VERBI VEnice Research BIbliography

In the context of the Research Line 3.2 - Hydrodynamics and morphology of the CORILA. Project, a detailed mineralogical investigation was carried out on the surficial sediments of the Venice Lagoon, as a part of a multidisciplinary study aimed to point out recent and present morphological changes in relation to hydrodynamic processes.
This paper provides an update overview of the spatial mineralogical variations of the top lagoon sediments. It is based on more than one hundred analyses of samples taken in selected sites, which represent the various morphologies and hydrodynamic conditions of the lagoon system.
As already observed in many previous studies, our investigation indicates an overall similar mineralogical composition with distinct percentage changes from the northern sector of the lagoon, where carbonate-rich sediments prevail, to the southern silicate-rich sector. This distribution mainly corresponds to the ancient fluvial input of the Piave and the Brenta-Bacchiglione river systems, from the north and the south respectively.
In particular, carbonate content shows dominant dolomite and subordinate calcite, whereas within silicates (quartz, k-feldspar and plagioclase) quartz is dominant. Clayey minerals (mica, chlorite, kaolinite, illite, hastingsite) show higher contents within the Brenta river deposits and in low energy areas, particularly landwards.