Quaternary geomorphological evolution of the Tremiti Islands (Puglia, Italy)

The archipelago of the Tremiti Islands, situated in the centre of the Adriatic Sea, is considered, nationally and internationally, a very important geological laboratory in the area of connection between the central and southern Apennines, already rich in Cenozoic stratigraphic, structural and seismological data. This study discusses structural-geomorphologic data, with particular attention to features useful to define the islands’ Quaternary evolution. The identification of the main morphogenic events is based on the study of landforms that are spatially and chronologically comparable with depositional/erosional features of the Quaternary continental succession. Analysis of geomorphology and Quaternary continental deposits supported by radiometric dating allows reconstruction of the islands’ Quaternary evolution and provides some contributions at a regional scale.