Elementi geomorfologici e faunistici del margine continentale tirrenico tra P.ta Campanella e P.ta degli Infreschi (Golfo di Salerno)

The Tyrrhenian continental margin betwcen Punta Campanella and Punta degli Infreschi is characterizedby three morpho-tectonic elements: 1) The continental shelf of the Gulf of Salerno. lt is located in a peri-Tyrrhenian Basin (Sele Basin). Its slope is of 0.3°10.8°, its shelf-break is gradual and located al a depth between 120 and 210 m. The shelf is characterized by a holocenic sedimentation up to 30 ms thick; the wurmian crosional surface cuts the older Pleistocene sediments. 2) The continental shelf of the Cilento. Il is located in a structural high. Its slope is varying between 0.3° an d 0.8°, its shelf-break is sharp or abrupt and located at 220 m depth. The shelf is characterized by the absence or reduced holocenic sedimentation; relict sediments are also present. The microfauna (Foraminifera, Micromollusca, etc.) and the vegetai detritus (P. oceanica and Melobesioidee) are abundant and diversified. The foraminiferal assemblage is homogeneous and fundamentally benthic; in the assemblages species extinct or with paleoclimatic significance do not occur. V. bradyana, typical of the circalittoral zone, is abundant in almost all the cores, occasionally associated with N. turgida; moreover A. beccarii presents a strong morphological variability. 3) Continental slopes and basins. The slope, with dipping up to 6°, is crossed by channels which join the deep basins. Slumps are frequent on the slope.