Cesi, an early Middle Pleistocene site in the Colfiorito Basin (Umbro-Marchean Apennine), central Italy

JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE (1997) 12 (6) 507–518 CCC 0267-8179/97/060507–12$17.50 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cesi, an early Middle Pleistocene site in theColfiorito Basin (Umbro-Marchean Apennine),central ItalyG. FICCARELLI1,*, L. ABBAZZI1, A. ALBIANELLI1, A. BERTINI1, M. COLTORTI2, M. MAGNATTI3, F. MASINI4, P. MAZZA5,C. MEZZABOTTA1, G. NAPOLEONE1, L. ROOK1, M. RUSTIONI1 and D. TORRE1

1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, I-50121 Florence, Italy2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Siena, Via delle Cerchia 3, I-53100 Siena, Italy3Museum of Natural Science, University of Camerino, Via del Bastione 2, I-62032 Camerino, Italy4Department of Geology and Geodesy, University of Palermo, C.so Tukory 131, I-90134, Palermo, Italy5Museum of Geology and Palaeontology, University of Florence, Via La Pira, I-50121 Florence, Italy

Ficcarelli, G., Abbazzi, L., Albianelli, A., Bertini, B., Coltorti, M., Magnatti, M., Masini, F., Mazza, P., Mezzabotta, C., Napoleone, G., Rook, L., Rustioni, M.and Torre, D. 1997. Cesi, an early Middle Pleistocene site in the Colfiorito Basin (Umbro-Marchean Apennine), central Italy. J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 12, 000–000. ISSN 0267-8179 (No. of Figures: 8 No. of Tables: 0 No. of References: 39)

Received 3 October 1996 Revised 10 July 1997 Accepted 12 July 1997

ABSTRACT: Near the village of Cesi, at the head of the Chienti River, in the Colfiorito Basin(Umbro-Marchean Apennines, central Italy), fluvio-lacustrine deposits have yielded mammalfossil remains. The results of a multidisciplinary investigation indicate that the vertebrate-bearingsediments date about 700 ka and accordingly provide a fossil assemblage for the Middle–LateGalerian. Palynological investigations carried out from sediments underlying the fossiliferouslevel suggest predominantly cold and dry conditions, whereas the fauna suggests a slight climaticamelioration towards cool and moist conditions in the uppermost part of the sequence. 1997by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

KEYWORDS: geomorphology; Mammalia; palynology; palaeomagnetism; early Middle Pleistocene.

a few superficial finds, could be approximately coeval withIntroductionthat at Colle Curti and therefore extended the faunal list ofthe latter site to include also Bison schoetensacki, the occur-rence of which was known only from a lower third molarIn 1987, researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences

and the Museum of Geology and Palaeontology of the at Cesi (see Fig. 4e).In 1993, the same researchers carried out systematic exca-University of Florence, the Department of Earth Sciences of

the University of Camerino and the Soprintendenza Archeo- vations in the Cesi area. A fossiliferous bed was found,which seems to be as important as that at Colle Curti. Thelogica of Ancona carried out palaeontological investigations

in the Colfiorito Basin in Central Italy. At least five fos- results of the studies refuted Ficcarelli and Silvestrini’s (1991)supposition, that the fossiliferous layer of Cesi could besiliferous sites were found, the most promising being those

at Colle Curti and Cesi. Priority was given to the area of coeval with that from Colle Curti.Colle Curti and excavations were carried out for five yearsat this locality. The results of these investigations, publishedin a series of papers (Borselli et al., 1988; Ficcarelli andMazza, 1990; Ficcarelli et al., 1990; Ficcarelli and Silvestrini, Geological and geomorphological1991), were so significant that they led to the establishment

backgroundof a ‘Colle Curti’ Faunal Unit, which marks the beginningof the Galerian Mammal age in Italy.

