Combined palaeomagnetic secular variation and petrophysical records to time-constrain geological and hazardous events: An example from the eastern Tyrrhenian Sea over the last 120ka

Long-term change of Earth's magnetic field (palaeomagnetic secular variation, PSV) during much of the last approximately 120ka was recorded in cored sediment from the slope margin of the eastern Tyrrhenian Sea. The PSV record has been correlated to master curves of global palaeomagnetic field intensity and PSV records for western Europe. Tephrochronology and radiometric dating (14C and 40Ar/39Ar) have also been used to constrain the age of the PSV record. The combination of the new data with prior PSV and petrophysical data from the area provides a chronological framework for geological events such as large-scale submarine slumps, stratigraphic gaps and short-term changes in deposition rate on the continental margin. These latter changes are linked to the combined action of relative sea-level oscillations, climate events, and consequent variations in land exposure through time. Moreover, new data concerning the thickness and dispersal of Campanian Plain pyroclastic deposits in the marine setting enable volcanic-hazard evaluation. Finally, a pyroclastic deposit (tephra X-6) found offshore in the Southern Campanian marine environment was 40Ar/39Ar dated for the first time at 108.9±1.8kaBP. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.