GUIDE

OF THE GEO-TOURISTIC ITINERARY

Tourism and Geology in eastern Salento

within the framework of the activities

of the

Service of recognition and check of the geological heritage, with

identification of the geosites and places of geological interest of the
Apulia Region
(L.R. 33/2009 - action 4.4.1 - line 4.4 - axis IV - P.O. FESR 2007 2013)

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AUTHORS
The document has been produced by:
Silvia Ciurlia
Flaviana Defilo
Antonello Fiore
Mario Parise

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INDEX
Authors

Index

1.

Foreword

2.

General features of the itinerary by car

3.

Hiking

4.

Description of the geosites

5.

6.

4.1.

Deposits with crabs and ittiodontoliti at Porto Craulo

4.2.

Pliocene succession at the Otranto harbour

10

4.3.

Aqueduct Carlo Magno

11

4.4.

Bauxite mine Le Orte

13

4.5.

Tsunami deposits at Torre Sant'Emiliano

15

4.6.

Deers Cave

16

4.7.

Oligocene calcarenites with rodolites at Porto Badisco

18

4.8.

Lepidocycline Calcarenites at Villaggio Paradiso

20

4.9.

Eocene limestones at Torre Specchialaguardia

22

4.10.

Thermal area of Santa Cesarea

24

4.11.

Li tamantili

25

4.12.

Masso della Vecchia

28

4.13.

Alimini Lakes

31

Something more (in-depth materials)

33

5.1.

Morphological characters

33

5.2.

Geology and tectonics

33

Glossary

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1. FOREWORD
The present guide illustrates a proposal of geo-touristic itinerary (entitled Tourism and
Geology of eastern Salento) that, in addition to the specific sites of geological interest,
also includes naturalistic and historical-cultural issues. By using the existing path network,
the itinerary allows to transfer information to a wide public about sites of the geological
heritage of eastern Salento, that represent important evidence of the history and the
geological, geomorphological, hydrogeological and pedological evolution of the territory.
The work is part of the activities of dissemination of the interdisciplinary project Service of
recognition and check of the existing geological heritage, with identification of the geosites
and places of geological interest of the Apulia Region, which has as main goal the
implementation of the Regional Inventory of the Geosites, as expected by article 3 of the
Regional Law of Apulia no. 33/2009 Safeguard and exploitation of the geological and
speleological heritage (action 4.4.1 - line 4.4 - axis IV - P.O. FESR 2007 - 2013). Such
Inventory, realized after a detailed recognition and check of the geological heritage of the
regional territory, will represent a useful tool for both the geological knowledge of the
territory, and the base to further promote the preservation and exploitation of the
geological heritage.
One of the primary activities to guarantee such preservation is precisely represented by
developing a careful and responsible geo-tourism.
The area interested by the present itinerary is object since a few years of touristic fruition,
mostly concentrated during the summer season. This project has as goal to encourage the
growing touristic interest for the natural features, that may contribute to differentiate
throughout the year the touristic presence, which attractions may derive also from the
geological heritage of scientific and economic significance.
The itinerary develops through the 13 geosites identified during the inventory phases of
the project (the related sheetforms are available at the internet site of the project). Along
the itinerary, or in its immediate surroundings, others places of geological interest are also
present; these are not described in this guide, but might be used to integrate the itinerary
in the future.
The present itinerary is accessible by car (see 2), but it also shows hiking paths to reach
some of the geosites (see 3). Most of the itinerary develops along the coast, thus
permitting to have panoramic views of the coastal landscape of Salento; the western part
of the itinerary, making a loop in its northern sector, moves, on the other hand, in the
Salento countryside, among its most typical features, with olive tree groves and the many
testimonies of the local rural architecture (dry stone walls, pagliare, masserie).
For logistic reasons, and for the importance of the site and its fame as well, the
recommended starting point is the town of Otranto. Nevertheless, the itinerary can be
followed starting by any of the geosites, since it does not have a specific sequence in the
succession of the stops.

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2. GENERAL FEATURES OF THE ITINERARY BY CAR

