Distribution of oxygen isotopes in molluscan shells from two Quaternary shoreline deposits (Latium, Italy)

Abstract

Thirty-two samples of four species of the molluscan fauna from two Quaternary shoreline deposits of Latium (central Italy) have been analyzed for oxygen and carbon isotopie compositions. The 18O contents of the studied shells cluster separately for the two deposits, thus proving to be a distinctive feature of the studied shorelines. The complex isotopie history of the Mediterranean sea interferes with a simple paleoclimatic interpretation of the obtained results; however the obtained data show that the used type of analyses may be useful in the stratigraphic characterization of fossiliferous deposits. The method can thus be applied to the study of Quaternary Mediterranean shorelines which have markedly been affected by tectonic displacements.