The last interglacial transgression in Italy: the breath of the Italian coasts documented by 461 sites

In 2023, the Italian community of Quaternary scientists produced, under the umbrella of METIQ (Modello Evolutivo del Territorio Italiano nel Quaternario (Evolutive Model of the Italian Territory during the Quaternary) coordinated by the Geological Survey of Italy (ISPRA), a Quaternary Map of Italy at 1:500.000 scale that included a database of the last interglacial (LIG) marine highstand’s markers along the Italian coasts. The LIG geodatabase lists several well-preserved outcrops and cores, rich in marine fossil features and deposits, straddling the whole Italian coastal areas. This geodatabase relies on three already existing databases, integrated with data from recently published works. In addition, for each site, a re-evaluation of the main chronological and geomorphological data (elevation, age, measurement error, relationship with original sea level and isostatic adjustment correction, GIA) has been made. Coastal areas with the most important LIG inner margins are highlighted. Finally, the long term geological vertical displacement rate is calculated for each site according to the requirements of the METIQ database.