In their latest paper, Ficcarelli and Silvestrini (1991) tenta-The Cesi site is located at the head of the Chienti River, intively suggested that the Cesi locality, then known from onlythe Colfiorito Basin (Umbro-Marchean Apennines), at about820 m above sea level (Figs 1 and 2). Here the bedrock

* Correspondence to: G. Ficcarelli, Universita degli Studi di Firenze, Diparti- comprises limestones overlain by pelagic and hemipelagicmento di Scienze della Terra, 50121 Firenze, Via G. la Pira 4, Italy. sediments (Upper Triassic–Lower Miocene), the total thick-

L. Abbazzi, G. Ficcarelli, M. Magnatti, F. Masini, P. Mazza, C. Mezzabotta, ness of which may exceed 2000 m. Lower and UpperL. Rook, M. Rustioni and D. Torre, dealt with vertebrate palaeontology;Miocene siliciclastic turbidites, up to hundreds of metresAlbianelli, A. and Napoleone, G. with magnetostratigraphy; Bertini, A. with

palynology; Coltorti, M. with geomorphology and stratigraphy. thick, are locally preserved in the chain. The mountain chain

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Figure 1 Structural setting of the central northern Apennines with the main relationships between the Tuscany Domain (Unita Falterona–Trasimeno) and the Latium–Abruzzi Platform (PLA) from Calamita, 1990). AM, Amelia; ANT, Antrodoco; BT, Battiferro; CAS, Cascia; CO,Contigliano; CL, Cottanello; CT, Castelluccio; FO, Foligno; GU, Gubbio; MA, Monte Acuto; MAG, Monte Aguzzo; MB, Monte Bove; MC,Monte Cavallo; MCO, Monte Cosce; MCS, Monte Coscerno; MF, Monte Fema; MG, Monte Gorzano; MM, Monte Maggiore; MMA, MonteMalbe; MMR, Monte Martano; MN, Monte Nerone; MP, Monte Patino; MPE, Monte Pellecchia; MPG, Monte Peglia; MPR, Monte Primo;MS, Monte Subasio; MST, Monte della Strega; MSV, Monte San Vicino; MT, Monte Tezio; MTO, Monte Tolentino; MTR, Monte Torricella;MV, Monte Vettore; MZ, Monte Zappi; NA, Narni; NO, Norcia; OR, Orte; PO, Posta; SFE, Sassoferrato; SP, Spoleto; TV, Tivoli.

J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 12(6) 507–518 (1997) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

509EARLY MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE SITE IN THE APENNINE

is bounded to the east by the Sibillini Mountain thrust, belonged to the same hydrographic network, but were laterseparated by both deformation resulting from the normalwhich displaced these sediments over the Lower Miocene

to Lower Pliocene turbiditic deposits, exceeding 3000 m in faults located east of the upper Chienti valley, and theintensive regressive erosion of the Percanestro stream, athickness, of the Periadriatic Basin (Fig. 1). Reverse faults

and overthrusts affected the sequence in the Early Pliocene tributary of the Nera–Tiber Basin. The nearby Colfiorito Basinrepresents a relic of the former landscape that was slightly(Boccaletti et al., 1983, 1986; Bally et al., 1986; Calamita

and Deiana, 1988; Lavecchia et al., 1988; Calamita et al., affected by Middle and Late Pleistocene erosional events. Infact, the whole area is characterised by a very low-energy1991; Damiani et al., 1991).

The area was first affected by uplift and finally emerged relief, despite being located high on the Adriatic–Tyrrhen-ian watershed.above sea-level at the end of the Messinian (Ambrosetti et

al., 1978, 1982, 1987; Calamita et al., 1991, 1995). How-ever, a compressional basin continued to exist in the EastTiber area up to the Late Pliocene and was infilled byfluviatile and lacustrine deposits (Coltorti and Pieruccini, in Stratigraphypress). In the Early–Middle Pleistocene, extensional tectonicsreached the Umbria-Marchean Apennines, and many basinswere formed (Calamita et al., 1982, 1994, 1995; Raffy, The limited erosion that affected the upper part of the Chienti

Basin did not expose any great thickness of Pleistocene1981; Cattuto et al., 1992).Numerous thrusts are present in the study area, to the sediments. Late Middle and late Upper Pleistocene stratified

slope deposits (Coltorti and Dramis, 1988) outcrop alongeast of the eastern Tiber Basin (Calamita and Pizzi, 1992;Calamita et al., 1994), as well as many normal faults with the slopes of the valley and in the nearby Colfiorito Basin.

