Oxygen-isotope records from Greenland ice cores 1,2 indicate numerous rapid climate¯uctuations during the last glacial period. North Atlantic marine sediment cores show comparable variability in sea surface temperature and the deposition of icerafted debris 3±5 . In contrast, very few continental records of this time period provide the temporal resolution and environmental sensitivity necessary to reveal the extent and effects of these environmental¯uctuations on the continents. Here we present high-resolution geochemical, physical and pollen data from lake sediments in Italy and from a Mediterranean sediment core, linked by a common tephrochronology. Our lacustrine sequence extends to the past 102,000 years. Many of its features correlate well with the Greenland ice-core records, demonstrating that the closely coupled ocean±atmosphere system of the Northern Hemisphere during the last glacial 4 extended its in¯uence at least as far as the central Mediterranean region. Numerous vegetation changes were rapid, frequently occurring in less than 200 years, showing that the terrestrial biosphere participated fully in lastglacial climate variability. Earlier than 65,000 years ago, our record shows more climate¯uctuations than are apparent in the Greenland ice cores. Together, the multi-proxy data from the continental and marine records reveal differences in the seasonal character of climate during successive interstadials, and provide a step towards determining the underlying mechanisms of the centennial±millennial-scale variability.A series of four sediment cores (B, D, J and L) obtained from Lago Grande di Monticchio (408 569 N, 158 359 E, 656 m above sea level), a maar lake in Basilicata, southern Italy, extends to a depth of 72.5 m. Sedimentation rates, estimated from annually laminated sections of a composite of these cores, provide a chronology 6,7 that gives a date of 101.7 kyr ago for the base of the record (Fig. 1). This calendaryear chronology, based solely upon Monticchio sedimentation rates, is independent of palynostratigraphic (that is, pollen-based), marine d 18 O event or ice-core interstadial correlations. It is complemented by a tephrochronology and a series of radioisotopic ages.

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The explosive eruption at Santorini in the Aegean Sea during the second millennium BCE was the largest Holocene volcanic upheaval in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The eruption was disastrous for the Minoan settlements at Santorini, but the effect on human society in the neighbouring islands and regions is still clouded in uncertainty. Tsunami generation was suggested, but comparatively little evidence was found. The lack of firm tsunami traces is particularly puzzling in Crete with its coastal settlements of the Late Minoan IA period, during which the Santorini eruption occurred. Here, we report the discovery of extensive geoarchaeological tsunami deposits at Palaikastro in north-eastern Crete. These deposits are characterized by a mixture of geological materials, including volcanic Santorini ash, and archaeological settlement debris. Various tsunami signatures were identified: (1) erosional contact with the underlying strata, (2) volcanic ash intraclasts in the lower part of the deposit, (3) reworked building stone material in the lower part of the deposit, (4) individual marine shells, (5) marine micro-fauna, (6) imbrication of rounded beach pebbles, settlement debris, ceramic sherds and even bones, (7) multi-modal chaotic composition. Late Minoan human settlement activities at Palaikastro provided architectural and stratigraphic frameworks in space and time that recorded and preserved tsunami evidence as geoarchaeological deposits. Such stratigraphic resolution and preservation may not occur in the natural landscape. Volcanic ash transported by wind from Santorini south-east to Crete preceded the tsunami. Geological, archaeological and radiocarbon dating criteria all converge, indicating that the tsunami deposits are coeval with the Minoan Santorini eruption. Field evidence suggests that tsunami waves at Palaikastro were at least 9 m high. Inverse tsunami modeling was attempted, based on these newly discovered tsunamigenic deposits. The initial wave in the generation region at Santorini that best fits the stratigraphic data is a wave with þ35 to À15 m initial amplitude and a crest length of about 15 km.

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Stromboli is famous for its persistent volcanic activity consisting of periodic discrete explosions alternating with lava effusion and more violent explosions. This paper presents a detailed reconstruction of the geological history of Stromboli and description of the characteristics and distribution of the volcanic units and structural features. Six main growth stages (Eruptive Epochs 1–6), in addition to the c. 200 ka activity of Strombolicchio, are recognized between c. 85 ka and the present day, displaying a magma composition ranging from calc-alkaline to potassic series which usually varies with changing Eruptive Epochs. The Epochs are subdivided into sequences of eruptions and characterized by dominant central-vent summit activity with episodic phases of flank activity along fissures and eccentric vents. The activity was repeatedly interrupted by erosional and destructive phases driven by recurrent vertical caldera-type (cc1–5) and sector (and flank) collapses (sc1–7) and generally associated with significant quiescences. The different serial character of the Stromboli rocks is associated with largely variable trace element contents and isotope ratios. These petrochemical characteristics together with our new stratigraphy indicate that magmas, generated in a heterogeneous mantle wedge, underwent complex differentiation processes during their ascent. Magmas are characterized by polybaric evolution residing in small magma reservoirs that are alternatively tapped by the different collapses.DVD:The 10 000 scale geological map of Stromboli is included on the DVD in the printed book and can also be accessed online at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Memoir37-electronic. Also included is a full geochemical dataset for Stromboli.