The proposed itinerary, about 53 km-long, crosses a slightly ondulated area of western
Salento, with multiple views on the Otranto channel. The landscape is characterized by a
series of ridges, locally called Serre (maximum elevation 126 m a.s.l.), elongated in NWSE direction, with intervening plains, located at lower elevations.
Following the beginning of the itinerary with recommended starting point at Otranto
(coordinates of the starting/arrival point: WGS84UTM33N X = 797026; Y = 4450031;
WGS84 Long: 18.48687913; Lat: 40.14814059), the northern sector of the town, at the
final rim of the northern cape of the Otranto bay, is reached; here is the geosite "Deposits
with crabs and ittiodontoliti of Porto Craulo" ( 4.1), of significant palaeontological
importance, showing abundant fauna and many organisms of low-depth sea, in growing
position.
On the opposite side of the bay, moving from the Otranto harbour, the geosite Pliocene
succession of the Harbour of Otranto ( 4.2) can be easily reached, along the coastline,
here showing the character of rock cliff: this site has a primary scientific interest in the
fields of geological stratigraphy, palaeontology and sedimentology, since it shows clearly
the geological contact among two formations of different ages, and deposited in different
environments of sedimentation.
At the immediate boundaries of the town of Otranto, along the Idro Valley, the geosite
Aqueduct Carlo Magno ( 4.3) is located: this is an interesting underground work of
hydraulic engineering, that represented the first example of public aqueduct in the Lecce
province. The subterranean structure cannot be visited by tourists. South from Otranto, in
locality Le Orte, you can reach what is certainly one of the most appealing sites of the
whole itinerary: the geosite Bauxite mine Le Orte ( 4.4), where the contrast in colors
among the lake hosted at the bottom of the depression originally used for extraction and
the surrounding rocks is of great emotional impact, in any light condition.
Leaving Otranto in southward direction, in a few minutes you can reach, following the
Province Road 87 (SP 87) Palasca Cape, the extreme eastern cape of Italy, and, keep
going along the same road, farther south there is the geosite Tsunami deposits at Torre
SantEmiliano ( 4.5), near the coastal tower of the same name (one of the many sighting
towers, built for defensive purposes in order to point out the arrival of enemies from the
sea): the geological interest here derives from accumulation of large blocks, due to sea
storm waves that deposited them at a distance of some 80 m from the coastline. A
downhill stretch of the road, still along the SP 87, allows to reach the bay of Porto Badisco,
where on the hydrographic left side two sites of interest are located: namely, the geosite
Deers Cave ( 4.6) and the geosite Oligocene calcarenites with rodolites of Porto
Badisco ( 4.7). The first is a karst cave, not open to the public, of remarkable importance
for the exceptional nature of the wall paintings of Neolithic age, made with bat guano and
red ochre, portraying geometric figures, both humans and animals. The site, safeguarded
by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Culturali, is entirely fenced and can be only reached at a
distance, approaching it from the bay of Porto Badisco. At the northern margin of the same
bay, the geosite of calcarenites with rodolites (algae nodules) is visible; these deposits
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indicate peculiar sedimentary conditions during the geological time of formation of the
rocks.
Keep going, from Porto Badisco toward the south, along the coastal road (from now on
named SP 358), in direction of Santa Cesarea Terme, there is a few-km long stretch with
high rock cliffs. In this area, as well as to the north, near Palasca Cape, the mountains of
Albania can be seen at a distance in clear sky conditions. Near Villaggio Paradiso the
geosite Lepidocycline Calcarenites of Villaggio Paradiso ( 4.8) is located: this, too, is of
both palaeontological (for abundance and size of the fossils) and sedimentological (since it
testifies a particular environment of deposition) significance. Further on, along the same
road SP 358, a road cut allows to observe one of the rare outcrops of Eocene age, at the
geosite Eocene limestones of Torre Specchialaguardia ( 4.9).
Once reached Santa Cesarea Terme, you are at the geosite Thermal area of Santa
Cesarea ( 4.10), where the health spa of Santa Cesarea exploits the sulfur waters
coming out from several coastal caves. In particular conditions of sea current and wind,
white plumes (produced by the abundant presence of sulfur) can be seen on the sea
surface in front of the cave entrances. At the southern margin of Santa Cesarea, the
geosite Li Tamantili ( 4.11) is present, which name derives from the local dialect: it
consists of the evidence left by ancient quarries for the extraction of building material, that
were worked down to the sea level. Even though the Santa Cesarea geosites are partly
visible from the land, the ideal situation to have their best appreciation is that from the sea;
sea conditions permitting, therefore, a boat tour along this stretch of the coastline is
strongly recommended.
At this point of the itinerary it is necessary to go back along the SP 358, from Santa
Cesarea Terme to Porto Badisco, and from here moving inland, toward Uggiano La
Chiesa, and then Minervino di Lecce (along SP 56); once the village of Minervino is left,
you need to move toward Palmariggi, along the SP 59. About halfway between the two
villages, a diversion on the lefthand side brings to the geosite Masso della Vecchia (
4.12), in a large olive tree grove with presence of huge blocks of rock that created
monolithic structures (produced by karst and erosional processes), and that are at the
origin of many folk legends.
The itinerary goes ahead to the north, moving from Palmariggi along some secondary
roads that allow to get a further glimpse of the Salento countryside, in a landscape
characterized by slightly ondulated surfaces and low plains, before joining the SP 48, and
further on the SP 341, toward the last geosite of the itinerary: the Alimini Lakes ( 4.13).
These occupy two tectonic depressions, and are directly fed by groundwaters by means of
a number of springs on the western side, and by freshwater from several channels. Beside
the lakes, along the coastline a different landscape can be here appreciated, with a low
coast in soft rocks or sands, and development of sand dunes.
For more detailed descriptions of the geosites, the reader is referred to the following pages
of this guide.

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3. HIKING
Some parts of the itinerary are hiking paths, necessary to reach the geosite of interest
along earth walkway or natural landscapes. They consist of short streches, that allow to
further appreciate the geological features of the area, combined with others of botanical,
faunistic and naturalistic interests. Given the characters of the Salento territory, mostly
plain or with slight slopes, the hiking is essentially without any difficulty, developing for
great part along horizontal paths. The total length of the hiking parts is slight more than 3
km.
The first walking paths are within the inhabited area of Otranto, to reach, respectively, the
geosites "Deposits with crabs and ittiodontoliti of Porto Craulo" ( 4.1), and Pliocene
succession of the Harbour of Otranto ( 4.2). The geosite Aqueduct Carlo Magno ( 4.3)
requires, too, a short hike along the Idro Valley, without any particular difficulty. To fully
enjoy the beauty and the suggestion of the geosite Bauxite mine Le Orte ( 4.4), the
recommendation is, once left the car, to approach the site by walk, and to follow its
perimeter (keeping at a safe distance from the about vertical walls), on a terrain of terra
rossa with abundant bauxite nodules. Especially on the western side, care must be taken
when moving along the deep incisions and gullies, also because of the slippery clays,
especially after rain.
Hiking to approach the site is also required to reach the geosite Tsunami deposits at
Torre SantEmiliano ( 4.5): once left the car at the margins of road SP 87, a walk of
some 15 minutes will bring you close to the coastline, along a rocky landscape with lowmedium slope.
Eventually, the geosite Masso della Vecchia ( 4.12) is the last one for which a hiking is
necessary: moving from the SP 59, the walkway follows a path with asphalt, before moving
to the NW to enter the olive tree grove hosting the rock blocks of interest. The hike is
entirely on flat terrain, without difficulty.
For more detailed descriptions of the geosites, the reader is referred to the following pages
of this guide.

