Andrea Zerboni

University of Milan | UNIMI · Department of Earth Sciences "Ardito Desio"

Morphogenetic surface processes and anthropogenic landscape alterations have been tied together throughout the ages in the so-called human-environmental nexus since the inception of humankind as an active agent in the shaping of ecosystems. Here, we present instances of such interactions from an archaeologically paramount area west of the lower Whi...

Coastal lagoon systems are highly sensitive environments currently experiencing the impact of climate change and human pressure, which are triggering alteration of pristine biodiversity and geomorphic dynamics. Climate- and/or tectonic-induced changes in sea-level and shifts in the base level and/or flow rate of rivers connected to inlets heavily a...

Damage induced by the 2016-2017 seismic sequence to building and infrastructural heritage in Central Italy was locally associated with the major evidence of surface faulting. This confirmed the relevant impact that surface faulting processes can have in urbanized areas and amplified the need to consider them in reconstruction planning, promoting Se...

We present a review of the latest framework achievements in geoarchaeological sciences applied to microstratigraphic and biomolecular studies of prehistoric archaeological contexts, highlighting the importance of musealized archaeological stratigraphies. We assess how today's scientific and technological accomplishments can be tailored for archaeol...

The global retreat of glaciers is dramatically altering mountain and high-latitude landscapes, with new ecosystems developing from apparently barren substrates1–4. The study of these emerging ecosystems is critical to understanding how climate change interacts with microhabitat and biotic communities and determines the future of ice-free terrains1,...

The development of terrestrial ecosystems depends greatly on plant mutualists such as mycorrhizal fungi. The global retreat of glaciers exposes nutrient‐poor substrates in extreme environments and provides a unique opportunity to study early successions of mycorrhizal fungi by assessing their dynamics and drivers. We combined environmental DNA meta...

Proglacial lakes are complex environments that can unravel the sedimentary dynamics of glacier, giving a crucial insight during the deglaciation phases. In this optic, the interplay between proximal and distal glaciolacustrine facies is a fundamental record of paleoenvironmental, paleoglaciological and paleoclimate changes that occurred to glacier...

The mechanisms underlying plant succession remain highly debated. Due to the local scope of most studies, we lack a global quantification of the relative importance of species addition ‘versus’ replacement. We assessed the role of these processes in the variation (β-diversity) of plant communities colonizing the forelands of 46 retreating glaciers...

The worldwide retreat of glaciers is causing a faster than ever increase in ice‐free areas that are leading to the emergence of new ecosystems. Understanding the dynamics of these environments is critical to predicting the consequences of climate change on mountains and at high latitudes. Climatic differences between regions of the world could modu...

We studied the Pleistocene subsurface stratigraphy of an area in the northern Po Plain around the isolated tectonic hillocks of Castenedolo and Ciliverghe (Brescia, Italy) in order to estimate their long-term rates of tectonic deformation. Integrated stratigraphy of a new 100-m-long core (RL13) allowed better definition of the regional Y (0.45 Ma)...

This paper presents a geomorphological reconstruction of the urban landscape of Erbil (Kurdistan Region of Iraq), aimed at explaining how human groups settled the region since the prehistory and contributed modifying natural surface processes. Our reconstruction on landforms evolution is based on satellite and historical aerial images and field con...

The Sultanate of Oman, located on the south-eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, offers a complex geological history, with a wide range of tectonic settings and stratigraphic sequences. The most prominent mountain chains in Oman are the Al-Hajar Mountains in its North, and the Dhofar Mountains in the South. We selected two different sites from bo...

In Central Italy, the damage induced by the 2016-2017 seismic sequence to the building andinfrastructural heritage and the need to consider the surface fault rupture hazard in thereconstruction process incentivized Seismic Microzonation studies focused on capable faults.The presence of capable faults, that produced dislocation of the ground surface...

