Fig. 1

The changeful history of Italy and its surrounding regions from the mid-Miocene to the Pleistocene. (a) Mid-Miocene (17–16 Ma, the white areas are excluded, black lines show the recent situation), (b) the ‘Lago-Mare’ period (i.e., the first Messinian cycle or the lower gypsum mega-sequence), latest Miocene (6.0–5.6 Ma), (c) Pliocene (5.3–2.6 Ma), (d) Last Glacial Maximum (21 ka), similar distributions of land and sea are also assumed for the previous ice ages of the late Pleistocene. Maps based on Bosellini [12] and Vai [17]