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Papers by daniela di bucci
The outermost thrust fronts of the Northern Apennines fold-and-thrust belt (Italy) are buried und... more The outermost thrust fronts of the Northern Apennines fold-and-thrust belt (Italy) are buried under a thick clastic cover that fills the Po Plain basin (Fig. 1), and have been studied by means of seismic sections and deep well logs acquired for oil exploration purposes (e.g. PIERI & GROPPI,1981). These data show a system of NE-verging blind thrusts and folds that controlled the deposition of very thick syntectonic sedimentary References
Geophysical Research Abstracts, 2007
The Adriatic foreland of the Apennines comes ashore only in Apulia (easternmost Italy). The South... more The Adriatic foreland of the Apennines comes ashore only in Apulia (easternmost Italy). The Southern Apulia, our study area, lacks any structural analysis devoted to define its recent-to-active tectonics. Throughout the Quaternary, this region was affected by mild brittle deformation with rare faults, characterised by small displacement, and widespread extension joints, frequently organised in sets. Therefore, we conducted a quantitative and systematic analysis of the joint sets affecting Quaternary deposits, by applying an inversion technique ad hoc to infer the orientation and ratio of the principal stress axes (R). Within a general extensional regime, we recognised three deformational events of regional significance. The oldest event, constrained to the early and middle part of the Middle Pleistocene, is characterized by variable direction of extension and R values between 0.64 and 0.99. The penultimate event, dated late Middle Pleistocene, is characterized by an almost uniaxial tension, with a horizontal σ3 striking ~N43°; R is high, between 0.85 and 0.99. The most recent event is characterized by the lowermost R values, that never exceed 0.47 and are commonly <0.30, indicating a sort of horizontal ‘radial’ extension. This event is not older than the Late Pleistocene and possibly reflects the active stress field still pervading the entire study area
Strutture ereditate e tettonica attiva al limite Nord-Appennino- Pianura Padana: i terremoti dell... more Strutture ereditate e tettonica attiva al limite Nord-Appennino- Pianura Padana: i terremoti dell'Emilia del 2012.La sequenza sismica iniziata nel Maggio 2012 ha riportato l'attenzione sulla sismicita della Pianura Padana, un'area densamente abitata e con una esposizione particolarmente elevata rispetto ai terremoti, pur essendo la sismicita dell'area da bassa a moderata. Le due scosse principali, del 20 e 29 maggio 2012, di magnitudo rispettivamente pari a 5.9 e 5.8, hanno coinvolto una vasta porzione dell'Arco ferrarese. E stata reinterpretata una sezione sismica a riflessione che attraversa l'area epicentrale e alla luce di questa, delle caratteristiche dei due eventi sismici principali e delle relative repliche, sono stati analizzati i dati di letteratura disponibili sull'assetto tettonico dell'area. Un aspetto che potrebbe aver giocato un ruolo e la coesistenza, nel sottosuolo della Pianura Padana, di strutture tettoniche profonde, ereditate da p...
ABSTRACT L’area del terremoto dell’Irpinia del 1930 corrisponde in profondità all'avampae... more ABSTRACT L’area del terremoto dell’Irpinia del 1930 corrisponde in profondità all'avampaese Apulo, inflesso al di sotto delle unità alloctone accavallate nella porzione frontale del cuneo orogenico, ma non coinvolto nelle strutture dei cosiddetti duplex dell'Apula sensu Patacca and Scandone (2004). In particolare, le profondità ipocentrali del terremoto del 1930 corrispondono al basamento sottostante la successione della Piattaforma Carbonatica Apula. Il campo macrosismico e i dati strumentali disponibili (si veda la sorgente in DISS, 2007, con relativa bibliografia, e Pino et al., sottomesso) suggeriscono una sorgente sismogenetica con un’orientazione e una cinematica che rappresentano una sorta di transizione tra la direzione W-E a cinematica trascorrente destra, che caratterizza la sismicità propria delle aree di avampaese sia affiorante che sepolto, e la direzione NW-SE a cinematica normale, che caratterizza la sismicità connessa all'estensione lungo l'asse della catena Appenninica (si veda il terremoto del 1980). In questo quadro, l’obiettivo dello studio magnetotellurico è stato quello di investigare i volumi di crosta al di sotto della successione Apula per valutare l'eventuale presenza di direzioni preferenziali dell'anisotropia di resistività che fossero confrontabili con la direzione della sorgente del terremoto del 1930. Il verificarsi di tale evenienza avrebbe potuto essere infatti interpretato come indizio di una zona di debolezza regionale, che avrebbe condizionato le caratteristiche geometriche e cinematiche della sorgente del terremoto stesso. Partendo dall’area sismogenetica segnalata