Since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA, ~1830), the accelerated glaciers’ shrinkage along mid-latitude high mountain areas promoted a quick readjustment of geomorphological processes with the onset of the paraglacial dynamic, making proglacial areas among the most sensitive Earth’s landscapes to ongoing climate change. A potentially useful remote...

Studies upon past climates, natural landscapes, and environments of archaeologically pivotal regions of northern Africa have been of paramount interest in the past decades. For some of those regions, the human-environmental nexus, intended as the biunivocal mutual agency between people and nature, has been a long-standing research question; yet, fo...

Here we present a compendium of 212 photographs of archaeological soils and sediments thin sections (micrographs) from the backfill of the Sennacherib Assyrian canal system of Northern Mesopotamia. The micrographs were produced using an optical petrographic microscope (Olympus BX41) mounting a digital camera (Olympus E420) for image acquisition. Th...

Tells are multi-layered, archaeological mounds representing anthropogenic landforms common in arid regions. In such contexts, the preservation of the archaeological record is mined by ongoing climate changes, shift in land use, and intense human overgrazing. Such natural and human-driven factors tune the response of archaeological soils and sedimen...

The Al-Hajar Mountains (Northern Sultanate of Oman) characterise the northeastern part of the Arabian Plate and exhibit a complex tectonic history. They formed during the overthrusting of the Semail Ophiolite and the slope-basin sedimentary sequences over autochthonous sedimentary cover and metamorphic units. The post-orogenic history is characteri...

Antarctic deserts are among the driest and coldest ecosystems of the planet; there, some microbes survive under these extreme conditions inside porous rocks, forming the so-called endolithic communities. Yet the contribution of distinct rock traits to support complex microbial assemblies remains poorly determined. Here, we combined an extensive Ant...

Scenari di ricostruzione delle interazioni uomo-ambiente-clima in Lombardia (N-Italia) dal Paleolitico medio all’età del Ferro Characterising key issues in human–environment interactions in Lombardy (N-Italy) from the Middle Paleolithic to the Iron Age. - This contribution aims to provide an updated and concise overview of the main events and devel...

We developed a high-resolution magnetochronology of the Pleistocene stratigraphy of the Monte Netto hillock, a tectonically uplifted structure in the Po Plain of northern Italy. Our data allowed reconstructing the depositional age of the sequence and assessing rates of deformation and rock uplift of the neotectonic structure, thus providing constra...

During the Assyrian rule over Northern Mesopotamia (present-day northern Iraq), complex systems of canals were built to increase the surface of cultivable land and improve the movement of people and goods across the irrigated waterscape of the hinterland of Nineveh and other major urban centres, with the aim of granting socio-economic prosperity to...

We present the result of the geomorphological mapping of the central sector of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Therein, landscape evolution was mostly overseen by the regional geodynamic, related to the Arabia-Eurasia convergence, and in the Quaternary, regional climate fluctuations contributed to shaping landforms. The combination of such processes...

Pigment-based color is one of the most important phenotypic traits of biofilms at the mineral–air interface (subaerial biofilms, SABs), because it reflects the physiology of the microbial community. Because color is the hallmark of all SABs, we argue that pigment-based color could convey the mechanisms that drive microbial adaptation and coexistenc...

Geomorphology offers fresh tools for mapping landforms that are continually modelled by erosional and depositional processes; the same tools can be applied to archaeological contexts. In arid and semi-arid regions, such as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the preservation of the archaeological record is mined by ongoing climate changes and human overg...

Nell’ambito del rapporto Scienze della Terra – Società Civile, la didattica rappresenta lo strumento essenziale per instillare negli studenti una maggiore consapevolezza verso le dinamiche che interessano il Pianeta, siano esse attuali o, se non più attive, memoria di un lontano passato. Appare dunque chiaro come la ricerca di nuove tecniche e can...

At the beginning of Holocene, the Fertile Crescent (FC)-and particularly the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI)-was the scenario of several fundamental cultural events such as the origin of agriculture, the beginning of urbanization, and the formation of the first state entities. The role played by climate and environmental changes on these cultural pr...

