Quaternary evolution of the main Tyrrhenian coastal plains of Campanian region (Southern Italy): an overview of the interactions between climate and tectonics.

This study provides a general overview of geomorphological, sedimentological, and tectonic processes which affected the principal peri-Tyrrhenian coastal plains of the Campania Region: the Garigliano, Volturno, and Sele Plains. The primary objective is to compare the long-term evolution of these three alluvial systems by using the Unconformity-Bounded Stratigraphic Units (UBSU) method. Although these depressions originated from synchronous, eastward-migrating back-arc extension and crustal thinning, they are governed by distinct processes. The Garigliano and Volturno Plains exemplify prolonged Quaternary subsidence, where stratigraphic architecture was significantly shaped by large-scale explosive volcanism. In contrast, the Sele Plain exhibits a more complex history, marked by a critical Middle Pleistocene tectonic reversal from a subsiding to a slightly uplifting domain. This comparative analysis, supported by a vast subsurface dataset (approximately 1,200 boreholes), and field mapping, demonstrates how differing evolutionary paths result from the interplay between regional tectonics, eustatic oscillations and sedimentary inputs.