geosciences
Editorial
Editorial of Special Issue “Quaternary
Sedimentary Successions”
Francesco Sciuto
Earth Sciences Section, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania,
95124 Catania, Italy; fsciuto@unict.it
Citation: Sciuto, F. Editorial of
Special Issue “Quaternary
Sedimentary Successions”.
Geosciences 2021, 11, 509. https://
doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11120509
Received: 30 November 2021
Accepted: 6 December 2021
Published: 12 December 2021
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4.0/).
The Quaternary is the chronostratigraphic range spanning from 2.58 Ma to the present.
For some time, its lower limit, or the transition from the Pliocene, was uncertain; however,
the development of stratigraphic studies and the examination of many bathyal sedimentary
sections have allowed us to identify it as beginning 2.58 Ma.
The Quaternary is of interest not only to geologists and palaeontologists, but also to
volcanologists, geographers, geomorphologists, biologists, and anthropologists. This is
because, unlike previous periods, the biological and geological events that occurred in the
Quaternary period have left traces which are still easily detectable, some even happening
before our very eyes. The effects of Quaternary glaciation and deglaciation events, for
example, are easily identifiable and can be observed in continental (desertification, the
expansion and retreat of alpine glaciers and ice caps, and the inception and disappearance
of lakes) as well as in marine and transitional environments (coastal evolution, regressions,
and transgressions). Most currently living species were present throughout the Quaternary
period; however, it was also characterized by the extinction of single species and genera in
both the marine and continental realms.
However, the most important event of all terrestrial history which happened in this
“period” is the appearance and the evolution of modern humans and, subsequently, the
emergence of civilization, thought, and culture. Thus, studies on the Quaternary are of
paramount importance for furthering the understanding of the geo-biological evolution of
present-day society; from here, the relevance of the many editorial initiatives on the topic
of the Quaternary has increased. Among them, this Special Issue, entitled "Quaternary
sedimentary successions", includes eight articles about relevant Quaternary geology topics.
The first paper of the special issue entitled “Edifice of fluvial terrace flights, stacks
and rows” is written by Wolfgang Schirmer [1] and tackles the theme of the architecture
and structures of river deposits in valleys. The author proposes new terminology for some
features, presenting the principles of fluvial systems with morphological river terraces and
fluments (a new term for terrace bodies); different stages of the morphological terraces; the
texture (arrangement) of fluments in the form of terrace flights, terrace stacks, and terrace
rows; and the (inner) structure of a single flument. The contact between the valley fill and
the bedrock is assigned a new term: “pelma”. Special topics deal with flument overlaps
and insights into the deepest valley fill down to the bedrock. Furthermore, a comparison
with other terms of the fluvial inventory is annexed.
In the next paper entitled, “Evidence of predation on Early Pleistocene freshwater
ostracods (Umbria, Central Italy)”, Angela Baldanza, Roberto Bizzarri, Francesco Posati,
and Manuel Ravoni [2] deal with the theme of predation on freshwater ostracods: for the
first time, traces of predation on freshwater ostracods are reported in deep-lake deposits
belonging to the Early Pleistocene Fosso Bianco Unit and an outcropping in the Cava
Nuova section (Umbria, central Italy). The deposits are mainly clay, silty clay, and sand; the
fossil record is sparse and mainly comprises very rare gastropods and bivalves, ostracods,
and plant remains (leaves, seeds, and wood fragments). The associations of ostracods
consist of Candona (Neglecandona) neglecta, Caspiocypris basilicii, Caspiocypris tiberina,
Geosciences 2021, 11, 509. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11120509
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Caspiocypris perusia, Caspiocypris tuderis, Caspiocypris posteroacuta, and Cyprideis
torosa. The Caspiocypris group, considered to be endemic to the grey clays of the Fosso
Bianco Unit, represent the majority of specimens affected by predation, with a prevalence
of predated female valves and a comparable number of right and left predated valves,
whereas only a few Candona (N.) neglecta (adult and juvenile) valves are perforated.
Traces of predation for nourishment, represented by microborings of different types, were
ascribed to the ichnospecies Oichnus paraboloides Bromley 1981, Oichnus simplex Bromley 1981, Oichnus gradatus Nielsen and Nielsen 2001, Oichnus ovalis Bromley 1993, and
Dipatulichnus rotundus Nielsen and Nielsen 2001. Microboring affected both adult and
juvenile specimens, evidencing prey–predator coexistence in the same environment over a
long period of time. This report makes a fundamental contribution to the knowledge of predation in this peculiar confined environment, also suggesting prey–predator relationships
which have developed over a relatively short time interval (80–160 ka).
