Marine terraces perched high above sea level in southern Italy are rising five to 10 times faster than previously calculated, driven by an active tectonic slab tear beneath the region.
Researchers collected sand samples from step-like marine formations reaching approximately 1,000 meters, or 3,300 feet, above sea level in southern Calabria during 2025, according to PHYS. Geologists traditionally avoided sampling terraces at such high elevations for luminescence dating because prevailing assumptions held that formations roughly 1 million years old exceeded the operational limits of the method. A research team successfully applied the technique to date the high-altitude sediments.
Challenging Established Geological Timelines
The successful luminescence dating supported a hypothesis that these elevated terraces are significantly younger than standard geological models previously inferred. The data revealed that the land surface is experiencing rapid transient uplift along a fault system spanning more than 100 miles, or 160 kilometers, across the Siculo-Calabrian rift zone.
Tectonic Mechanics Beneath the Ionian Slab
The findings point to deep subterranean forces to explain the accelerated vertical motion. The results provide evidence that the Ionian slab—an oceanic segment belonging to the African tectonic plate—is actively tearing directly underneath southern Calabria.
Implications for Regional Seismicity
Studying active dynamics of slab detachment in this Mediterranean subduction zone provides researchers with a clearer view of seismic hazards. Insights gained from studying southern Italy could improve earthquake hazard assessments locally and in other active subduction zones worldwide. The findings were published in Communications Earth and Environment.
