Abstract High-resolution cyclostratigraphy and calcareous plankton astrobiochronology have been obtained from the latest Langhian to the earliest Tortonian of the Mediterranean. The investigated areas (Malta, Tremiti, and Sicily) are located in different geological settings, and the three studied sections show different cyclicity. Direct correlation between the Laskar 90 (1.1) solution of the insolation curve and the sedimentary cycle pattern occurring in the investigated sections showed that all the sedimentary cycles are forced dominantly by Milankovitch periodicity. This forcing is also reflected in the climate-sensitive data (CaCO 3 content, and the relative abundance of the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides ) as shown by the application of spectral and filtering analyses. The calibration provided astronomical ages for all the sedimentary cycles and bioevents recorded in the sections. In particular, an age of 13.59 Ma was obtained for the extinction level of Sphenolithus heteromorphus , which is the best event approximating the Langhian-Serravallian boundary and an age of 10.55 Ma for the first regular occurrence of Neogloboquadrina acostaensis , the event that better approximates the Serravallian-Tortonian boundary in the Tortonian type section.

Abstract Rock coasts and shore platforms are conspicuous landforms along the Mediterranean and Black Sea (MBS) coasts. These coasts have been fashioned by changes in sea level because of vertical movements of the land and variations in eustatic and isostatic sea-level. For this reason, the Quaternary evolution of MBS coasts has been extensively studied, even starting from geomorphological markers, while very few researches have addressed the processes related to their origin and evolution. Despite most of the Mediterranean coast being rocky, studies about rocky shore processes are almost completely lacking, except for limited areas. Data on sea cliff retreats have mainly been collected to study the susceptibility of cliff failures or to prevent landslides, in particular along shores used for tourism. Data on erosion rates and processes on shore platforms are generally scarce and restricted to limestone bedrocks. In this paper, we summarize the results of studies of rates and processes of rocky coasts of the countries overlooking the Mediterranean and Black Seas and review the current knowledge concerning rock coasts in the MBS area.