Morphology of the submerged Ferdinandea Island, the 'Neverland' of the Sicily Channel (central Mediterranean Sea)

We present the bathy-morphological map at a scale of 1: 50,000 of the area around the submerged Ferdinandea Island, the 'Neverland' of the Sicily Channel (central Mediterranean Sea). We investigate an area of 100 km(2), between 10 and 350 m, which is part of a triangular morphological high, 360 km(2) wide, representing the SE-wards prolongation of the Adventure Bank. The study is based on the morphometric analysis based on high resolution multibeam, and sub-bottom CHIRP profiles collected in 2015. The area around the remains of Ferdinandea Island is morphologically shaped by the interplay between volcanic, tectonic, fluid seepage, and oceanographic processes. Since the study area is considered a hot spot of biodiversity affected by maritime traffic (especially in Ferdinandea Channel) and hosting communication pipelines, this map provides insights both for habitat mapping purposes and preliminary marine geohazard assessment due to the occurrence of historically active submarine volcanoes, pockmarks, and mass transport deposits.

Automated summary

We present a bathy-morphological map of the area around the submerged Ferdinandea Island in the Sicily Channel. The map provides insights into the interplay between volcanic, tectonic, fluid seepage, and oceanographic processes in the region. This map is important for habitat mapping and preliminary marine geohazard assessment in a biodiversity hotspot influenced by maritime traffic and hosting communication pipelines.