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Past orbital analogues to the current interglacial, such as Marine Isotope Stage 19c (MIS 19c, ca. 800 ka), can provide reliable reference\ud intervals for evaluating the timing and the duration of the Holocene and factors inherent in its climatic progression. Here we present the\ud first high-resolution paleoclimatic record for MIS 19 anchored to a high-precision 40Ar/39Ar chronology, thus fully independent of any a\ud priori assumptions on the orbital mechanisms underlying the climatic . It is based on the oxygen isotope compositions of Italian\ud lake sediments showing orbital- to millennial-scale hydrological variability over the Mediterranean between 810 and 750 ka. Our record\ud indicates that the MIS 19c interglacial lasted 10.8 ± 3.7 k.y., comparable to the time elapsed since the onset of the Holocene, and that the\ud orbital configuration at the time of the following glacial inception was very similar to the present one. By analogy, the current interglacial\ud should be close to its end. However, greenhouse gas concentrations at time of the MIS 19 glacial inception were significantly lower than\ud those of the late Holocene, suggesting that the current interglacial could have already been prolonged by the progressive increase of the\ud greenhouse gases since 8–6 ka, possibly due to early anthropogenic disturbance of vegetation

On October 1, 2009, a small area along the Sicilian coast between the villages of Scaletta Zanclea and Giampilieri was struck by intense and concentrated rainfall causing countless small landslides widespread over the catchment area of steep subaerial creeks, locally known as Fiumara. Dense and quick debris flows were channelized within the Fiumara and destructively hit the villages and entered the sea, where they likely transformed into hyperpycnal flows. The availability of pre- and post-flood high-resolution bathymetry allows us to recognize the main features and the most significant morphological variations related to the impact of the flows on the seafloor. The passage of hyperpycnal flows on the seafloor possibly produced a suite of mass-wasting events, encompassing sheet landslides (i.e. erosive scours), retrogressive slope failure on loose sediment at the canyon headwall and rock-falls on the conglomeratic bedrock along canyon sidewall. The possible causes of these events are discussed on the basis of available morphological evidence and geotechnical considerations. Finally, the widespread occurrence of mass-wasting features (i.e. submarine landslide scars) morphologically similar to those generated by the 2009 flash flood allows us to hypothesize, from one side, a strong correlation between this catastrophic event and the evolution of submarine canyons, and from the other side, the possible use of these features for the assessment of flash-flood occurrence

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