A soil chronosequence study of the Reno valley, Italy: Insights into the relative role of climate versus anthropogenic forcing on hillslope processes during the mid-Holocene

Our detailed examination of soil stratigraphy in the Reno Valley revealed evidence of significant aggradation of colluvium and tributary fans in the middle Holocene between ~ 6000 and ~ 4000 ybp. This aggradation pre-dates Bronze Age agricultural expansion, and appears to be instead attributable to the climate conditions of the middle Holocene that have been documented elsewhere in Italy for this time period. This study demonstrates that late Pleistocene and Holocene surface soils in the Mediterranean region of Europe can effectively help elucidate rates and processes of landscape evolution.