“Foraminifer and ostracod occurrence in a cool-water carbonate factory of the Cape
Adare (Ross Sea, Antarctica): A Key Lecture for the Climatic and Oceanographic Variations in the Last 30,000 Years” is the is the title of the paper written by Romana Melis
and Gianguido Salvi [3]. The authors studied foraminifers and ostracods in a gravity
core recovered near Cape Adare (Ross Sea, Antarctica), with the aim of identifying the
climatic and oceanographic variations during the last 30 ka. The sedimentary sequence
represents the conditions of a cool-water carbonate factory, which evidences that during
Marine Isotope Stage 2 (MIS2), the area was ice-free and very productive. The overall
preservation of delicate skeletal remains, such as bryozoans and molluscs, indicated moderate deep-sea bottom currents. This carbonate factory was interrupted by some terrigenous
levels, representing conditions of instability/southward retreat of the ice shelves. The
newer levels referred to the meltwater pulse (MWP)-1A and 1B events. The Holocene
sequence comprised more terrigenous sediments, reflecting strong bottom currents, similar
to present-day conditions. Very abundant and well-preserved foraminifers and ostracods,
representative of upper-shelf-slope paleoenvironments, were recovered. Epistominella
exigua, among the foraminifers, suggested the influence of circumpolar deep water during some periods of the late Quaternary. Heavy-test taxa, such as Cibicides refulgens,
indicated the strengthening of bottom hydrodynamics. As for the ostracods, peaks in
the populations of Australicythere devexa, Bairdoppilata simplex, and Pseudocythere aff.
caudata species, together with significant numbers of Polycope spp., allowed the authors
to identify environments rich in nutrients with the influence of cold- and deep-water
upwelling phenomena.
Next comes the study of Oleg Sizov, Alexandr Konstantinov, Anna Volvakh, and
Anatoly Molodkov [4], “Timing and sedimentary record of Late Quaternary fluvio-aeolian
successions of the Tura-Pyshma Interfluve (SW Western Siberia, Russia)”, in which the
authors studied important information coming from the sedimentary record of aeolian
deposits and from the geomorphic features of the aeolian landforms of Northern Eurasia,
which enabled them to better understand the climate and environments of the Late Glacial
and Early Holocene periods. At the same time, the degree of scientific knowledge about
the timing of aeolian activity, as well as the landscapes that existed during these periods,
differs significantly for different parts of this vast territory. Data on the sedimentological
record and age estimations of aeolian phases are practically absent for the periglacial zone
of Western Siberia, in contrast to that of Europe. This article presents the first data on
the Late Quaternary fluvio-aeolian environments of the southwestern part of Western
Siberia, using two sections as examples. The methods included field investigations, an
analysis of grain size and chemical composition, quartz grain morphoscopy and infrared
optically stimulated luminescence (IR-OSL), and AMS dating. The obtained results show
that aeolian sands are common, covering deposits within the study area. Two stages of
aeolian activity were identified: the first during the Boreal period (9.2–10.2 ka BP) and the
second during the Atlantic period, beginning around 7 ka BP.
Geosciences 2021, 11, 509
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Jose Dominick S. Guballa and Alyssa M. Peleo-Alampay, in their publication “Pleistocene calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy and gephyrocapsid Occurrence in Site
U1431D, IODP 349, South China Sea” [5], reinvestigated the calcareous Pleistocene nannofossil biostratigraphy of Site U1431D (International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP)
Expedition 349) in the South China Sea (SCS). Twelve calcareous nannofossil Pleistocene
datums were identified in the site. The analysis confirmed that the last occurrence (LO)
of Calcidiscus macintyrei was below the first occurrence (FO) of large Gephyrocapsa spp.
(>5.5 µm). The FO of medium Gephyrocapsa spp. (4–5.5 µm) was also identified in the samples through morphometric measurements, which were unreported in the shipboard results.
Magnetobiochronologic calibrations of the numerical ages of the LO of Pseudoemiliania
lacunosa and the FO of Emiliania huxleyi have been underestimated and need reassessment.
Other potential markers, such as the morphological turnover of circular to elliptical variants
of Pseudoemiliania lacunosa and a small Gephyrocapsa acme, which is almost synchronous
with the FO of Emiliania huxleyi, may have biostratigraphic significance in the SCS. The
morphologic changes in Gephyrocapsa coccoliths were also examined for the first time in
Site U1431D. Placolith length and bridge angle changes were comparable with other ocean
basins, suggesting that morphologic changes are most likely to be evolutionary novelties
rather than caused by local climate anomalies.
The paper written by Antonietta Rosso, Agatino Reitano, and Rossana Sanfilippo,
entitled “Cemented on the rock. A Pleistocene outer shelf lithobiont community from Sicily,
Italy” [6], describes the lithobiont community encrusting an Early Pleistocene palaeocliff
outcrop north of Augusta (SE Sicily, Italy). Bryozoans, serpulids, brachiopods, and bivalves
encrusted part of the exposed surfaces, which were bored mostly by clionaid sponges.