nel DISS per questo terremoto, sono stati effettuati in un’area di circa 1000 km2 sondaggi magnetotellurici in 15 siti, nell’intervallo di 0.009- 4000 s. Per ciascun sito si è proceduto alla misura delle tre componenti ortogonali del campo magnetico e di tre componenti del campo elettrico, di cui due lungo la stessa linea e ortogonali alla terza. Ciò ha consentito la stima dei parametri magnetotellurici per due sondaggi adiacenti, al fine di meglio controllare possibili problemi di rumore antropico o strumentale. Le stazioni, fino ad un massimo di tre, hanno operato in contemporanea fungendo l’una per l’altra da remote reference (Gamble et al., 1979). Va sottolineata la buona qualità dei dati acquisiti sia in termini di stime stabili con diverse tecniche di analisi, che per basso scattering delle curve di resistività apparente e fase. Le risposte sperimentali sono state poi comparate con i dati di pozzo disponibili, verificando un ottimo accordo. È stata inoltre eseguita un’analisi sulle proprietà fisiche e geometriche del tensore impedenza, adottando lo schema di decomposizione di Weaver et al. (2000) dal quale è derivato poi lo studio degli invarianti magnetotellurici per la definizione della dimensionalità delle strutture elettriche investigate ai vari periodi (ovvero alle varie profondità). Circa il 75% dei dati analizzati implica strutture assimilabili necessariamente a modelli tridimensionali e le quattro componenti del tensore impedenza sono significativamente diverse da zero. Per questo tipo di strutture, seguendo Weaver et al. (2000), è comunque possibile definire una direzione di eterogeneità elettrica. Ciò è stato fatto per ciascun sondaggio e per ciascun periodo di stima. Mediante la trasformazione di Niblett–Bostick è stato poi ottenuto lo strike elettrico in funzione della profondità stimata. Viene riportata la direzione di strike per i vari sondaggi alla profondità stimata nell’intervallo 8 - 16 km, riferibile quindi a una porzione di crosta al di sotto del resistivo che identifica le successioni della Piattaforma Apula. Unpublished CNR, P.le Aldo Moro 7, Roma, Italia 2.6. TTC - Laboratorio di gravimetria, magnetismo ed elettromagnetismo in aree attive
ABSTRACT On 23 July 1930, the Irpinia region in southern Italy experienced a destructive (M 6.7) ... more ABSTRACT On 23 July 1930, the Irpinia region in southern Italy experienced a destructive (M 6.7) earthquake that struck the eastern sector of the southern Apennines moutain belt. Previous studies suggest that this earthquake was caused by a seismogenic source having oblique right-lateral kinematics and striking at an angle between the general trend of NE-verging large dip-slip faults in the southern Apennines (~ NW-SE) and the E-W near-vertical, strike-slip right lateral faults that have been recently discovered in the foreland, east of the main extensional axis. Also, the ~14 km hypocentral depth of the 1930 earthquake that has been calculated in previous studies is likely located within the basement below the Apula carbonate platform succession. This puts the source of the 1930 earthquake not only in an intermediate region between pure normal (NW-SE) and strike-slip right-lateral (E-W) large seismogenic faults in the southern Apennines, but also at an hypocentral depth between the 12-13 km depth of the earthquakes caused by normal faulting (like the Irpinia 23 Nov. 1980, M 6.9 one) and the 15-20 km depth of the earthquakes caused by strike-slip faulting in the foreland (like the 31 Oct.-1 Nov. 2002, M 5.8 Molise ones). In this framework, we performed a magnetotelluric (MT) study to investigate the evidence of preferential direction in resistivity anisotropy and to compare it with the strike of the 1930 seismogenic fault. Unpublished Oslo, Norway 3.2. Tettonica attiva
Geophysical Research Letters, Mar 2, 2018
The causative source of the first damaging earthquake instrumentally recorded in the Island of Is... more The causative source of the first damaging earthquake instrumentally recorded in the Island of Ischia, occurred on 21 August 2017, has been studied through a multiparametric geophysical approach. In order to investigate the source geometry and kinematics we exploit seismological, Global Positioning System, and Sentinel-1 and COSMO-SkyMed differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar coseismic measurements. Our results indicate that the retrieved solutions from the geodetic data modeling and the seismological data are plausible; in particular, the best fit solution consists of an E-W striking, south dipping normal fault, with its center located at a depth of 800 m. Moreover, the retrieved causative fault is consistent with the rheological stratification of the crust in this zone. This study allows us to improve the knowledge of the volcano-tectonic processes occurring on the Island, which is crucial for a better assessment of the seismic risk in the area.