An alluvial fan entered the lacustrine basin that occupied thean Apennine direction, which also dissect the thrust planesand create important fault escarpments. Colfiorito plain during the late Pleniglacial, and lacustrine

sedimentation ended at the beginning of the HoloceneA ‘planation surface’ is developed on the units formedduring the compressional phase, and normal faults dissect (Brugiapaglia and de Beaulieu, 1995). This was associated

with the strong solution processes that affected the bedrock,this surface (Fig. 2) (Coltorti and Farabollini, 1995; Coltortiand Pieruccini, in press; Coltorti et al., in press). In the and which is also indicated by fractured and faulted lime-

stones. In fact, karstic wells and dolines are common in theSpoleto Basin, this surface progressively dips under sedimentsolder than 3.3 Ma and it is therefore dated to the Early area, but during the cold phases of the Pleistocene were

filled with debris. The lacustrine basin was re-establishedPliocene. At the same time, in the Periadriatic basin, eastof the mountain area, thick and coarse fan-delta deposits during the third millenium bc (Brugiapaglia and de Beaulieu,

1995), probably due to slope degradation induced by the(Ascensione Mountain, Fig. 1) (Cantalamessa et al., 1986),which originated from the dissection of the planation surface, first clearing of the natural vegetation and then drained again

artificially in the Middle Ages. In fact, pollen of cerealswere emplaced.Later, wide valleys, separated by smooth relief, were for- are found in the sediments overlying the unconformity/non-

depositional surface that separates the lower (Uppermed across all of the Apennine chain affected by progressiveuplifting between the Middle Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. Pleistocene) from the upper (Holocene) part of the sequence

in the borehole.Also, the development of this secondary landscape has beenattributed to erosional processes that occurred in proximity In the Cesi valley, near Madonna del Piano, the palaeonto-

logical excavations exposed a sequence about 12 mm thick,to base-level (Desplanques, 1969; Coltorti, 1981; Calamita etal., 1982; Ciccacci et al., 1985), with palaeovalleys lacking a which represents the remnant of a thicker alluvial terrace.

The lower part of the outcrop is represented by Lower–definite flow direction (Coltorti and Farabollini, 1995). How-ever, Dramis et al. (1991) and Dramis (1992) suggest the Middle Pleistocene sediments, predominantly clay-rich sedi-

ments with pebbly lenses. The total thickness of these sedi-existence of pedimentary processes at the mountain front(Periadriatic Basin, Fig. 1) and therefore the possibility that ments has never been precisely established. At the

palaeontological site (Fig. 3), a trench exposed over 8 m ofthese valleys also developed at high elevations. Previousstudies in the Colfiorito (Coltorti et al., in press) and recent massive clays (bed US 5); thin stone-lines occur, a few

decimetres from one another. Fossil bones are preserved ininvestigations in Castelluccio di Norcia areas (Fig. 1) (Coltortiand Farabolini, 1995), where there are also wide palaeoval- a fine gravel bed 20–50 cm thick (bed US 4), formed of

subangular and angular siliceous gravels, resulting fromleys lacking a definite flow direction on the watershed, seemto confirm the first hypothesis. Moreover, in the Periadriatic decalcification of limestone clasts, which were locally affec-

ted by load casts. A thin pyroclastic lamina (bed US 4a)area, littoral sediments coeval with the deposits that containthe mammal fauna, were uplifted to over 400 m a.s.l. More- discontinuously occurs at the base of the gravels. Oscillation

of the water table is responsible for the occurrence of Fe–over, convergent fluvial terraces reveal that the mountainarea was uplifted further than the coastal region (Coltorti et Mn concretions and nodules in the bed. In the same horizon,

centimetre-thick calcareous crusts occur linked with the pres-al., 1991), suggesting that the earlier elevation (today about800 m) was probably less than 400 m a.s.l. The sequence ence of herbaceous roots. Gravels, weathered in a tropical

reddish palaeosol, of which only the flint elements remain,under investigation here, as well as the nearby Colle Curtideposits, represents the infill of one of these valleys (Coltorti occur at the top of the preserved sequence of the terrace.

However, in other parts of the basin, in the same morpho-et al., in press).The transition to the present-day landscape was favoured and lithostratigraphic unit, limestone gravels are still pre-

served locally. The evidence suggests a lacustrine environ-by the deepening of the valleys that followed the increaseduplift after the final part of the Early Pleistocene. The activity ment succeeded in its upper part by clastic material derived

from an alluvial fan prograding into the lake. However, theof anti-Apennine and extensional Apennine faults on theTyrrhenian side of the Apennine chain occurred in a sub- upper part of this sequence was also affected locally by

erosional processes, which removed tens of metres of sedi-sequent movement, causing a series of captures in the drain-age system. The Cesi and Colle Curti basins originally ments.

