Late Quaternary transgressive erosion and deposition in a modern epicontinental shelf: The Adriatic semienclosed basin

The Adriatic Sea is a modern epicontinental basin where the late Quaternary transgressive systems tract shows substantial variations within two contrasting shelf domains, separated by a 250-m-deep remnant basin: a low-gradient shelf in the north, and a steeper margin in the south. Four differentiated sedimentary responses reflect contrasting physiographic domains and differences in the ratio between oceanographic regime and sediment input during relative sea-level rise. The progressive widening of the Adriatic epicontinental shelf, up to seven times its low-stand extent, also determines variations in the style of transgressive deposition by controlling major changes in oceanographic circulation.