Geophysical Research Letters, 2019
We investigate the 24–27 December 2018 eruption of Mount Etna occurred from fissures located on t... more We investigate the 24–27 December 2018 eruption of Mount Etna occurred from fissures located on the volcano eastern flank and accompanied by a seismic swarm, which was triggered by the magma intrusion and continued for weeks after the end of the eruption. Moreover, this swarm involved some of the shallow volcano‐tectonic structures located on the Mount Etna flanks and culminated on 26 December with the strongest event (ML 4.8), occurred along the Fiandaca Fault. In this work, we analyze seismological data and Sentinel‐1 Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) measurements, the latter inverted through analytical modeling. Our results suggest that a dike source intruded, promoting the opening of the eruptive fissures fed by a shallower dike. Moreover, our findings indicate that the activation of faults in different sectors of the volcano may be considered as a response to accommodate the deformations induced by the magma volumes injection.
Geophysical Research Letters, 2017
We investigate a large geodetic data set of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and ... more We investigate a large geodetic data set of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and GPS measurements to determine the source parameters for the three main shocks of the 2016 Central Italy earthquake sequence on 24 August and 26 and 30 October (Mw 6.1, 5.9, and 6.5, respectively). Our preferred model is consistent with the activation of four main coseismic asperities belonging to the SW dipping normal fault system associated with the Mount Gorzano‐Mount Vettore‐Mount Bove alignment. Additional slip, equivalent to a Mw ~ 6.1–6.2 earthquake, on a secondary (1) NE dipping antithetic fault and/or (2) on a WNW dipping low‐angle fault in the hanging wall of the main system is required to better reproduce the complex deformation pattern associated with the greatest seismic event (the Mw 6.5 earthquake). The recognition of ancillary faults involved in the sequence suggests a complex interaction in the activated crustal volume between the main normal faults and the secondary stru...
The RETRACE-3D project (centRal italy EarThquakes integRAted Crustal model) focused on the revisi... more The RETRACE-3D project (centRal italy EarThquakes integRAted Crustal model) focused on the revision of all the available geological and geophysical data in the area interested by the 2016-2018 seismic sequence of central Italy, with the final aim to reconstruct a reliable and consistent 3D geological model of that area. It is based on a collaboration, which was framed into a formal agreement, between Dipartimento della Protezione Civile (the Italian Civil Protection Department), Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, and Istituto per il Rilevamento Elettromagnetico of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, and Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale. The agreement purpose was to develop a project aimed at the geological and seismotectonic characterisation of the crustal volume hosting that seismic sequence. We present and discuss the approach, methodology and results of the project. The 3D geological model of the study area is developed in detail down to a depth of about 12 km, and extended to the Moho based on available regional-scale information. The model is available on the RETRACE-3D project website (www.retrace3d.it)
Decision-making under conditions of large uncertainty is an issue that poses serious questions ab... more Decision-making under conditions of large uncertainty is an issue that poses serious questions about the decisional chain, its complexities, the consequent responsibilities, and, ultimately, the difficulties of identifying the “right” decision to make. This paper addresses these issues from a civil protection perspective, i.e., from the point of view of an organization which often operates under highly uncertain conditions in the management of the risk cycle. Three main participants in the decision-making process are identified: scientists, political decision-makers (PDMs), and technical decision-makers (TDMs). They provide different contributions to the risk management, with frequent and intricate interactions that, however, can cause distortions in the distinction of the roles to be played, and thus of the responsibilities to be taken. In addition to scientists and decision-makers, there are other participants playing important roles in the risk cycle, and thus influencing decisions within the civil protection system, such as the technical community of professionals, the mass media, the magistrates, and the citizens. PDMs and TDMs, as well as scientists, are directly involved in the decision-making process. Professionals, journalists, magistrates, and citizens can indirectly condition decisions and their implementation. Examples are reported for all of these categories. Participants in the decisional process who understand their role and responsibilities can contribute to a more efficient and effective civil protection system, reducing the occurrence of errors and incidents, if they act within the bounds of their expertise, but avoid to adhere too rigidly to their role. How to develop a correct and fruitful interaction among all the actors is a primary target for a mature civil protection system.