4. DESCRIPTION OF THE GEOSITES

The geo-touristic itinerary here proposed allows to appreciate the geomorphological
features of eastern Salento, together with its valuable natural landscape and the links with
rural architecture, history, social development and geo-resources.
The itinerary partly develops in the Parco Naturale Regionale "Costa Otranto - Santa Maria
di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase", established with regional law (L.R.) no. 30/2006 to safeguard
the naturalistic heritage of the area, of very high scientific and cultural values
(www.parcootrantoleuca.it/). Composed of 13 sites of observation with illustrative panels, it
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includes an itinerary by car and some hiking paths, through which it is possible to observe
the main geological units and their relationships.
In the following, each geosite along the itinerary is described in detail, starting, as
recommended, from Otranto and moving southward along the coast, to then continuing
inland before going back toward the coast at the northern end, near the Alimini Lakes.
In the description of the single geosite, an effort was made to use an easy-to-comprehend
language, by limiting as much as possible the use of technical terms; however, since some
technical terms had necessarily to be included, the Glossary ( 6) at the end of this guide
provides synthetic explanations for the terms that are written in bold in the text.

4.1. DEPOSITS WITH CRABS AND ITTIODONTOLITI AT PORTO CRAULO

The geosite of Porto Craulo, at the Frascio locality, north of Otranto, is a place of high
landscape value and offers a number of interesting points for tourists; further, it represents
a geosite of reference for similar and coeval deposits at Roca Li Posti and San Andrea
(further north along the Adriatic coastline), as concerns the palaeontological characters.
Detailed studies were carried out at the site in the middle sixties and the early eighties of
last century: the deposit consists of a yellowish and weakly cemented calcarenite made of
fossil fragments, similar for lithologic features and microfauna contents to the calcareous
organogenic sands of Cape of Otranto.

Figure 1 General view of the site (photo: S. Margiotta).

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The abundant macrofauna is represented by rests of isolated Corals, Brachiopods,

Cirripedes, Echinids, Lamellibranches, Gastropoda and Chelonia. There is a remarkable
presence of Decapoda Crustaceans brachiuri among which specimen of Cancer
sismondai Meyer; Varola, 1965, are mostly represented, all in position of growth: these
taxa indicate a neritic (or sub-littoral) environment, with low sea level, calm waters and
slow sedimentation. The comparison with the species living today show how the Cancer
genus has adapted to deeper seas.
Other important discoveries are the ittiodontoliti (fossilized fishes teeth), and in particular
the species Notidamus griseus, Sparus cinctus e Pagrus Mauritanicus.

Figure 2 Detail of the succession (photo: S. Margiotta).

Figure 3 Crustacean from Porto Craulo (photo: A. Varola).

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4.2. PLIOCENE SUCCESSION AT THE OTRANTO HARBOUR

The geosite, that can be reached by a short walk from the harbour of Otranto, has
scientific interest in the field of stratigraphic geology, palaentology and sedimentology,
since it clearly shows the contact between two geological formations of different ages,
formed in distinct environments of sedimentation. The lower unit, that shows aspects
similar to the Trubi (geological formation defined in Sicily), is the Formation of Leuca
(Lower Pliocene): it indicates an environment of open sea (outer carbonate platform) with
low sedimentation rate, and is made of whitish marls with intercalation of pale-yellow
sandy levels. Typically unbedded, it shows local bedding, due to presence of thin,
cemented and often oxided, levels.

Figure 4 The Pliocene succession at the Otranto harbour (left), and detail (right) of the contact
between the deposits of the Leuca Formation (Trubi) and the Uggiano la Chiesa Formation (photo:
S. Margiotta).

A phosphate crust in the upper part of the unit, thick up to 20 cm, shows bio-erosion from
lithofagi organisms. Isolated fossils are locally found (Amusium, Chlamys,
Neopycnodonte). The overlying formation is that of Uggiano la Chiesa (Middle-Upper
Pliocene), related to marine environments of low depth, as testified by the microfauna
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benthos: at its base, there is a conglomerate with clasts of variable lithologic origin, with
diameter that can reach 50-80 cm, dark brown in color with greenish tones, immersed in a
yellowish matrix of calcareous mud with fossil remains. The color of the clasts has to be
related to processes of phosphatization, that also brought to the formation of small
nodules, dispersed within the sediment. Among the clasts, that are often affected by
biological erosion, the presence of bauxite nodules (pisolites) and glauconite granules
has been observed. The matrix presents several fossils, with prevailing Ostrea (even of
great size) and Chlamys; in addition, Flabellipecten, Spondylus, Amusium, Conus,
echinids, corals, and fish tooth are also present. Gradually, but with high rate, the clasts
decrease upward, until leaving space to the most typical facies of the geological unit, that
is medium-fine, yellowish detritic-organogenous limestones, locally marly limestones.

Figure 5 Detail of the phosphatic breccia (photo: S. Margiotta).

4.3. AQUEDUCT CARLO MAGNO

The Carlo Magno aqueduct, and the related hydraulic works, are among the first examples
of public aqueducts built in the Lecce province in modern times. It is a remarkable work of
hydraulic engineering from the historical standpoint, in a location highly significant for the
comprehension of the links existing among geomorphological and hydrogeological setting
of the territory, human settlements, and land use.
The Idro Valley is a small fluvial valley running at the boundaries of the town of Otranto,
and is made of two main branches, the Carlo Magno and San Giuseppe channels.
The geological setting of the aqueduct is characterized by two litho-stratigraphic units,
respectively of the Lower and Middle-Upper Pliocene. They are marly biomicrites,
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hosting well-known water tables, exploited since ancient times from two springs, known as
Carlo Magno springs.
The complex of hydraulic works develops around the draining gallery tapping the two
springs, that enters the valley flank for some 70 metres, with average height of about two
metres. At the base of the gallery, the water from the springs flows in a small channel, 4050 cm-wide and deep, that was originally coated by plates of Pietra leccese. The springs
are located at the end of the gallery: the first comes out from a small lateral branch, about
5 m-long, whilst the second is about at the terminal part of the main gallery.
At about 25 m from the entrance, a vertical shaft goes up to the ground surface. In several
locations the marks left by the tools used for the excavation are visible. Many small
artificial hollows on the walls of the gallery had the function to host oil-lamps.
In the nearby area, another underground gallery, partly flooded, worked as discharge
channel; it is linked to the ground surface through vertical shafts.