La Regione Autonoma del Kurdistan Iracheno nel corso del tardo Quaternario è stato lo scenario di numerosi processi culturali che includono la dispersione del genere Homo in Eurasia, la nascita dell’agricoltura e della domesticazione di piante ed animali, l’inizio dell’urbanizzazione e la formazione delle prime entità statali. Alcuni autori hanno p...

Erosion-related loss of archaeological record in arid lands is a foremost matter for researchers and local communities. A noteworthy case-study is represented by the Sahelian site of Mahal Teglinos (Kassala, Eastern Sudan), a secluded valley hosting rich Late Quaternary archaeological and sedimentary records that are undergoing irreversible damage....

Rock art is a widespread cultural heritage, representing an immovable element of the material culture created on natural rocky supports. Paintings and petroglyphs can be found within caves and rock shelters or in open-air contexts and for that reason they are not isolated from the processes acting at the Earth surface. Consequently, rock art repres...

Triggering mechanisms and causative processes of deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSD) in Alpine and high mountain areas include, among others, post-glacial de-buttressing, earthquake-induced ground shaking, or co-seismic surface faulting. Distinguishing between climatic or tectonically driven factors is challenging since faults and...

Located along the Tigris River in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Mosul Dam reservoir is the second biggest dam of the Near East and represents an important water storage for local human activities. The dam was built between 1981 and 1988 north of the village of Eski Mosul, submerging the course of the Tigris River for ca 100 km. The analysis of...

In the first millennia of the Holocene, human communities in the Fertile Crescent (FC) experienced drastic economic, cultural and technological transformations that modified social and human-environments interactions and ultimately led to the rise of complex societies. The potential influence of climate on this “Neolithic Revolution” has long been...

The late Middle Pleistocene, starting at around 300 ka, witnessed large-scale biological and cultural dynamics in hominin evolution across Africa including the onset of the Middle Stone Age that is closely associated with the evolution of our species—Homo sapiens. However, archaeological and geochronological data of its earliest appearance are scar...

We present a geomorphological map of the Cilo Mountain range located in southeast Turkey that illustrates the recent evolution of the second-most glacierized area of Turkey. The map was produced by the manual delineating of landforms from highresolution satellite imagery (Pleiades and Google EarthTM images). Cilo Mountain glaciation played a crucia...

The paper presents the results of palynological and geoarchaeological investigation carried out on the Greek-Roman site of Pantanello – ancient Metapontum – in the Metaponto Plain (southern Italy). This area, archaeologically investigated since the ‘70s, is an example of the long-term interaction between human communities and the environment. A tot...

The study of the past is of fundamental importance in understanding the processes that control the functioning of the Earth System and the interaction between ecosystems, human society and natural variability. The Quaternary scientist produces a variety of proxies derived from the investigation of natural, archaeological and historical records cove...

The necessity of sustainable development for landscapes has emerged as an important theme in recent decades. Current methods take a holistic approach to landscape heritage and promote an interdisciplinary dialogue to facilitate complementary landscape management strategies. With the socio-economic values of the “natural” and “cultural” landscape he...

Geoheritage studies periodically propose assessment methodologies addressed to quantify the value of sites of interests towards geoconservation and/or promotion. Loess outcrops in the Po Plain Loess basin (Northern Italy) represent potential geoheritage sites, allowing to reconstruct glacial and interglacial cycles, testifying evidence of paleoseis...

The onset of the Acheulean, marked by the emergence of large cutting tools (LCTs), is considered a major technological advance in the Early Stone Age and a key turning point in human evolution. The Acheulean originated in East Africa at ~ 1.8-1.6 Ma and is reported in South Africa between ~ 1.6 and > 1.0 Ma. The timing of its appearance and develop...

Funerary landscapes are eminent results of the relationship between environments and superstructural human behavior, spanning over wide territories and growing over centuries. The comprehension of such cultural palimpsests needs substantial research efforts in the field of human ecology. The funerary landscape of the semi-arid region of Kassala (Ea...