1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 12(6) 507–518 (1997)

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Figure 3 Stratigraphy at the site of Cesi (Madonna del Piano). Legend: 1, clays; 2, pyroclastic layer (US 40); 3, limestone gravels; 4, flintgravels; 5, stone lines; 6, alluvial soils. The stratigraphical position of the samples taken for palynological (*) and palaeomagnetic (o)analyses, is indicated.

Analogous deeply weathered gravels also characterize the overlie clayey beds over 20 m thick. Beneath the clays,intercalations of gravelly lenses and beds become progress-top of the nearby Colle Curti sequence. Pyroclastic sedi-

ments, containing sanidine crystals dated, using the Ar/Ar ively more abundant, down to the base of the outcroppingsequence, which is about 100 m thick. The Colle Curti fossilmethod, to 424 kyr BP, are reported from a thin palustrine

layer (Coltorti et al., in press). In Colle Curti, these sediments assemblage was recovered at the base of the clays. The Cesi

Figure 2 The Colle Curti and Cesi area in its geomorphological setting: 1, major fluvial escarpment; 2, gullies and streams; 3, alluvianfans; 4, water-fall; 5, major captures; 6, hanging Lower Pleistocene palaeovalleys; 7, trough-floored valleys; 8, major extensional fault attime with associated fault escarpments (tract in the lowered part); 9, major overthrusts; 10, major fault escarpment; 11, ‘flat iron’ formsassociated with the main extensional fault of the East Tiber Basin; 12, major structural escarpment; 13, ridges with sharp crest; 14,colluvial sediments; 15, major landslides; 16, final Middle Pleistocene, Upper Pleistocene and Holocene alluvial sediments; 17, finalMiddle Pleistocene and Holocene travertines; 18, Upper Pleistocene and Holocene lacustrine deposits; 19, final Middle Pleistocene andUpper Pleistocene alluvial and fluvial deposits; 20, Lower Pleistocene alluvial and fluvial deposits; 21, remnants of the planation surface;22, palaeontological sites of Colle Curti (A) and Cesi (B). Note the very flat nature of the planation surface remnants preserved at the topof the relief. It affects all the formations strongly folded and overthrust during the Messinian. A series of palaeovalleys dissects theplanation surface and the Colle Curti deposits bear witness to a period of successive filling. Extensional faults were activated later andcreated a complex network, which first generated a clear watershed between the Adriatic and the Tyrrhenian side.



sequence shares many sedimentological characters with that The occurrence of Homotherium, the only carnivore hith-erto found at Cesi, is documented by a right second upperat Colle Curti, although most of the upper part is missing,

probably as a result of later erosion. incisor, but this find is weak evidence for any specific identi-fication.

The elephant is represented by a large fragment of oxcoxae (ileum and part of the acetabulum), a patella andprobably a semilunar. The poor state of preservation of theMammal palaeontologyspecimen prevents any determination.

The presence of a typical Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis,Bison schoetensacki and Dama clactoniana suggests a moreThe taxa identified from Cesi are an advanced representative

of Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis, a caballine equid, Hip- recent age than that of the Colle Curti community. Theassemblage is of limited diversity and the specimens arepopotamus sp., Megaceroides solilhacus, Cervus elaphus,

Dama clactoniana, Bison schoetensacki, Homotherium fragmentary and more poorly preserved than the materialfrom Colle Curti. The faunal composition is similar to that(Fig. 4) and an undetermined elephant. All this material is

kept in the Museum of Natural Science, University of Camer- from Isernia (Sala, 1983) and here it is referred to an early–middle part of the Middle Pleistocene (according to theino. No micromammals nor any other microvertebrates have

been recovered. location of the Early–Middle Pleistocene boundary, at aboutOxygen Isotope Stage 25, cf. Cita and Castradori, 1994). ByThe rhinoceros material is represented by a few poorly

preserved bones of a single individual; a mandible, a right and large, the assemblage is suggestive of open woodlandscharacterised by limited areas covered by trees. Moreover,second metacarpal bone, a right femur and a right tibia.

The morphological characteristics and proportions of the the presence of Hippopotamus and Dama indicates humidand not markedly cold climatic conditions.specimens are suggestive of Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis.

