Quaternary sea-level change and slope instability in coastal areas: Insights from the Vasto Landslide (Adriatic coast, central Italy)

摘要: Abstract This paper focuses on the possible role of sea-level change in triggering and controlling large coastal slope instabilities, representative case study Vasto Landslide. The town is 143 m a.s.l. sits atop an uplifted Quaternary regressive sequence widely outcropping along Adriatic coast central Italy. affected by instabilities (e.g. “Vasto Landslide”) including evidence present activity. Well-documented historical disruptive events 1816, 1942 1956. Field suggests that sea cliff retreat must have removed considerable volumes rock before activation failures. Thus, a geological-evolutionary model landslide proposed here considers landforms, geological borehole stratigraphy, as well combined effect uplift eustatic oscillations slope. Significant evolutionary steps were identified, stability analysis was performed using stress–strain numerical modeling solved Finite Difference Method (FDM) to analyze following: 1) mechanism, 2) type activity, 3) cumulative deformations occurred during morpho-evolutionary steps. Numerical calibrated considering landforms effects recorded events. results confirm Landslide activated Middle Pleistocene (215 ka BP) consequence wave-cut erosion progressive Moreover, evolved retrogressive, single-styled comprising two major blocks. Using this framework, are interpreted local re-activations, due meteorological factors, ancient rupture surfaces affecting entire