The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition, between 50 000 and 40 000 years ago, is a period of important ecological and cultural changes. In this framework, the Rock Shelter of Uluzzo C (Apulia, southern Italy) represents an important site due to Late Mousterian and Uluzzian evidence preserved in its stratigraphic sequence. Here, we present the r...

The Noceto ‘Vasca Votiva’ (votive tank), discovered in excavations on a terrace at the southern edge of the Po Plain, northern Italy, is a unique well-preserved wooden (primarily oak) structure dated to the advanced through late Middle Bronze Age (~1600–1300 BCE). This complex monument, comprising two super-imposed tanks, is generally linked with a...

This research aims to define a chemical, mineralogical and strontium isotope database for clayey materials collected along the Nile River banks (White Nile, Blue Nile, Atbara and Main Nile Rivers) in Sudan, to be use for prehistoric and historic pottery provenance studies. The approach here adopted consists in using the clayey materials tout court,...

Located along the Tigris River in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), the Mosul Dam reservoir is the second biggest dam of the Near East, and represents an important water storage for local human activities. The Dam was built between 1981 and 1988 north of the village of Eski Mosul; along this part of the Tigris River several archaeological sites w...

We present the geomorphological map of the northwestern part of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where the landscape expresses the tectonic activity associated with the Arabia-Eurasia convergence and Neogene climate change. These processes influenced the evolution of landforms and fluvial pathways, where major rivers Tigris, Khabur, and Great Zab inci...

The necessity of sustainable development for landscapes has emerged as an important theme in recent decades. Current methods take a holistic approach to landscape heritage and promote an interdisciplinary dialogue to facilitate complementary landscape management strategies. With the socio-economic values of the “natural” and “cultural” landscape he...

We present the geomorphology of the Southern Atbai Plain (Eastern Sudan) and the western edge of the Eritrean Highlands (Western Eritrea), in the eastern Sahel. The mountainous area consists of Paleo-Proterozoic gneiss and Neo-Proterozoic igneous rocks and meta-volcanic assemblages shaped as inselbergs and whaleback landforms by weathering. Bare-ro...

Digital documentation of archaeological evidence represents a crucial tool in the study, preservation, management, and promotion of archaeological sites in remote regions and in fragile landscapes. In marginal environments, the knowledge related to archaeological heritage can quickly disappear, especially when policies to protect cultural heritage...

Special Issue Information Dear Colleagues, In the context of archaeological research and practice, the subject of Sustainability has a two-fold implication. From one side, the archaeological record provides evidence of sustainable practices carried out by ancient communities in different ecological niches around the globe. Adaptations to climati...

During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 30 to 16.5 ka ago), the Great Adriatic-Po Region (GAPR) was deeply affected by the spread of glaciers from the Alps to the southern foreland and by the dropping of the sea level to ~ -120 m amsl. The combination of these two events triggered the aggradation of the Great Po Plain (GPP), a vast flat area between...

The systematic survey of petroglyphs in the area of the ancient oasis of Salūt, in central Oman, highlighted a rich repertoire of representations that are here discussed against the background of Arabian rock art in general. The region displays an extremely rich number of engravings along the slopes of the Jabal Hammah, north of the main site of Sa...

Routine pottery analyses (optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray fluorescence) and digital image processing of polarised light photomicrographs were used to answer questions on the provenance and technology of pottery assemblages belonging to Late Acacus hunter–gatherers (ca. 10,200–8000 cal BP) and Pastoral herders (ca. 8300–4650 cal...

The attention to deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs) has steadily increased in the last few decades, because such features are ubiquitous in mountain areas. Their geomorphological surface expression, especially when related to the effects of lithostructural control in sedimentary stratified bedrocks, is well characterized in theor...

We present the results of the geomorphological mapping of a region of the Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman) including two contrasting physiographic units sharing a common drainage system into the