SESS 2_16022011_TPR3.pub


  

 

  

 

 

 

Il Quaternario 
Italian Journal of Quaternary Sciences 
24, (Abstract AIQUA, Roma 02/2011),  

Congresso AIQUA 
Il Quaternario Italiano: conoscenze e prospettive 

Roma 24 e 25 febbraio 2011 

THE POLLEN FINGERPRINT OF THE LAST INTERGLACIAL 
IN THE SOUTH-EASTERN PO PLAIN 

 
Fabio Fusco 

LIPPIA, Pescara 
Dip. di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, Firenze 

Corresponding author: F. Fusco <fabiommfusco@libero.it>  
 
ABSTRACT: Fusco F., The pollen fingerprint of the Last Interglacial in the south-eastern Po Plain. (IT ISSN 0394-3356, 
2011) 
The Last Interglacial in the SE Po Plain can be recognized by: i) a forest dynamics of four distinct phases, Corylus-
>Quercus->Carpinus->Fagus; ii) continuous presence and maxima of Zelkova and evergreen Quercus ; iii) Quercus at 
75%. These features are not recorded during the preceding and the subsequent warm-temperate intervals, and can be 
considered as distinctive of the Last Interglacial in the SE Po Plain.  
RIASSUNTO: Fusco F., L'impronta pollinica dell'Ultimo Interglaciale nell'area padana sud-orientale. (IT ISSN 0394-
3356, 2011) 
L'Ultimo Glaciale nel settore SE della Pianura Padana può essere riconosciuto da: i) una dinamica forestale suddivisa 
in quattro distinte fasi, Corylus->Quercus->Carpinus->Fagus; ii) dalla presenza continua e dai valori massimi di Zelkova 
e delle querce sempreverdi; Quercus al 75%. Tali tratti principali, non registrati negli intervalli caldo-temperati 
precedenti né in quelli successivi, possono essere considerati distintivi dell'Ultimo Interglaciale nella pianura 
romagnola.  
 

Key words: pollen, Last Interglacial, Eemian, vegetation dynamics, Fagus. 
 

Parole chiave: polline, Ultimo Interglaciale, Eemiano, dinamica vegetazionale, Fagus. 

l ong 
(over 

150m) and continuously cored boreholes, labelled 
223-S17, 240-S8 and 222-S2. (Fig.1). In this 
extended abstract, only the pollen diagram from 
core 223-S17 is shown. Pollen diagrams from 
cores S2 and S8 are not figured because they are 
similar to that of S17. 
 
2. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 
 
The pollen diagram of core 223-S17 (Fig. 2) shows 
two opposite pollen associations which testify two 
extreme vegetation landscapes: 
- a non-forested (steppic) panorama, as the 

1. INTRODUCTION 
 
The Po River Plain is one of the major alluvial plain 
of Europe and it was densely drilled in the last 
years for the geological mapping project of Italy to 
scale 1:50.000 (CARG Project). 
As part of this huge project, the Geological Survey 
of Regione Emilia-Romagna extensively drilled the 
Late Quaternary deposits of the SE Po Plain. 
In the last years, a number of works concerning 
pollen (e.g., FUSCO, 1999), foraminifers, ostracods, 
radiocronologic and sedimentological data and 
their integration in a reliable chronostratigraphic 
framework (e.g., AMOROSI et al., 2004; AMOROSI & 
COLALONGO, 2005; Notes to F° 222, 223, 240, 256 
of CARG project, and references therein) 
documents the depositional history, the 
stratigraphic architecture and the palaeoclimatic 
evolution of the Romagna plain over the last 150 
ky, suggesting that Late Quaternary sedimentation 
in the eastern Po Plain developed under a 
predominantly glacio-eustatic control. A cyclic 
sedimentation pattern (including continental, 
coastal and shallow-marine deposits) defines two 
transgressive-regressive sequences, deposited 
over the last two climatic cycles. 
The vegetation dynamics within the Last 
Interglacial (~MIS 5e), a time interval poorly 
investigated in the Po Plain, and the subsequent 
substages (MIS 5d-5a) is here reconstructed on 
the base of the detailed pollen diagrams from three 

Fig. 1, Location map of the boreholes. 
Ubicazione dei sondaggi.  

