Stratigraphic setting of a segment from the Eastern margin of the Apennine platform (Monte di Viggiano, Southern Apennines)

In this study the carbonate succession of the Monte di Viggiano, situated about 30km South of Potenza (Southern Italy), has been investigated in detail for the first time. Three sections have been selected and a high resolution sampling was carried out. Integrated fabric and facies analyses supplemented with biostratigraphic observations have been used to evaluate the depositional environments and ages of the investigated deposits. Palaeontological assessment indicate a deposition within a subtropical inner shallow platform environment. This allow us to associate the limestones to the tectonic unit of Alburno-Cervati that represent the internal realm of the Apennine platform. Palaeontologic analyses give us a Late Liassic age for the lowermost section. The other two profiles show shallow-water limestones evolving from the Valanginian to the Early Cenomanian. This sedimentary record is, however, affected by frequent episodes of breccia sedimentation. At least four brecciation processes could be distinguished throughout this time span. The breccias originated probably from periodic emersion of some parts of the platform due to relative sea-level changes and were deposited in the close vicinity to where they were generated. Miocene quartzarenites have been found for the first time on the Monte di Viggiano, unconformably lying over the Mesozoic deposits. © 2012 Società Geologica Italiana, Roma.