The femur is fairly diagnostic for recognising PleistoceneEuropean rhinoceroses. The specimen is massive, with avery broad roundish head, a short sturdy neck, a prominentgreater trochanter and a well-developed lesser trochanter. PalynologySlight disproportions in the lower cheek teeth distinguish theCesi rhinoceros from other representatives of S. hundshei-mensis. However, as this rhinoceros is one of the largest The palynological content of the 12 m sequence underlying

the Cesi fossiliferous bed taken as reference (0 m; Fig. 3) hassized representatives of the species, the differences in thedentition may probably reflect allometry (Fig. 4f). Ste- been studied (A. Bertini, in progress). These sediments are

represented mainly by clays, in which Fe–Mn and CaCO3phanorhinus hundsheimensis probably inhabited fairly openregions (Mazza, 1993) such as wooded steppes, probably concretions occur frequently, and locally also by thin layers

containing calcareous and siliceous gravels. The sedimento-occupying a niche similar to that of the living black rhi-noceros, Diceros bicornis. logical analysis and the predominance of palynologically

barren sediments suggest considerable weathering, both inThe equid is represented only by a right metatarsal bone,slightly deformed and fractured in its distal epiphysis, which the biostratinomic and in the diagenetic phases.

The pollen diagram has been reconstructed on the basisprevents a species determination.The hippopotamus remains consist of very fragmentary of the data from 12 samples (Fig. 6). In these samples, the

pollen concentration is generally high, with values rangingmaterial: two lower incisors, two lower canines, two scaplae,a humerus, two fragments of a pelvis, a femur, a patella from 6955 to 149 825 grains per gramme of sediment. The

palynological data from Cesi have been reported in associ-and two tibiae. Again, the very poor state of preservationprevents a determination to species level. ation with those from Colle Curti (Fig. 6), cited in the litera-

ture (Coltorti et al., in press), due to the geographical andScanty cervid remains were found. Some large-sized andstout remains (fragments of antlers and of antlered skulls, stratigraphical proximity of these two deposits.

The Cesi pollen diagram is characterised by the domi-and a calcaneum) indicate the occurrence of a megalocerine.In particular a distal part of a beam, which expands in a nance of herbaceous elements, especially represented by

Poaceae and Asteraceae. Among Asteraceae, Artemisia isbroad palmation characterised by several terminal pointsat the posterior border, allows reference to Megaceroides very abundant, sometimes in association with Ephedra,

another steppe element. Ranunculaceae, Caryophyllaceae,solilhacus (Fig. 5). Cervus elaphus is represented only by afragmentary mandible, still bearing the first and second Plantaginaceae and Polygonaceae pollen is also well rep-

resented. Arboreal plants are represented mainly by Pinusmolar. The occurrence of Dama clactoniana is indicated bya third lower molar, the distal fragments of two humeri, a pollen, which can reach frequencies of 73.65% TLP. Abies

and Picea are less abundant although always present,right one and a left one, and by a third phalanx. Althoughamong these remains diagnostic elements, such as antlers, whereas Tsuga and Cedrus are sporadic. Deciduous broad-

leaf trees, never more than the 6% TLP, are representedare absent, their larger size in comparison to those of Damadama allows them to be referred to Dama clactoniana mainly by Quercus, and sometimes also by Acer and Car-

pinus. Mediterranean xerophytes are rare.(Fig. 4g).A large-sized bovid is represented by an incomplete man- Zygnemataceae and Chlorophyceae algae and some local

herbaceous plants provide indications of the history of thedible, a fourth lower premolar, a third lower molar and ametacarpal bone, all referable to the genus Bison. Although depositional environment. In particular, the constant pres-

ence of Pediastrum, in association with Botryococcus, Spiro-these specimens are poorly diagnostic for specific determi-nation, their overall morphology and size compare with B. gyra and Mougeotia, suggests a freshwater environment,

sometimes under mesotrophic conditions.schoetensacki. The metacarpal indicates a particularly slen-der individual; however, given the high phenotypical plas- The Cesi pollen assemblages suggest the occurrence of a

landscape dominated by open vegetation characterised byticity of these animals, the Bison material from Cesi isconfidently referred here to B. schoetensacki (Fig. 4a–e). taxa (Poaceae, Asteraceaeae, including Artemisia and



Figure 4 (a) Bison shoetensacki. Left metacarpus, MSNC 255; dorsal view (×1/2). (b) Bison shoetensacki. Right mandibular ramus, MSNC257, occlusal view (×1/2). (c) Bison shoetensacki. Right mandibular ramus, MSNC 257; lateral view (×1/2). (d) Bison shoetensacki. RightM/3, MSNC 257 (×1). (e) Bison shoetensacki. Right M/3, MSNC 206 (×1). (f) Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis. Left mandibular ramus,MSNC 290a; medial view (×1/4). (g) Dama clactoniana. Distal end of right humerus, MSNC 264; cranial view (×1).