 
 
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108  

values (not maxima), with appearance of other (not 
all) warm-temperate trees; 
- b) Quercus (oak) phase, during which both 
deciduous and evergreen oaks attain their maxima 
(~75%). 
- c) Carpinus t. betulus (hornbeam) phase, during 
which Carpinus appears and spreads. Quercus 
decreases. Picea (spruce) and Abies (fir) are at 
high percentages. The most marked peak of Abies 
occurs at the end of this phase.  
- d) Fagus (beech) phase, with Fagus at ~25% on 
average, indicating its local spread over the plain 
from the back relieves. Carpinus does not vary its 
values. Quercus decreases. 
It is furthermore noteworthy the continuous and 
relative maxima of evergreen Quercus and 
Zelkova, taxa never abundant in Late Quaternary 
pollen profiles from N-Italy. 
These peculiar pollen features are also recorded in 
S8 and S2 cores and they will never repeat in the 
subsequent warm-temperate intervals, making the 
Last Interglacial distinguishable from the 
succeeding interstadials.  
 
2.3 The presence of Fagus in the Last 
Interglacial 
 
It is well known that Fagus is virtually absent in 
pollen profiles of Central and Mediterranean 

response of the vegetation to glacial (or stadial) 
climate, characterized by dominance of Pinus, with 
bushes (Artemisia and Ephedra), non-arboreal 
elements, scarcity of trees, low floristic diversity, 
and low total pollen concentrations; 
- a forested landscape (dominance of AP) due to 
warm-temperate (interglacial or interstadial) 
climate, characterized by high number of arboreal 
taxa, high floristic diversity, strong reduction of 
Pinus and NAP. 
The marked expansion of forests during the last 
Interglacial is followed by two minor forest 
development referred to interstadials 5c and 5a. 
Analogue vegetation dynamics occurs in core 240-
S8 and 222-S2. 
During these interstadials, in S17 Poaceae and 
hygro-hydrophytes (mainly Cyperaceae) spread 
markedly, when humid environments, to which 
they are linked, progressively reached the SE Po 
Plain in their migration northwards as a result of 
marine transgression. 
 
2.1 The pollen fingerprint of the Last 
Interglacial (Eemian) in the SE Po Plain 
 
A very interesting forest dynamics, composed of 
four phases, characterizes the Last Interglacial: 
- a) Corylus (hazel) phase, at the beginnings of the 
interglacial, with deciduous Quercus (oak) at high 

Fig. 2, Core 223-S17: pollen diagram of selected taxa for the Last Interglacial (Eemian, MIS 5e) and subsequent 
stadials and interstadials. The pollen "fingerprint" of the Last Interglacial is given by: a clear forest dynamics in four 
phases (Corylus->Quercus->Carpinus->Fagus); Quercus culmination at ~70%; the spread of Fagus (~25%); the 
continuous presence and the relative abundance of Zelkova and evergreen Quercus (in circles) 
Sondaggio 223-S17: diagramma pollinico dei principali taxa per l'Ultimo Interglaciale (Eemiano, MIS 5e) e i successivi 
stadiali ed interstadiali. L'impronta pollinica dell'Ultimo Interglaciale è data da: una chiara dinamica forestale in quattro 
fasi (Corylus->Quercus->Carpinus->Fagus); la culminazione di Quercus a ~70%; la diffusione di Fagus (~25%); la 
presenza continua e la relativa abbondanza di Zelkova e delle querce sempreverdi (nei cerchi) 

F. Fusco 



  

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Ms. received: 
Testo ricevuto il 

suggesting the onset of a brief cooling episode 
possibly reportable to the Montaigu event. 
 
3. CONCLUSIONS 
 
The development of the Last Interglacial in the SE 
Po Plain is characterized by a series of peculiar 
pollen aspects which make this warm period 
distinguishable from a palynological viewpoint. The 
unexpected presence of Fagus in the Last 
Interglacial is a very interesting occurrence which 
makes this area a possible refuge area.  
 
REFERENCES 
 
AMOROSI A. & COLALONGO M.L. (2005) - The linkage 

between alluvial and coeval nearshore marine 
successions: evidence from the Late Quaternary record 
of the Po River Plain, Italy. In: BLUM M.D., MARRIOTT 
S.B. & LECLAIR, S.F. (Eds.) - Fluvial Sedimentology VII. 
International Association of Sedimentologists, Special 
Publ., 35, 257-275. 