Figure 6 Carlo Magno Aqueduct: view of the entrance of the draining gallery (photo: G. Selleri).

The aqueduct pre-dated the realization of the Apulian Aqueduct, and that was put out of
work when this latter entered in function. The site represents, therefore, a place where it is
possible to observe the stratification in time, as produced by the technological progress, of
the modalities by means of which man tried to exploit the opportunities offered by the
geological peculiarities of the territory.

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The Carlo Magno aqueduct was realized in its present configuration in 1917 by the Corps
of Engineers of the Royal Navy, that bear its expenses until 1925, together with other
similar aqueducts built for military reasons during the First World War at Gallipoli and
Leuca, and transferred it, initially as provisional budget, and later definitively in 1929, to the
Otranto Municipality.
The Carlo Magno aqueduct remained in function until 1940; after that time, it is in state of
complete abandonment. The hydraulic structure is not open to public visits.

4.4. BAUXITE MINE LE ORTE

In locality Le Orte, just south from Otranto, it is possible to visit an abandoned site of
extraction where an open mine for production of bauxite was active until the middle
1970s. The mining activities affected a portion of the carbonate bedrock, consisting of a
succession of layers from the Upper Oligocene; in detail, it was a thick deposit of residual
materials from karst processes, with abundant bauxite pisolites, widespread at the
surface in the immediate surroundings of the mine.
This site was not the only bauxite deposit in Salento, since other important ores were
found in the Palmariggi and Poggiardo areas. The ores consisted of unbedded fillings of
deep pockets and fissures within the bedrock. The bauxite ores in Salento were, obviously,
of interest for the mining companies, and, for some times, they resulted to be among the
first sites of production at a national level. With time, however, their importance resulted to
be lower than expected. The mine at Le Orte was abandoned in the second half of 1970s,
and no action dedicated to a sort of environmental recovery started. At the bottom of the
deep topographic depression created by the mining activities, a small and peculiar
lacustrian ecosystem formed. The color of the rocks cropping out, in contrast with the blue
of the lakes and of the sky, makes the site highly suggestive, with a number of different
tonalities in the natural environment that change following the course of the day and the
different light conditions.
The sequence cropping out along the walls of the depression consists of a succession of
layers emplaced in a climatic regime of tropical type during the Upper Oligocene. In detail,
an alternance of deposits of continental environment (of both fresh water and sub-aerial),
brackish transition (marsh and/or coastal pond) and marines can be identified.
In the Oligocene succession four new species (-iv) and one subspecies (v) of mollusk
fossils have been discovered, so far only known in Salento: (i) Tectarius (Echininus)
japigiae; (ii) Pseudamnicola messapica; (iii) Pseudamnicola palmariggii; (iv) Stenothyrella
salentina, (v) Hydrobia dubuissoni hydruntina.

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Figure 7 General view of the bauxite mine near Otranto (photo: Geositi Working Group).

Figure 8 Along the excavation walls a Cenozoic succession crops out, deposited in environments
ranging from the continental and the low-depth marine (photo: Geositi Working Group).

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Figure 9 Terra rossa deposits, affected by erosional action by the running waters, contribute to
make the landscape highly appealing (photo: Geositi Working Group).

4.5. TSUNAMI DEPOSITS AT TORRE SANT'EMILIANO

Evidence of a tsunami that hit the Salento coasts are well documented along a stretch of
coastline extending from Otranto to the Cape of Santa Maria di Leuca. In particular, near
Torre Sant'Emiliano, a few kilometers south from Otranto, it is possible to observe an
accumulation of large rock blocks that, pulled up from the tsunami waves, have been
deposited at a distance of more than 80 m inland. The larger blocks weigh about 70 tons,
and form two bars along a strip about 30 m-wide, and some 2,5 km-long. The highest
elevation of the deposit is about 11 m. Groups of superimposed blocks indicate that the
wave came from SE-SSE. Radiocarbon dating of marine shells found in the debris, and of
pottery fragments within the deposit below the blocks, suggest for the emplacement a date
going back to about three centuries ago.
Among the several earthquakes that historically hit Salento, one of the most important is
that occurred during the night of February 20, 1743: the shock was felt in a wide area, on
the opposite side of the Adriatic Sea, and in the whole southern Italy as well. According to
the sources, about 180 victims were recorded in Apulia. The towns in Salento that suffered
the most severe effects were Francavilla Fontana (in the Brindisi province) and Nard (in
the Lecce province), this latter with about 150 fatalities. Severe damage were registered in
many other localities between Brindisi and Taranto. The earthquake caused also a
tsunami, for which the historical sources only describe some effects in the harbour of
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Brindisi. As a matter of fact, with the exception of the town of Otranto, the coastline
between Brindisi and Santa Maria di Leuca was at that time practically uninhabited, due to
the malaria that infested the wide coastal marshlands.
Southern Apulia is typically not considered among the seismic areas of Italy. However,
historical and geological evidence show that, in a recent past, Salento was hit by
earthquakes, and by strong tsunami along the coastlines. This area, in particular, feels
sensibly also the effects of seismic shocks having the epicenter along the Albanian coasts
and in proximity of the Ionian islands; typically, the effects in Salento of earthquakes
located in the Southern Apennines, Tavoliere and Gargano, are less strong.

Figure 10 General view of part of the area interested by the tsunami; the blocks bermi s
highlighted by the red line (photo: Geositi Working Group).

4.6. DEERS CAVE

Deers Cave (also named Aeneas Cave), is a karst cave internationally known as the site
containing the most remarkable complex of cave paintings of Neolithic age in Europe. It is
located nearby the bay of Porto Badisco, some 4 km from Uggiano la Chiesa. The main
access opens at some 200 metres from the shoreline, at elevation of about 30 metres
a.s.l.