After the seismic events occurred in Emilia (Italy) on May 20 and May 29, 2012, the International... more After the seismic events occurred in Emilia (Italy) on May 20 and May 29, 2012, the International Commission on Hydrocarbon Exploration and Seismicity in the Emilia Region (ICHESE) evaluated the possible links between E&P activities and the seismic activity in the area affected by the earthquakes. The Commission could not rule out the possibility of a link and emphasized the need of further analyses, in order to exclude the correlation of seismic events of May 2012 to waste-water injection activities performed at the Cavone field. The Ministry of Economic Development (MiSE), the EmiliaRomagna Region and the Operator with the patronage of Assomineraria i carried out such analyses and found new elements against the possibility that operations could affect the seismic events. Furthermore, the Commission recommended developing new integrated monitoring systems for seismicity, ground deformations and pore pressures that were able to provide high-quality data in real time, in order to sup...
Una gerarchia al rovescio delle faglie normali attive evidenziata dal terremoto del 6 Aprile 2009... more Una gerarchia al rovescio delle faglie normali attive evidenziata dal terremoto del 6 Aprile 2009 de L'Aquila.Comprendere le relazioni esistenti tra lo slip dinamico in profondita e le deformazioni che avvengono in superficie e fondamentale nelle analisi di pericolosita sismica, perche le tecniche di studio tradizionali per identificare e caratterizzare il potenziale dei terremoti prodotti da faglie continentali si basano principalmente su analisi di superficie. Il terremoto del 6 Aprile 2009 de L'Aquila ha rimesso in discussione gli approcci standard perche: (1) nessuno degli studi svolti prima dell'evento ne aveva identificata correttamente la sorgente, e (2) perche le faglie considerate come sismogenetiche non hanno mostrato riattivazioni, se non parziali.Il terremoto del 2009 e l'evento per faglia normale meglio documentato al mondo, e offre dunque un'opportunita unica per esplorare i rapporti tra l'attivita della sorgente sismogenetica profonda e le evid...
La Rivista del Nuovo Cimento, 2021
Destructive tsunamis are most often generated by large earthquakes occurring at subduction interf... more Destructive tsunamis are most often generated by large earthquakes occurring at subduction interfaces, but also other “atypical” sources—defined as crustal earthquakes and non-seismic sources altogether—may cause significant tsunami threats. Tsunamis may indeed be generated by different sources, such as earthquakes, submarine or coastal landslides, volcano-related phenomena, and atmospheric perturbations. The consideration of atypical sources is important worldwide, but it is especially prominent in complex tectonic settings such as the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, or the Indonesian archipelago. The recent disasters in Indonesia in 2018, caused by the Palu-Sulawesi magnitude Mw 7.5 crustal earthquake and by the collapse of the Anak-Krakatau volcano, recall the importance of such sources. Dealing with atypical sources represents a scientific, technical, and computational challenge, which depends on the capability of quantifying and managing uncertainty efficiently and of reducing it...
The outermost thrust fronts of the Northern Apennines fold-and-thrust belt (Italy) are buried und... more The outermost thrust fronts of the Northern Apennines fold-and-thrust belt (Italy) are buried under a thick clastic cover that fills the Po Plain basin (Fig. 1), and have been studied by means of seismic sections and deep well logs acquired for oil exploration purposes (e.g. PIERI & GROPPI,1981). These data show a system of NE-verging blind thrusts and folds that controlled the deposition of very thick syntectonic sedimentary References
Geophysical Research Abstracts, 2007
The Adriatic foreland of the Apennines comes ashore only in Apulia (easternmost Italy). The South... more The Adriatic foreland of the Apennines comes ashore only in Apulia (easternmost Italy). The Southern Apulia, our study area, lacks any structural analysis devoted to define its recent-to-active tectonics. Throughout the Quaternary, this region was affected by mild brittle deformation with rare faults, characterised by small displacement, and widespread extension joints, frequently organised in sets. Therefore, we conducted a quantitative and systematic analysis of the joint sets affecting Quaternary deposits, by applying an inversion technique ad hoc to infer the orientation and ratio of the principal stress axes (R). Within a general extensional regime, we recognised three deformational events of regional significance. The oldest event, constrained to the early and middle part of the Middle Pleistocene, is characterized by variable direction of extension and R values between 0.64 and 0.99. The penultimate event, dated late Middle Pleistocene, is characterized by an almost uniaxial tension, with a horizontal σ3 striking ~N43°; R is high, between 0.85 and 0.99. The most recent event is characterized by the lowermost R values, that never exceed 0.47 and are commonly <0.30, indicating a sort of horizontal ‘radial’ extension. This event is not older than the Late Pleistocene and possibly reflects the active stress field still pervading the entire study area
