ABSTRACT

Strata exposed near the town of Santa Maria di Catanzaro in southern Italy comprise the accepted stratotype for the Calabrian Stage (earliest Pleistocene). Although a Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary has been publicly discussed as occurring in the section at nearby Le Castella, the present study indicates that none of the earliest Calabrian is exposed there. Most of the Quaternary section exposed at Le Castella is younger than the youngest sediment exposed at Santa Maria di Catanzaro. At Santa Maria di Cantanzaro, Discoaster brouweri Tan Sin Hok ranges concurrently with the planktonic foraminiferal species Globorotalia truncatulinoides (d'Orbigny). Most of the section represents cooler-water deposition. At Le Castella, on the other hand, most exposed Quaternary sediments represent warmer-water deposition (Emilian, = "late warm Calabrian"), with deposition in cooler water near the top (Sicilian). At Le Castella, Discoaster brouweri Tan Sin Hok ranges concurrently with Gephyrocapsa caribbeanica Boudreaux and Hay. The Calabrian at Santa Maria di Catanzaro, with the occurrence of both Discoaster brouweri and Globorotalia truncatulinoides in a cooler-water section, correlates very well with the American marine Nebraskan. The Emilian at Le Castella, with the occurrence of both Discoaster brouweri and Gephyrocapsa in a warmer-water section, is equivalent to the American marine Aftonian.