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From the geological standpoint, the karst system develops in the Oligocene formation of
the Porto Badisco Calcarenites. Its development is sub-horizontal, with total length of 1500
metres, that makes it one of the longest system in Apulia, and the longest in Salento.
The cave consists of three main galleries, about parallel and with sub-horizontal
development, NNW-SSE oriented, and connected by secondary branches. Some parts of
the karst system are interested by the presence of the water table.
Deers Cave was discovered in 1970, and is listed at the Register of the Natural Caves of
Apulia Region with the number PU 902. The peculiarity of the site is represented by the
presence of many neolithic cave paintings, realized with bat guano and red ochre,
depicting a series of geometrical forms, humans and wild animals.
The origin of the cave is related to karst processes in coastal area: in particular, the
hypogean forms related to phreatic environmental conditions, or to the action of air
condensation, are very diffuse. Secondary calcite deposits characterize several sections of
the system, too.

Figure 11 View of one of the entrances to Deers Cave (photo: G. Selleri).

The great development of the karst system, together with the traces of its neolithic
occupation, makes the geosite a unique location in the Apulian speleological panorama,
with multiple intersts in different fields of the scientific research (archaeology,
palaeontology, geology, palaetnology, etc.).

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The archaeological excavations pointed out that the filling deposits of the cave, below the
anthropogenic layers, is made of silty sands containing Pleistocene fauna (Equus
Hydruntinus and Bos Primigenius).
Deers Cave is not open to the public, and its entrances are closed by gates and wall
structures, realized by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Puglia in order to
protect the site.

4.7. OLIGOCENE CALCARENITES WITH RODOLITES AT PORTO BADISCO

The bay of Porto Badisco is a tourist target of high historical and landscape values, in
addition to the geological importance. The area, according to what described by Virgil in
his Aeneid, should correspond to the first landing place of Aeneas, during his journey back
to Italy, following the escape from Troy. This bay, which origin is related to the partial
submergence of a fluvial valley, opens along the coast between Santa Cesarea Terme and
Capo dOtranto. Porto Badisco represents the type-locality of the Formation of the
Calcarenites of Porto Badisco. At the northern flank of the bay it is possible to observe the
contact between the calcarenites and the underlying Formation of the Castro Limestones,
in turn lying over the Santa Cesarea Limestones. The Calcarenites of Porto Badisco are
characterized at the base by the presence of magnificent examples of rhodoliths (algae
nodules), forming a lenticular body, thick up to 1,5 m. The rhodoliths are spheroidal to
ellissoidal in shape, with growth morphology mostly columnar, and locally concentric; they
have diameter ranging between 5 and 10 cm, the core generally consiting of a calcarenite
clast, and are immersed in a bioclastic matrix with macro-foraminifera. Massive, poorly
cemented calcarenites, intercalated to marly levels, lie over this base interval.

Figure 12 View of the northern side of the Porto Badisco bay (photo: S. Margiotta).
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The Calcarenites of Porto Badisco are deposits of low depth marine environments. The
taxonomic composition of the algal association and of the macro-foraminifera indicates an
environment of sedimentation located in the oligo-photic zone. Deposition of these
sediments occurred in sub-tropical to tropical waters. The lithofacies with rhodolith
represents the filling of a depression, a likely channel, controlled by the topography
inherited by the bedrock.

Figure 13 View of the outcrop with rodolites (photo: S. Margiotta).

Figure 14 Detail of rodolites at the bottom of the unit (photo: S. Margiotta).

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4.8. LEPIDOCYCLINE CALCARENITES AT VILLAGGIO PARADISO

South from Porto Badisco (Otranto), just west from the road leading to Santa Cesarea, the
locality of Villaggio Paradiso is situated. The road linking the site to the sea is for most part
excavated in trenches, and allows to observe a mostly sandy to calcarenite sequence
belonging to the geological unit of the Porto Badisco Calcarenites.
The main character of the outcropping, which makes it a geosite, is the presence of large
and well-preserved Lepidocycline, in samples dispersed within the deposit.
Lepidocycline, belonging to the Foraminifer subfamily, lived from the Eocene to the
Miocene in the European and Indo-Pacific areas, and have a diameter as large as 7-8 cm,
and a flat shell with a slight central bulge. In addition to the Lepidocycline, quite abundant
in the deposit are the reworked nummulites, with well-preserved samples of
Amphistegina, Neorotalia and Nephrolepidina.
The presence of the large Lepidocycline is indicative of a sedimentation environment
within the deepest sector of the oligo-photic zone. Further, the presence of reworked
nummulites and the decrease in the fine fraction of the matrix, indicate some
hydrodynamic action that had to characterize the sea bottom.

Figure 15 View of the outcrop (photo: S. Margiotta).

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Figure 16 Detail of an interval rich in Scutelle (photo: S. Margiotta).

Figure 17 Detail of an interval with small Lepidocycline (photo: S. Margiotta).

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4.9. EOCENE LIMESTONES AT TORRE SPECCHIALAGUARDIA

The outcrop showing the best exposition in Salento of the Eocene succession of the Torre
Specchialaguardia Limestones is located along the coastal road connecting Porto Badisco
to Santa Cesarea, at about km 12. This road cut has been individuated as geosite, due to
the rarity of Eocene outcrops in Salento. Its importance stands in the fact that no
geological section where the whole succession, from the Cretaceous units to the
Oligocene, has been identified, due to the rarity of Eocene sediments, that generally have
limited thickness or do not crop out.
Near Torre Specchialaguardia, the succession is exposed for about 80 meters and lies
with an angular unconformity over the Cretaceous limestones. Four main lithologies can
be identified, differentiated on the basis of the sedimentological features and of the fossils.
Among these latter, foraminifera prevail (they allowed to precisely date the succession
through bio-chronostratigraphy), but red algae and corals are also present. In one of the
intervals, glauconite fillings within the voids present in the Eocene limestones have been
found.
The succession is inclined (clino-stratification) and is exclusively represented by facies
of forereef slope, that was probably limited to stretches of the eastern Salento coastline
during the Eocene.

Figure 18 View of part of the succession (photo: S. Margiotta).

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Figure 19 Detail of the white limestones with cavities filled by glauconite (photo: S. Margiotta).