AMOROSI A., COLALONGO M.L., FIORINI F., FUSCO F., 
PASINI G., VAIANI S.C. & SARTI G. (2004) - 
Paleogeographic and paleoclimatic evolution of the Po 
Plain from 150-ky core records. Global Planet. Change, 
40, 55-78. 

BERTOLANI MARCHETTI D. & SOLETTI G.A. (1972) – La 
vegetazione del Monte Amiata nell’ultimo interglaciale. 
St. Trid. Sc. Nat., 49, 59-177. 

FOLLIERI M., MAGRI D. & SADORI L. (1988).  250,000-year 
pollen record from Valle di Castiglione (Roma).  Pollen 
et Spores, 30, 329-356. 

FUSCO F. (1999) - Palinologia ed evoluzione della flora, 
della vegetazione e del clima nel sodaggio S17. In: 
AMOROSI A., SEVERI P., ROVERI M., CORREGGIARI A., 
PRETI M., TOMMASETTI C., TAROCCO P., COLALONGO 
M.L., PASINI G., VAIANI S.C., FUSCO F., MARCHESINI L., 
SPADAFORA E., CIBIN U., ZUFFA G.G. & DINELLI E. - 
Note illustrative della Carta Geologica d'Italia alla scala 
1:50.000. F. 223 - Ravenna, 127-130. 

MULLENDERS W., FAVERO V., COREMANS M. & DIRICKX M. 
(1996) - Analyses pollinique de sondages a Venise (VE
-I, VE-I bis, VE-II). Aardk. Mededel., 7, 87-116. 

PINI R., RAVAZZI C. & DONEGANA M. (2009) - Pollen 
stratigraphy, vegetation and climate history of the last 
215 ka in the Azzano Decimo core (plain of Friuli, north
-eastern Italy). Quat. Sc. Rev., 28, 1268-1290  

Europe during the Last Interglacial. When recorded 
in some sites, pollen of Fagus occurs 
discontinuously and limited to very low 
percentages, as at Azzano Decimo (NE-Italy, PINI 
et al., 2009). At Valle di Castiglione (Central Italy) 
Fagus is continuously present, but its values are 
again very low (FOLLIERI et al., 1988). Fagus 
becomes abundant later on. 
By contrast, Fagus spread over the SE Po Plain 
during the final phase of the Last Interglacial with 
high values (~25% on average), which testify its 
presence in situ. This occurrence is surprising 
even if it is not isolated in Italy: at Venice 
(MULLENDERS et al., 1996), Fagus is recorded in 
the pollen zone referred to Eemian (zone 14) at 
~10% on average with peak of ~25%, consistently 
with core S17 and S8. At Mt. Amiata Fagus is 
abundant (over 30%) in an warm interval referred 
to the Riss/Würm Interglacial (=Eemian) by U/Th 
datings (BERTOLANI MARCHETTI & SOLETTI, 1972). 
In core S2 the Fagus-phase is absent because the 
pollen registration is truncated by a sand interval. 
High percentages and local occurrence of a beech 
forest could indicate the presence of a refuge area 
for the beech in the SE Po Plain. 
 
3.3 The post-Interglacial 
 
At S17, a thick deposit of regressive sands 
abruptly concludes the Fagus-phase and, 
consequently, the Last Interglacial. 
Successively, the spread of shrubby-herbaceous 
communities with Pinus and steppic elements 
signs the return to cold climatic conditions (MIS 
5d). All warm-temperate trees disappear. 
A development of temperate forests is again 
exhibited during 5c and 5a interstadials. Forest 
dynamics is here characterized by the spread of 
warm-temperate trees, weaker than the preceding 
interglacial, and parallel profiles of Fagus and 
Carpinus which are joined in a common phase. 
Quercus does not display marked peaks whereas 
Zelkova and evergreen Quercus are discontinuous 
and scarce.  
In core S17 an unexpected re-diffusion of Pinus 
with Artemisia is recorded within the 5c Interstadial 

 
 
 January 15, 2011 
 15 gennaio 2011 

The pollen fingerprint of the Last Interglacial in ...