Pleistocene Suvero slide, Paola basin, southern Italy

The Suvero slide covers an area of about 225 km2 in the Paola slope basin on the Eastern Tyrrhenian margin. The shape and lateral extent of the deposit reflect topographic confinement of the slide between the continental slope and a morphologic barrier formed by a margin-parallel slope ridge. No headwall or slide plane comparable in scale with the slide deposit were found, suggesting that quasi in situ deformation of semi-consolidated sediments took place when the failed materials reached the floor of the slope basin. The failure occurred downslope from a basement high originating from local uplift. Continued uplift, after the Suvero slide occurred, is documented by the presence of steep upper-slope gradients within the study area and by the presence of small-scale creep and failure events that postdate the Suvero slide. ?? 1989.