Figure 20 Detail of the succession of white limestones with corals and algae (photo: S.
Margiotta).

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4.10. THERMAL AREA OF SANTA CESAREA

The thermal area of Santa Cesarea is located in a sector extending from the coast to
locality Cupa inland, in a stretch of coastline characterized by morphological steps and
terraces of marine abrasion. The area is well known for the presence of sulphur
hypothermal groundwaters coming out in correspondence of four main coastal caves:
Gattulla, Sulfurea, Fetida, and Solfatara (or Sulfurara). The first three are located within or
in the immediate surroundings of the health spa area, whilst the Solfatara cave opens to
the south, along the coastline. All the mentioned caves are included in the Register of
Natural Caves of Apulia Region, managed by the Apulian Speleological Federation (the
association joining all the grottos in the region).
The sulphur groundwaters of the thermal area of Santa Cesarea are exploited by means of
wells, at the localities Cupa and Albergo Palazzo (this latter is located along the coast), at
temperature comprised between 28 and 30 C, and are used in the health spa for many
therapeutic applications and beauty treatments.
The origin of the sulphur groundwaters seems to be related to connate waters, confined
below the Adriatic Sea by thick impervious sedimentary covers.

Figure 21 View of the thermal area, from the north (photo: G. De Giorgio).

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Figure 22 View of the thermal area, from the south (photo: G. De Giorgio).

4.11. LI TAMANTILI
The quarrying area of Santa Cesarea is located along one of the most remarkable coastal
stretches of the Salento peninsula, characterized by rock cliffs and intervening bays with
different shape and size, as the result of the anthropogenic activities carried out in time. In
this area the extraction of the rock material passed through several production phases, the
first ones with hand work, that were later changed into cycles of production of industrial
type. As a consequence, the excavation fronts in carbonate rocks, too, show different
typologies. In the most ancient sectors of activities, an arrangement in steps is present,
that derives from the technique to quarry the blocks starting from the highest sector, and
gradually moving toward the sea. Later on, the quarrying technique became more efficient,
developing vertical walls and creating magnificent cliffs, overhanging the sea, often
canceling the more ancient evidence of activities. The quarrying activities along the coast
at Santa Cesarea represents an interesting example of how the anthropogenic actions
have modified the natural coastline, creating with time a target for tourists.
Further, the quarry walls allow to observe features in the rock masses that would not have
been visible otherwise, due to weathering processes. A classical example is the
sedimentary succession cropping out at Porto Miggiano, near the localities Archi and
Fontanelle where, thanks to steps in the rocks, the rock features are easily visible
notwithstanding the verticality of the cliffs. The succession belongs to the Pleistocene unit
of the Gravina Calcarenite, in unconformity over more ancient units (Cretaceous and
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Eocene-Miocene), with maximum thickness of some 40-50 m. The peculiarity of these

deposits stands in the presence of magnificent layers, inclined up to about 30, dipping
toward south, and with a thickness ranging from a few cm to more than 1 m: they are
carbonate deposits, with rare clay intercalations, rich in fossils (red algae, briozoi, echinids,
brachiopods, rare corals and bivalves, in addition to benthic and plankton foraminifera).
The deposits are generally bioturbated, and only locally they show parallel laminations.
Among the other typical sedimentary structures (that is, formed at the time of the
deposition of the geological layers) there are also uphill inclined strata, and layers
deformed due to submarine slides (slumps). Overall, these features allow to interpret such
rocks as deposits of scarp, and of the base of a underwater scarp. They can be observed
also in other bays along the coastline between Otranto and S. Maria di Leuca, and form
bodies with a shape reminding that of the aprons wear by the housewives (tamantili in the
local dialect).

Figure 23 View of the quarry walls in calcarenites, locality gli Archi (photo: S. Margiotta).

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Figure 24 Detail of the sedimentary structures along a wall in the calcarenites, locality gli Archi
(photo: S. Margiotta).

Figure 25 Calcarenite layer, showing intense bioturbation (photo: S. Margiotta).

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Figure 26 Calcarenite succession cropping out in locality Fontanelle (photo: S. Margiotta).

4.12. MASSO DELLA VECCHIA

Il Masso della Vecchia (The Rock of the Old Woman) is a boulder of Pietra Leccese (fine
calcarenites, thinly bedded and poorly cemented, followed upward by a more resistant
homogenous rock layer, about 1 m thick), almost entirely isolated from the bedrock,
located at the boundaries of a wide, centuries-old, olive tree grove at the top surface of
Serra di Poggiardo. Due to its peculiar shape, similar to large monolithic structures, in the
past many legends have been elaborated about its origin; actually, it represents a rarity in
the geomorphological field, and has a primary scientific interest.
The origin has to be attributed to the processes of chemical and mechanical degradation
(weathering) by meteoric waters on calcarenite deposits, following the final emergence of
the area during the Pliocene; the later removal of the weathered products and of the soil in
karst swallow holes within the underlying Mesozoic limestones, led to a progressive
lowering of the topographic surface, and to cropping out of the highest portions of the
calcarenite surface; at the same time, in the topographically depressed areas the cover of
the bedrock, consisting of residual deposits, was still present. One of these swallow
holes opens at the bottom of a deep doline, few tens of meters north from the site.
In this geomorphological setting, the meteoric waters flowing from the highest reaches
along the slightly inclined flanks, infiltrated into the cover, creating the formation of
incisions in rapid deepening (marginal corrosion), thus highlighting the thinly bedded
levels of the local stratigraphic succession.
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Continuing such a process, the terrain around was removed, and left as relict this residual
karst macro-form, indicated as Masso della Vecchia.

Figure 27 Deep doline, partly filled by man, in the proximity of Masso della Vecchia (photo: P.
Sans).

Figure 28 Karst micro-forms developed below the soil cover are well visible on the rock blocks
(photo: P. Sans).
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Figure 29 One of the strange karst residual forms in the Masso della Vecchia area (photo: P.
Sans).

Figure 30 Masso della Vecchia (photo: P. Sans).