Bryozoans, with at least 25 species detected on the rocky samples, are the most diversified
skeletonized lithobionts, also accounting for the highest number of colonies/specimens
and the highest coverage. Brachiopods, with the only species being Novocrania anomala
and a few but large cemented valves, cover wide surfaces. Serpulids, with two species
identified on the sampled rocks and a further two on the outcrop, were intermediate. Multiphase colonization was present, including a final epilithobiont community locally formed
on the eroded surfaces, exposing a network of pervasive borings. The co-occurrence of
very sciaphilic species with circalittoral to bathyal distributions suggests that the studied
community thrived on a rocky substratum located near or at the shelf break, probably
belonging to the shelf break (or RL) biocoenosis, which was also in agreement with observations on the fossil content of the neighbouring marly sediments. The observed relationships
among colonisers largely represented mere superimpositions, and real interactions were
not sufficient to state species competitiveness.
Nikolay I. Akulov and Varvara V. Akulova in the paper “Pyrolysis of technogenicredeposited coal-bearing rocks of spoil heaps” [7], presenting the results of a study of
epigenetic changes in technogenic redeposited coal-bearing rocks of the Irkutsk and
Kuznetsk coal basin spoil heaps (Russia). Hydrocarbon products formed under the hightemperature and low-temperature pyrolysis of coal-bearing rocks were studied using a gas
chromatography–mass spectrometer GCMS-QP2010NC Plus (made by Shimadzu Company). The average temperature of natural low-temperature pyrolysis does not exceed
120 ◦ C, and its average speed is approximately 2 m/year. In this case, three pyrolysis zones
which had gradually built a metamorphic rock mass (from bottom to top) were clearly
established: heating (focal), activated, and enriched. The average temperature of hightemperature pyrolysis reached 850 ◦ C, and its average speed was approximately 20 m/year.
Unlike low-temperature pyrolysis, high-temperature pyrolysis was accompanied by the
presence of two major zones (from bottom to top): pyrogenic (focal) and enriched (coke).
The chemical composition of the enriched pyrolysis zone was studied in detail. It has been
established that hydrocarbon compounds in samples of the pyrolysis zone are present in
six classes: asphaltic–resinous substances, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic
compounds, organic sulphur compounds, pyrolytic hydrocarbons, and heavy hydrocarbon
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residue. The quantitative contents of hydrocarbon compounds in the analysed samples
varied from 0.35% to 41.88%.
The final paper is by Roberto Bizzarri and Angela Baldanza: “Integrated stratigraphy
of the marine Early Pleistocene in Umbria” [8]. Through time, the wide area between
south-eastern Tuscany, north-eastern Latium, and western Umbria has been revealed as a
crucial area for understanding the evolution of Neogene basins in the northern Apennines.
In this study, the results of 20 years of research on the Early Pleistocene marine deposits are
summarised, and the biological and physical events are presented and discussed in order to
propose an integrated stratigraphic scheme. The proposed reconstruction is also included
in a wider context, taking into account both local and regional geological evolution.
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Schirmer, W. Edifice of Fluvial Terrace Flights, Stacks and Rows. Geosciences 2020, 10, 501. [CrossRef]
Baldanza, A.; Bizzarri, R.; Posati, F.; Ravoni, M. Evidence of Predation on Early Pleistocene Freshwater Ostracods (Umbria,
Central Italy). Geosciences 2020, 10, 416. [CrossRef]
Melis, R.; Salvi, G. Foraminifer and Ostracod Occurrence in a Cool-Water Carbonate Factory of the Cape Adare (Ross Sea,
Antarctica): A Key Lecture for the Climatic and Oceanographic Variations in the Last 30,000 Years. Geosciences 2020, 10, 413.
[CrossRef]
Sizov, O.; Konstantinov, A.; Volvakh, A.; Molodkov, A. Timing and Sedimentary Record of Late Quaternary Fluvio-Aeolian
Successions of the Tura-Pyshma Interfluve (SW Western Siberia, Russia). Geosciences 2020, 10, 396. [CrossRef]
Guballa, J.D.S.; Peleo-Alampay, A.M. Pleistocene Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy and Gephyrocapsid Occurrence in Site
U1431D, IODP 349, South China Sea. Geosciences 2020, 10, 388. [CrossRef]
Rosso, A.; Reitano, A.; Sanfilippo, R. Cemented on the Rock. A Pleistocene Outer Shelf Lithobiont Community from Sicily, Italy.
Geosciences 2020, 10, 343. [CrossRef]
Akulov, N.I.; Akulova, V.V. Pyrolysis of Technogenic-Redeposited Coal-Bearing Rocks of Spoil Heaps. Geosciences 2020, 10, 122.
[CrossRef]
Bizzarri, R.; Baldanza, A. Integrated Stratigraphy of the Marine Early Pleistocene in Umbria. Geosciences 2020, 10, 371. [CrossRef]