C-14 GEOCHRONOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS FOR THE VOLCANIC HISTORY OF THE ISLAND OF ISCHIA (ITALY) OVER THE LAST 5000 YEARS

The chronology of the most significant eruptions at the island of Isch ia in the last 5000 years has been studied by means of Accelerator Mas s Spectrometry to obtain C-14 data. The results are in good agreement with stratigraphical and archeological constraints. This allows interp retation of the measured dates as ages of the eruptions which produced the deposits overlying or incorporating the sampled paleosols and cha rcoal fragments, respectively. These ages define the timing of volcani sm in the last 5000 years, suggesting that the recent volcanic activit y at Ischia is characterized by periods of very intense volcanism alte rnating to periods of quiescence. This timing of the volcanism is corr elated with the behaviour of the magmatic system and dynamics of resur gence of the Mt. Epomeo block.