Pleistocene sea level changes as revealed by flank margin caves in telogenetic limestones in Sicily and Sardinia (Italy).

Coastal karst areas often host many indices of past sea level changes, such as marine terraces, fossiliferous sediments, tidal notches and coastal caves. Tectonic movements can then displace these ancient coastlines vertically. The interplay between rising or falling sea level and uplifting or subsidence can be very complex and difficult to unravel. The combination of a detailed knowledge of marine terraces and the study of some flank margin caves located at various altitudes have allowed to reconstruct the speleogenetic history of the coastal plain of Cornino-Custonaci (NW Sicily). Along the centraleastern coast of Sardinia, instead, the detailed study of the Fico Cave has allowed to recognise it as a flank margin cave developed on five levels, related to Pleistocene sea level highstands. These studies show that this type of mixing corrosion caves is much more widespread than previously thought also in telogenetic limestones. These caves, being excellent sea level markers, might help coastal geomorphologists to understand more on both sea level rise and fall and tectonic movements in coastal areas.