The Landscape Evolution of the Carboj River Mouth (Sicily, Italy)

This study investigates the coastal landscape evolution within the area of the geological Sheet 628—“Sciacca”, in south-western Sicily (central Mediterranean region). According to the Italian Landscape Physiographic Units Map, this area is classified as “Terrigenous Hill Land-scape with Plateaus” to the West and as “Heterogeneous Hill Landscape with Plateaus” to the East. Notably, Capo San Marco, located to the west of the town of Sciacca, represents the most prominent plateau formed in these units, displaying a concave profile with at least three orders of polygenetic coastal plains, where littoral and continental deposits related to MIS 5 and MIS 7 crop out. Among these coastal plains, the lowermost one, located at the Carboj River mouth, is characterized by a low relief energy and the presence of calcarenites and sands, providing critical insights into the coastal landscape evolution of this region. The physiographic unit of the Carboj River alluvial plain extends from sea level up to 80 m in altitude and comprises sandy clays and overbank silts interspersed with oligomictic ortho-conglomerates. These deposits suggest the pres-ence of a NW–SE trending river bar, capped by marine terrace deposits dating the Middle-Late Pleistocene. Understanding the sedimentological and structural char-acteristics of these sectors with specific focus on the interplay between sediment transport, wave action, and sea-level changes in shaping coastal margins could provide relevant important information on the coastal landscape evolution and develop a geomorphic and sedimentary model to help the prediction of future coastal evolution scenarios. This knowledge is essential for effective coastal management and the development of sustainable policies to preserve the Mediterranean landscape’s cultural and environmental heritage.