Fluvial facies and stratigraphic architecture of Middle Pleistocene incised valleys from the subsoil of Rome (Italy)

Fluvial incised valleys, or paleovalleys, are typical elements of the lower reaches of fluvial systems in uplifting areas (Blum et al., 2013, with references). Their dynamics, in terms of large scale erosion and sedimentation, is primarily controlled by cycles of glacioeustatic sea-level fluctuations. In fact, the fluvial incised valleys are marked by a relevant erosional relief expressed by a basal unconformity that is carved into the bedrock during the base level fall and lowstand, and are mostly backfilled by alluvial sediments during base level lowstand, rise and highstand. The Tiber (Tevere) River system, here discussed, represents an interesting case of study concerning a series of Quaternary incised valleys located in a slowly uplifting basin, the Rome Basin, close to the Tyrrhenian Sea coastline. The aim of this study is to characterize the stratigraphic architecture and paleogeography of a series of Middle Pleistocene paleovalleys recognized in the subsoil of the centre of Rome.