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4.13. ALIMINI LAKES

The area of the Alimini Lakes, with its low plains and the slightly ondulated surfaces
represent from the landscape standpoint an ideal site for hiking, and has a high scientific
interest in the fields of geomorphology, hydrogeology and structural geology. Formed from
the evolution of a palustrian environment that characterized the territory more than 5000
years ago, the lakes today occupy two tectonic depressions, elongated about parallel to
the coastline for 7 km, and resting over a bedrock of Pliocene age, consisting of
calcarenites alternated to sands and clay sands. Separated by a rock spur, incised by the
canal named Lu Strittu, the lakes are directly fed by the groundwater through a number of
springs on their western sides and by the fresh water coming from several canals.
The Zuddeo canal, the Traugnano swamp and other drainage canals feed the larger lake,
Alimini Grande, which, as an effect of the marine intrusion through the canal Bocca degli
Alimini (Alimini Mouth), is characterized by brackish water: in particular, the salinity
decreases in the whole basin from the sea inland from values of 34,8 to 2,2 .
The Rio Grande canal feeds the smaller lake, Alimini Piccolo or Fontanelle: with average
depth of 0,70 m, it has an area of only 0,5 km 2; during the last century, a dam was built to
limit the flow of brackish water from Alimini Grande, thus making Alimini Piccolo a fresh
water lake.

Figure 31 View of the Great Alimini lake (photo: S. Margiotta).

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Figure 32 Detail of the stretch flowing into the channel Alimini Mouth (photo: S. Margiotta).

Figure 33 View of the Small Alimini lake (photo: S. Margiotta).

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5. SOMETHING MORE (IN-DEPTH MATERIALS)

5.1. MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS
The geo-touristic itinerary crosses morphologies typical of the Salento Peninsula, that is a
series of wide surfaces, about all of Quaternary age, dislocated at different elevations
(from the highest at some 120 m down to a few meters a.s.l.), linked by low-inclined scarps
(10-20), mostly NW-SE and NNW-SSE striking.
The physiographic characters of the coast are quite different when moving from Otranto in
the two opposite directions: in correspondence of the town, the coast is a rock cliff, and
this type of configuration continues to the south with even higher relief; further, several
karst caves, both above and below the sea, are present in this area. The coastline north
from Otranto is, on the other hand, very different, showing an overall linear trend, and
being a low coast in soft rocks or sands, with diffuse presence of sand dunes and
backdune lakes and/or swamps.
Other physical elements that characterize the coastline are represented by channel
incisions and erosional gullies, produced by running waters on the carbonate deposits.

5.2. GEOLOGY AND TECTONICS

The morphological features of the Salento Peninsula are the result of the action of a
number of processes that took place from the end of Cretaceous beginning of Mesozoic,
when, as an effect of the collision between tha African and the Euro-Asiatic plates, the
partial emergence of the Apulian carbonate platform took place. During this phase, and
the following tectonic phases, the ridges characterizing the landscape, locally known as
Serre, corresponded to structural highs, that is to highplains of carbonate nature which,
during the periods of repeated submersion that interested the area, remained out of the
sea: they represented therefore islands, whilst in the nearby basins other sediments of
carbonate origin were deposited.
Such depositional phases, related to cycles of marine ingression-regression due to
eustatic movements of the sea level, brought to the formation of deposits as the Castro
Limestone and the Pietra Leccese, which lithological varieties have been widely used for
centuries by the local construction industry.
Further sedimentary phases, associated to local submergences of the Apulian Platform,
are related to the uplift of the Apenninc Chain on one side, and of the Dinaric-Hellenic
Chains on the other, starting from Middle Miocene and the beginning of the Lower
Pliocene and the Quaternary.
The final emergence of the area (as well as of the whole peri-mediterranean area) during
the Middle-Upper Pleistocene was accompanied by da repeated sea level changes
associated to the Pleistocene-Holocene glaciations (glacial eustasy). Such oscillations of
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the sea level modelled a coastal landscape in steps, well visible along the Otranto-Leuca
coastline, with scarps and intervening platforms of marine abrasion, that testify the
successive lowstands of the sea level, until reaching the present one.
Other typical forms of the Salento landscape are related to karst: the prevailing landform
is represented by dolines, typically of circular shape, and that create depressions more or
less deep with respect to the surrounding land (maximum depth about 10 meters). These
karst landforms indicate time of emergence of the area (periods of continentality) with
climates ranging from warm-humid to cold-temperate. The more ancient dolines, generally
funnel-shaped, involve the Cretaceous carbonate formations, and show terra rossa and
bauxite fillings, marsh deposits and interlayering of lignite; the younger dolines are widely
diffuse over the Upper Pleistocene calcarenites.
The subterranean karst landforms are represented by caves and cave systems with
variable development, mostly located along the coast, or partly flooded, and in some cases
with presence of secondary deposits (stalactites, stalagmites, etc.). Remains of human
skeletons and bones have been found in the stratified deposits present in some caves.

6. GLOSSARY
Abrasion: the mechanical wearing, grinding, scraping, or rubbing away (or down) of rock surfaces by friction
and impact, in which the solid rock particles transported by wind, ice, waves, running water, or gravity are
the tools of abrasion. The term corrasion is essentially synonymous.
Angular unconformity: an unconformity between two groups of rocks whose bedding planes are not
parallel or in which the older, underlying rocks dip at a different angle (usually steeper) than the younger,
overlying strata; specifically, an unconformity in which younger sediments rest upon the eroded surface of
tilted or folded older rocks.
Aphotic zone: that part of the ocean in which there is not enough penetration of light for photosynthesis.
Back reef: the landward side of a reef, including the area and the contained deposits between the reef and
the mainland.
Bauxite: rock composed of a mixture of various amorphous or crystalline hydrous aluminum oxides and
aluminum hydroxides. It is a common residual or transported constituent of clay deposits in tropical and
subtropical regions, and occurs in concretionary, compact, pisolitic, or oolitic forms. Bauxite is the
principal commercial source of aluminum. Named after Les Baux de Provence, a locality near Arles in
southern France.
Benthos: those forms of marine life that are bottom-dwelling; also, the ocean bottom itself. Adjective:
benthic, benthonic.
Berm: a low, impermanent, nearly horizontal or landward-sloping bench, shelf, ledge, or narrow terrace on
the backshore of a beach, formed of material thrown up and deposited by storm waves.
Biomicrite: a limestone consisting of a variable proportion of skeletal debris and carbonate mud (micrite).
Bioturbation: reworking of soils or sediments by animals and plants.

