The geomorphology of Naples Bay continental shelf, Italy

Abstract

Naples Bay is a peri-Tyrrhenian basin that covers an area of about 1000 km2 and is characterized by active tectonics and volcanism. High resolution seismic reflection data were used to study the geomorphology of the continental shelf that displays erosional, depositional and volcanic features. In particular, three sectors were distinguished on the shelf that present different morphologic characters. The southern shelf, close to the Sorrento Peninsula, is characterized by erosional surfaces affecting the Meso-Cenozoic carbonate rocks, Middle Pleistocene prograding units, and the pyroclastic deposits of the Campanian Ignimbrite (35 ka BP). The central shelf displays depositional surfaces corresponding to the upper boundary of marine deposits which overlay the Campanian Ignimbrite. The northern shelf, close to the Phlegrean Fields, shows the more complex physiographic pattern because, in addition to the erosional and depositional surfaces, there are forms due to Late Quaternary tectonics and volcanism.