Geomorphology of the Mt. Cusna Ridge (Northern Apennines, Italy): evolution of a Holocene landscape

Abstract

The Mt. Cusna ridge, located in the Northern Apennines (North Italy), is a mountain area of relevant geological interest for the interaction through time of distinct geomorphic processes, acting since the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. A geomorphological map at the 1:10,000 scale was produced to characterise the main landforms and processes identifiable on the ridge. From this, a detailed reconstruction of the Holocene landscape history of the area is drawn. After deglaciation, at the end of the Pleistocene, glacial and periglacial processes left wide deposits and barren surfaces. Slope and running water processes acted cyclically on the landscape through phases of stronger slope denudation and landslide activation followed by stability periods. These processes are related to the main climatic changes recorded for the N Apennines during the Holocene. Since the Late Holocene, the impact of human communities may have played a prominent role as an agent of landscape modification.

Geomorphology of the Jebel Qara and coastal plain of Salalah (Dhofar, southern Sultanate of Oman)

“…Possibly, some of the bedrock blocks sliding down along the slope correspond to deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSD) (Figure 2). In fact, they share some distinctive features with DSGSDs (Crosta, Frattini, & Agliardi, 2013; Cremaschi, Zerboni, Zuccoli, & Trombino, 2018): the presence of graben-like counterscarps and trenches at their top, and the formation of unloading valleys ot both sides.…”

Matilda’s castles, northern Apennines: geological and geomorphological constrains

“…of Mt. Cusna, the highest peak of the area (Mariani, Cremaschi, Zerboni, Zuccoli, & Trombino, 2018). From a geological standpoint, the northern portion of the Italian Apennines is an orogenic arc verging NNE composed by heavily deformed sedimentary units.…”

Surface Geomorphological Features of Deep-Seated Gravitational Slope Deformations: A Look to the Role of Lithostructure (N Apennines, Italy)

“…Phases of slope instability and landslide reactivation are recorded even for the present time [80,81]. Erosional landforms induced by water action are widespread: lithologies have a strong influence on these processes, with jagged cliffs and gorges on sandstone and limestone, and hummocky hill landscapes strewn by occasional Badlands on claystones [22,82]. The highest parts of the Apennines were modelled by glaciers during the last glacial periods [83], before their physical disappearance at the end of the Pleistocene [84].…”

“…The highest parts of the Apennines were modelled by glaciers during the last glacial periods [83], before their physical disappearance at the end of the Pleistocene [84]. The impact of glaciers is still visible on the landscape, particularly in the form of till deposits [22]. In this context, the potential for the development of DSGSD is very high, and consequently attention to this topic has increased in the area in recent years [33], as well as for the rest of the Apennines in general [13].…”

“…In the last few decades, deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs) have been established as one of the common geomorphological features of the world's mountain landscapes [1,2]. Since the first studies on these landforms [3][4][5][6], their presence has now been reported for many mountain chains, with numerous examples from across continents [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] and even from other planets [24][25][26]. In these decades, the interest towards the origin and the evolution of these landforms has attracted an increasingly wide amount of studies.…”