地区）

一个与转移作用有关的盆地的演化：Ａｒｄｅａ盆地（意大利中部拉齐奥地区）Ｃ．Ｆａｃｃｅｎｎａ等地层Ａｒｄｅａ盆地是拉齐奥边缘最深的盆地之一。充填了１６００ｍ中新－更新统沉积。这套沉积物覆盖在一套中新统以泥灰质－砂泥质为主的复理石异地构造层上，复理石上覆...     

“中意海洋环境管理和可持续发展高级培训班”在意大利举办

根据中意两国政府科技文化合作协定，由中国政府科技部与意大利政府环境部共同主办的“中意海洋环境管理和可持续发展高级培训班”于2006年6月24日至7月8日在意大利举办，共有来自国内24个部门和单位的28名学员参加培训。     

利玛窦在中国编制的“世界地图”

利玛窦,原名玛太奥·利奇（Matteo Ricci,1552～1610年）,意大利人,是最早来华的耶稣会传教士。明万历十年（1582年）,他从印度来到我国澳门。在澳门,他认真学习了中国语言文字,     

Italian active volcanoes

The eruptive histories, styles of activity and general modes of operation of the main active Italian volcanoes,Etna, Vulcano, Stromboli, Vesuvio, Campi Flegrei and Ischia, are described in a short summary.     

一个与转换作用有关的盆地演化：意大利中部拉齐奥地区的Ardea盆地

在上中新世一更新世期间，意大利蒂勒尼安半岛的沿岸地区处在北东－－南西向的拉伸状态，伴随有北西－－南东向正断裂系和由北东－－南西走向的转移断裂带连结的盆地。Ａｒｄｅａ盆地就是其中之一，它位于罗马南部。本文采用地质和地球物理方法（构造和地层资料，地震测线和磁化率非均质性资料）研究这一与转移有关的盆地的演化，通过比较后发现，这些转移盆地有如下一些共同的特点：（１）沿转移断层的滑动向量大都是倾向滑动，这意