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Calcarenite: a limestone consisting predominantly of recycled calcite particles of sand size; a consolidated
calcareous sand.
Clino-stratification: inclined bedding of strata, related to environment of sedimentation that lies on the
sloping part of the floor of a water body.
Connate water (fossil water): water entrapped in the interstices of a sedimentary rock at the time of its
deposition.
Corrosion: a process of erosion wherby rocks and soil are removed or worn away by natural chemical
processes, especially by the solvent action of running water, but also by other reactions such as
hydrolysis, hydration, carbonation, and oxidation.
Disconformity: an unconformity in which the bedding planes above and below the break are essentially
parallel, indicating a significant interruption in the orderly sequence of sedimentary rocks, generally by a
considerable interval of erosion (or sometimes of nondeposition), and usually marked by a visible and
irregular or uneven erosion surface of appreciable relief.
Doline (sinkhole): a circular depression in a karst area. Its drainage is subterranean, its size is measured in
meters or tens of meters, and it is commonly funnel-shaped.
Epicenter: the point on the Earths surface that is directly above the focus (initial rupture point) of an
earthquake.
Euphotic zone: that part of the ocean in which there is sufficient penetration of light to support
photosynthesis. The depth varies, but averages about 80 m.
Eustatism (eustasy): the worldwide sea-level regime and its fluctuations, caused by absolute changes in the
quantity of seawater, e.g. by continental icecap fluctuations (glacio-eustasy).
Foraminifer: any protozoan belonging to the subclass Sarcodina, order Foraminifera, characterized y the
presence of a test of one to many chambers composed of secreted calcite or of agglutinated particles.
Most foraminifers are marine but freshwater forms are known. Range, Cambrian to present.
Fore reef: the seaward side of a reef; in places a steep slope covered with deposits of reef talus, elsewhere
an organism-constructed vertical wall.
Glauconite: name applied to a group of minerals consisting of hydrous silicates of potassium and iron.
Karst: a type of topography that is formed on limestone, gypsum, and other rocks by dissolution, and that is
characterized by sinkholes, caves, and underground drainage.
Ittiodontoliti: fossilized fish teeth.
Lepidocycline: Foraminifera genus.
Lithophagous: said of an organism that feeds on rock material.
Marl: a rock formed as a mixture of clay and calcium carbonate, under marine or freshwater conditions.
Nummulite: any foraminifer belonging to the family Nummulitidae. Range, Upper Cretaceous to present.
Neritic: pertaining to the ocean environment or depth zone between low-tide level and 100 fathoms, or
between low-tide level and approximately the edge of the continental shelf; also, pertaining to the
organisms living in that environment. Also called the sublittoral zone.
Oligo-: a prefix meaning small, a little.
Permeability: the property or capacity of a porous rock, sediment, or soil for transmitting a fluid.
Phosphatization: the conversion of something into a phosphate.
Phreatic water: a term that originally was applied only to water that occurs in the upper part of the zone of
saturation under water-table conditions, but has come to be applied to all water in the zone of saturation,
thus making it an exact synonymous of groundwater.
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Pisolite: a sedimentary rock, usually a limestone, made up chiefly of pisoliths cemented together.
Pisolith: one of the small, round or ellipsoidal accretionary bodies in a sedimentary rock, resembling a pea
in size and shape. It is often formed of calcium carbonate. A pisolith is larger than an oolith, although it
has the same concentric and radial internal structure. The term is sometimes used to refer to the rock
made up of pisoliths.
Platform: a general term for any level or nearly level surface.
Reef: a ridgelike or moundlike structure, layered or massive, built by sedentary calcareous organisms,
especially corals, and consisting mostly of their remains; it is wave-resistant and stands above he
surrounding contemporaneously deposited sediment.
Reef front: the upper part of the outer or seaward slope of a reef, extending to the reef edge from above the
depth limit of abundant living coral and coralline algae.
Residual deposit: the residue formed by weathering in place.
Rhodolith: a nodule of red (coralline) algae, concentrically encrusted, often rolled by bottom currents.
Rudist: any bivalve mollusk belonging to the superfamily Hippuritacea, characterized by an inequivalve
shell, usually attached to a substrate, and either solitary or gregarious in reeflike masses. They are
frequently found in association with corals. Range, Upper Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous, possibly
Paleocene.
Sulfur water: generally, water containing enough hydrogen sulfide to smell and taste. Except for the
hydrogen sulfide, it may not differ in mineral content from ordinary potable water, or it may qualify as
saline water.
Swallow hole (swallet): a closed depression or doline into which all or part of a stream disappears
underground.
Taxon (pl. Taxa): a named group of organisms of any rank, such as a particular species, family, or class. A
taxon may be designated by a formal Latin name or by a letter, number, or other symbol.
Tsunami: a gravitational sea wave produced by any large-scale, short-duration disturbance of the ocean
floor, principally by a shallow submarine earthquake, but also by submarine earth movement, subsidence,
or volcanic eruption. It is characterized by high speed of propagation (up to 950 km/hr), long wavelength
(up to 200 km), long period (varying from 5 min to a few hours), and low observable amplitude on the
open sea. Etymol.: from the Japanese, harbor wave.
Type locality: the locality where a particular rock type, stratigraphic unit, fossil or mineral species is first
identified.
Unconformity: a substantial break or gap in the geological record where a rock unit is overlain by another
that is not next in stratigraphic succession, such as an interruption in the continuity of a depositional
sequence of sedimentary rocks or a break between eroded igneous rocks and younger sedimentary
strata.

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