Figure 5 Megaceroides solilhacus. Fragment of antler, MSNC 287, and reconstruction of the same antler.

Ephedra, Chenopodiaceae, etc.) that were typical of the fairly unfavourable sedimentary features, mainly inclusionsof siliceous clasts and oxidation of the clayey matrix. Theglacial phases after 2.6 Ma in the Mediterranean region (Suc

et al., 1995). The markedly arid climate prevented the growth same problem was also encountered in the nearby sectionat Colle Curti (Coltorti et al., in press).of plants demanding year-long humid conditions. Broad-leaf

trees, represented mainly by Quercus pollen grains occurred The polarity pattern is established on the basis of the VGP(virtual geomagnetic pole) latitude values calculated frombut always at low frequencies. Woodland was dominated

by Pinus. The phases characterised by the expansion of Pinus the characteristic magnetisations, as shown in Fig. 8. Fromthe sample immediately below the fossiliferous bed andare probably linked with slight increases of the temperature

(wooded steppe). No new interglacial phases have been down to that at 6.5 m, the magnetisation has a single behav-ioural component (Fig. 7, sample at 3.10 m). From 7 mrecorded. The present-day arboreal vegetation in the Colle

Curti and Cesi areas is mainly a deciduous thermophilous downwards, a clearly reversed polarity occurs. The sampleat 8.0 m (Fig. 7) shows, under the thermal treatment up toforest of Quercus pubescens and Ostrya carpinifolia series

in the hill belt, and woodland with Fagus sylvatica in the 200°C, the removal of an initially superimposed normalfield, which produces an increase of intensity with stronglymountain belt (Orsomando, 1993).

At Colle Curti, steppe associations (Asteraceae, Cyper- deviated directions. Thereafter, a regular decrease of theprimary magnetisation displays a characteristic vector. In theaceae, Poaceae) are replaced by a mesophilous forest,

characterised principally by Tsuga and Cedrus. These lowest part of the trench, the signal deteriorates, althoughthe lowermost samples seem still to be in the reversedelements, which are more typical of the end of an inter-

glacial, indicate the occurrence of more humid conditions polarity zone.The distribution of the polarities in this section, togetherthan at Cesi, where the main arboreal taxon is Pinus.

In view of the fact that the two sequences jointly span with the stratigraphical and biochronological evidence ofthe local fauna in the Cesi sequence, suggest that the polarityover 0.4 myr, the absence of interglacial phases both at Cesi

and Colle Curti suggests the occurrence of several hiatuses. transition at 7 m corresponds to the Brunhes–Matuyama (B–M) boundary.

MagnetostratigraphyDiscussion and conclusions

About 11 cm of the sequence was sampled from a trenchexcavated for palaeomagnetic purposes beneath the fos- The results of the multidisciplinary investigations on the Cesi

sequence suggest that the fossiliferous bed is of early–middlesiliferous bed at Cesi. Thermal demagnetisation was used forassessing the characteristic vector of the primary remanence. Middle Pleistocene age and that the faunal assemblage can

be referred to the Middle–Late Galerian.Figure 7 shows the demagnetisation pattern for twosamples of normal and reversed polarity, respectively: the The Cesi sequence is thought to have accumulated in a

lacustrine environment, which, in its upper part, was suc-intensity decreases regularly, but the directions have twodistinct orientations. This suggests that in the upper part of ceeded by clastic sediments from an alluvial fan prograding

into the lake. On the basis of geomorphological evidence,the section there is a very well-defined normal polarity,whereas in the lower part the magnetisations seem poorly the lacustrine basin was formed by the extensional tectonics

that affected the Umbro-Marchean Apennines during theretained; the material in fact appears to be affected by


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Figure 6 Palynological diagrams from Cesi and Colle Curti. Colle Curti palynological and palaeomagnetic determinations are from Coltorti et al (in press). AP: arboreal plant; in the curves of other APare included Buxus, Salix, indeterminates and indeterminable pollen grains. NAP: non-arboreal plants. Hydrophytes curve includes: Alismataceae, Potamogeton, Sparganium, Typha latifolia, Myriophyllumand Epilobium. The curve of other NAP includes Apiaceae, Brassicaceae, Convolvulaceae, Dipsacaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Geraniaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, Linum, Plumbaginaceae. Bonesymbol indicates fossiliferous beds.