Strutture ereditate e tettonica attiva al limite Nord-Appennino- Pianura Padana: i terremoti dell... more Strutture ereditate e tettonica attiva al limite Nord-Appennino- Pianura Padana: i terremoti dell'Emilia del 2012.La sequenza sismica iniziata nel Maggio 2012 ha riportato l'attenzione sulla sismicita della Pianura Padana, un'area densamente abitata e con una esposizione particolarmente elevata rispetto ai terremoti, pur essendo la sismicita dell'area da bassa a moderata. Le due scosse principali, del 20 e 29 maggio 2012, di magnitudo rispettivamente pari a 5.9 e 5.8, hanno coinvolto una vasta porzione dell'Arco ferrarese. E stata reinterpretata una sezione sismica a riflessione che attraversa l'area epicentrale e alla luce di questa, delle caratteristiche dei due eventi sismici principali e delle relative repliche, sono stati analizzati i dati di letteratura disponibili sull'assetto tettonico dell'area. Un aspetto che potrebbe aver giocato un ruolo e la coesistenza, nel sottosuolo della Pianura Padana, di strutture tettoniche profonde, ereditate da p...
ABSTRACT L’area del terremoto dell’Irpinia del 1930 corrisponde in profondità all'avampae... more ABSTRACT L’area del terremoto dell’Irpinia del 1930 corrisponde in profondità all'avampaese Apulo, inflesso al di sotto delle unità alloctone accavallate nella porzione frontale del cuneo orogenico, ma non coinvolto nelle strutture dei cosiddetti duplex dell'Apula sensu Patacca and Scandone (2004). In particolare, le profondità ipocentrali del terremoto del 1930 corrispondono al basamento sottostante la successione della Piattaforma Carbonatica Apula. Il campo macrosismico e i dati strumentali disponibili (si veda la sorgente in DISS, 2007, con relativa bibliografia, e Pino et al., sottomesso) suggeriscono una sorgente sismogenetica con un’orientazione e una cinematica che rappresentano una sorta di transizione tra la direzione W-E a cinematica trascorrente destra, che caratterizza la sismicità propria delle aree di avampaese sia affiorante che sepolto, e la direzione NW-SE a cinematica normale, che caratterizza la sismicità connessa all'estensione lungo l'asse della catena Appenninica (si veda il terremoto del 1980). In questo quadro, l’obiettivo dello studio magnetotellurico è stato quello di investigare i volumi di crosta al di sotto della successione Apula per valutare l'eventuale presenza di direzioni preferenziali dell'anisotropia di resistività che fossero confrontabili con la direzione della sorgente del terremoto del 1930. Il verificarsi di tale evenienza avrebbe potuto essere infatti interpretato come indizio di una zona di debolezza regionale, che avrebbe condizionato le caratteristiche geometriche e cinematiche della sorgente del terremoto stesso. Partendo dall’area sismogenetica segnalata nel DISS per questo terremoto, sono stati effettuati in un’area di circa 1000 km2 sondaggi magnetotellurici in 15 siti, nell’intervallo di 0.009- 4000 s. Per ciascun sito si è proceduto alla misura delle tre componenti ortogonali del campo magnetico e di tre componenti del campo elettrico, di cui due lungo la stessa linea e ortogonali alla terza. Ciò ha consentito la stima dei parametri magnetotellurici per due sondaggi adiacenti, al fine di meglio controllare possibili problemi di rumore antropico o strumentale. Le stazioni, fino ad un massimo di tre, hanno operato in contemporanea fungendo l’una per l’altra da remote reference (Gamble et al., 1979). Va sottolineata la buona qualità dei dati acquisiti sia in termini di stime stabili con diverse tecniche di analisi, che per basso scattering delle curve di resistività apparente e fase. Le risposte sperimentali sono state poi comparate con i dati di pozzo disponibili, verificando un ottimo accordo. È stata inoltre eseguita un’analisi sulle proprietà fisiche e geometriche del tensore impedenza, adottando lo schema di decomposizione di Weaver et al. (2000) dal quale è derivato poi lo studio degli invarianti magnetotellurici per la definizione della dimensionalità delle strutture elettriche investigate ai vari periodi (ovvero alle varie profondità). Circa il 75% dei dati analizzati implica strutture assimilabili necessariamente a modelli tridimensionali e le quattro componenti del tensore impedenza sono significativamente diverse da zero. Per questo tipo di strutture, seguendo Weaver et al. (2000), è comunque possibile definire una direzione di eterogeneità elettrica. Ciò è stato fatto per ciascun sondaggio e per ciascun periodo di stima. Mediante la trasformazione di Niblett–Bostick è stato poi ottenuto lo strike elettrico in funzione della profondità stimata. Viene riportata la direzione di strike per i vari sondaggi alla profondità stimata nell’intervallo 8 - 16 km, riferibile quindi a una porzione di crosta al di sotto del resistivo che identifica le successioni della Piattaforma Apula. Unpublished CNR, P.le Aldo Moro 7, Roma, Italia 2.6. TTC - Laboratorio di gravimetria, magnetismo ed elettromagnetismo in aree attive
