Buried and Submerged G reek Archaeological Coastal Structures and Artifacts as Gauges to Measure Late H olocene Seafloor Subsidence off C alabria, I taly

This synthesis integrates recently acquired archaeological and geological data with earlier documented observations to shed light on the subsidence of ancient G reek coastal facilities in southern I taly. These are now positioned between former shorelines and inner shelf sectors at five C alabrian margin localities. Submergence of coastal to inner shelf facilities has resulted in part from sea‐level rise by about 2 m associated with glacio‐hydro‐isostatic factors since archaic to classic G reek time. This phenomenon alone, however, does not explain the wide variation of measured subsidence rates from site‐to‐site. The marked lowering of coastal site substrates by seismo‐tectonic activity (including extensional fault motion), stratal readjustments at depth, and compaction of underlying sediment sequences is significant. Four of the subsided facilities are positioned near emerged C alabrian areas where prevailing H olocene average annual land uplift rates range to ˜1.0 mm/yr; at the fifth, near H ipponion, terrains have risen by nearly 2 mm/yr. In marked contrast, submerged and/or buried structures record the following late H olocene long‐term average rates of coastal margin subsidence: S ybaris‐ T huri on the T aranto G ulf margin (˜0.5–1.0 mm/yr); H ipponion‐ V ibo V alentia along the T yrrhenian coast (˜0.8 to ˜3.2 mm/yr); and L ocri‐ E pizefiri, K aulonia, and C apo C olonna on C alabria's I onian margin (˜1.6, ˜1.6–2.4, and ˜4.0 mm/yr, respectively). © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.