49 Comments on the neotectonics of the coastal zone of west Messenia Comments on the neotectonics of the coastal zone of western Messenia Comments on the neotectonics of the coastal zone of western Messenia based on luminescence dating and geoarchaeological evidence based on luminescence dating and geoarchaeological evidence Constantin Athanassas, Ioannis Fountoulis †, Ilias Mariolakos, Yiannis Bassiakos, Zafeiris Karotsieris, Maria Triantaphyllou and Katerina Theodorakopoulou with 6 figures and 1 table Abstract. The coastal regions of western Messenia belong to a regime of substancial vertical neotectonic deformation. This has been an ongoing procedure since at least the Early Quaternary. Along with the crus- tal displacement, sea level has undergone fluctations over the same period of time. The interaction between uplifting Messenia and the oscillating sea level has resulted in a flank of wave-cut terraces. So far, the neo- tectonic configuration of western Messenia was only qualitatively approached. Therefore, a chronological framework based on numeric dating is necessary to estimate rates of vertical dislocation. Optically Stimu- lated Luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments has been utilised in this research in order to yield ages of tectonic and eustatic changes. Nevertheless, saturation of the OSL signal restricted luminescence dating to the Upper Quaternary only. W ang et al. (2006a, b) proposed that the thermally transferred OSL (TT- OSL) signals from quartz are suitable for dating older geologic events, thus allowing us to acquire a more comprehensive picture of the geoenvironmental evolution of western Messenia. Besides, the coastal areas of Navarino have exhibited evidence of human activity since prehistoric times. Ancient human activity was controlled by coastal processes and thus its remains may comprise important indicators of coastal displace- ment. Specifically, Hellenistic and Roman archaeological sites are useful markers of tectonic subsidence and thus they demonstrate localised diversions from the general pattern of uplift. In this study, geomorphic, geochronological and geoarchaeological data were merged, in order to understand the neotectonic pattern that underlines the geoenvironmental evolution of Messenia. Key words: Messenia, neotectonics, OSL dating, Geoarchaeology 1 Introduction In western Messenia (Fig. 1), the configuration of the topography and the coastline is control- led by vertical movements of the upper crust which have been taking place since at least 1.6 Ma ago (Mariolakos &Fountoulis 1990, Mariolakos et al. 1994a, b). Along with the tectonics, sea-level underwent oscillations over the same period of time. The interaction between the tec- tonically uplifting areas of western Messenia and highstanding sea-levels lead to the formation of a sequence of raised marine terraces. These occupy extensive areas of western Messenia, and sug- gest continuous uplift of the coastal areas for the entire Pleistocene (Kelletat et. al. 1976). Tec- tonic and sea level changes have been also recorded in the local biostratigraphy, as revealed from the study of sediments from the terraces (Marcopoulou-Diacantoni et al. 1990, Fountoulis &Moraiti 1994, Mariolakos et al. 1994a, b). In addition, traces of human activity appear on the modern coastline. They capture a period from the Middle Paleolithic, through the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic, to the Late Helladic Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie Vol. 57 (2013), Suppl. 3, 049-062 Article Stuttgart, September 2013 ©2013 Gebrüder Borntraeger Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany www.borntraeger-cramer.de DOI: 10.1127/0372-8854/2013/S-00143 0372-8854/13/S-00143 $ 3.50