Figure 7 Demagnetisation and Zijderveld diagrams for samples of normal and reversed polarity (samples at 3.1 m and 8.0 m, respectively).On the left, the diagrams relative to sample at 3.10 m show a regular decrease of a single normal component of the characteristicmagnetisation. On the right, the diagrams relative to sample at 8.0 m display a more complex behaviour with the removal of a secondarycomponent until 200°C and the consequent enhancement of the characteristic reversed magnetisation.

Early–Middle Pleistocene. The fauna from Cesi is more Previous hypotheses (Coltorti et al., in press) put forwardadvanced than that found in the adjacent Colle Curti basin, to explain this peculiarity at Colle Curti, such as the strongas demonstrated by the stage of evolution of most of its influence of geographical factors (e.g. altitude), do not seemcomponents. Likewise, in the pollen flora, the sporadic satisfactory, particularly in light of the new palynologicaloccurrence of Tsuga, as well as the absence of other and palaeomagnetic evidence from Cesi. In fact the pollenelements such as Carya and Liquidambar, confirm a more record obtained from the nearby extant Colfiorito swamprecent age for the Cesi sequence. The fossil assemblage was (Brugiapaglia and de Beaulieu, 1995) reveal a similar picture.obtained from a positively magnetized section of the local It is interesting to note that in this sequence ansequence, which is thus attributed to the Brunhes Chron; unconformity/non-depositional surface separates the Upperon the other hand, the Colle Curti fauna was preserved very Pleistocene sediments from those deposited during the Holo-close to the base of the normal polarity magnetized sedi- cene, following the first evidence of human deforestation inments referred to the Jaramillo Subchrone (C1r1n) (Coltorti the area. In the Early Holocene, as in the previous inter-et al., in press). The fact that the Cesi fossiliferous bed lies glacial, much of the fluvial activity was diverted underground7 m above the B–M boundary (780 ka) suggests an age close along buried karstic features and fractures. The deforestationto the latter. activated erosional processes on the slopes, artificially gener-

The analyses carried out on the Cesi sequence below the ating much drier conditions, which may have been compara-fossil-bearing bed indicate the dominance of elements typical ble to those during the glacial phases. During the first phasesof open vegetation, sometimes interrupted by a temporary of slope erosion, the soil profiles were eroded as witnessedspread of pine forest. On the whole, markedly arid con-

by a thin stone-line. Only when the ongoing of slope degra-ditions and low temperatures typical of a glacial phase seem

dation was able to fill the seepage lines was there again theto have occurred. The fauna from Cesi, obtained from theestablishment of swamp conditions in the valley bottoms. Inuppermost part of the sequence, suggest open woodlands,the Colle Curti and Cesi sedimentological records, as wellbut not under particularly severe climatic conditions, andas in the Colfiorito swamp, therefore, the interglacial hiatusestherefore most probably indicate interstadial conditions.tend to be represented by stone-lines.The palynological record from both sites indicates a land-

scape strongly dominated by an open vegetation representedprincipally by Asteraceae, Cyperaceae and Poaceae pollen

Acknowledgements The research was financed by Consigliograins. The repeated episodes characterised by such a veg-Nazionale delle Ricerche and Ministero dell’Universita e della

etation typical of markedly arid conditions apparently rep-Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnica 60% grants. Special thanks are due to

resent glacial phases. No significant expansions of thermo- A. Blasetti, V. Borselli, F. Cozzini, F. Landucci and M. Mazzini forphilous trees, with the exception of temporary spreads of a their contribution in the excavation and restoration of the fossilpine forest at Cesi and of a mesophilous forest with Tsuga material. We would also thank S. Cucchiari and F. Salvadori forand Cedrus at Colle Curti, have been recorded. The absence their contribution in the excavation of the site. We are indebted toof new interglacial phases is the striking feature of both the Dr P. Gibbard for the revision of the English.pollen diagrams.



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Cesi, an early Middle Pleistocene site in the Colfiorito Basin (Umbro-Marchean Apennine), central Italy

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