ABSTRACT On 23 July 1930, the Irpinia region in southern Italy experienced a destructive (M 6.7) ... more ABSTRACT On 23 July 1930, the Irpinia region in southern Italy experienced a destructive (M 6.7) earthquake that struck the eastern sector of the southern Apennines moutain belt. Previous studies suggest that this earthquake was caused by a seismogenic source having oblique right-lateral kinematics and striking at an angle between the general trend of NE-verging large dip-slip faults in the southern Apennines (~ NW-SE) and the E-W near-vertical, strike-slip right lateral faults that have been recently discovered in the foreland, east of the main extensional axis. Also, the ~14 km hypocentral depth of the 1930 earthquake that has been calculated in previous studies is likely located within the basement below the Apula carbonate platform succession. This puts the source of the 1930 earthquake not only in an intermediate region between pure normal (NW-SE) and strike-slip right-lateral (E-W) large seismogenic faults in the southern Apennines, but also at an hypocentral depth between the 12-13 km depth of the earthquakes caused by normal faulting (like the Irpinia 23 Nov. 1980, M 6.9 one) and the 15-20 km depth of the earthquakes caused by strike-slip faulting in the foreland (like the 31 Oct.-1 Nov. 2002, M 5.8 Molise ones). In this framework, we performed a magnetotelluric (MT) study to investigate the evidence of preferential direction in resistivity anisotropy and to compare it with the strike of the 1930 seismogenic fault. Unpublished Oslo, Norway 3.2. Tettonica attiva
Geophysical Research Letters, Mar 2, 2018
The causative source of the first damaging earthquake instrumentally recorded in the Island of Is... more The causative source of the first damaging earthquake instrumentally recorded in the Island of Ischia, occurred on 21 August 2017, has been studied through a multiparametric geophysical approach. In order to investigate the source geometry and kinematics we exploit seismological, Global Positioning System, and Sentinel-1 and COSMO-SkyMed differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar coseismic measurements. Our results indicate that the retrieved solutions from the geodetic data modeling and the seismological data are plausible; in particular, the best fit solution consists of an E-W striking, south dipping normal fault, with its center located at a depth of 800 m. Moreover, the retrieved causative fault is consistent with the rheological stratification of the crust in this zone. This study allows us to improve the knowledge of the volcano-tectonic processes occurring on the Island, which is crucial for a better assessment of the seismic risk in the area.
Geophysical Research Letters, 2019
We investigate the 24–27 December 2018 eruption of Mount Etna occurred from fissures located on t... more We investigate the 24–27 December 2018 eruption of Mount Etna occurred from fissures located on the volcano eastern flank and accompanied by a seismic swarm, which was triggered by the magma intrusion and continued for weeks after the end of the eruption. Moreover, this swarm involved some of the shallow volcano‐tectonic structures located on the Mount Etna flanks and culminated on 26 December with the strongest event (ML 4.8), occurred along the Fiandaca Fault. In this work, we analyze seismological data and Sentinel‐1 Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) measurements, the latter inverted through analytical modeling. Our results suggest that a dike source intruded, promoting the opening of the eruptive fissures fed by a shallower dike. Moreover, our findings indicate that the activation of faults in different sectors of the volcano may be considered as a response to accommodate the deformations induced by the magma volumes injection.
Geophysical Research Letters, 2017
We investigate a large geodetic data set of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and ... more We investigate a large geodetic data set of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and GPS measurements to determine the source parameters for the three main shocks of the 2016 Central Italy earthquake sequence on 24 August and 26 and 30 October (Mw 6.1, 5.9, and 6.5, respectively). Our preferred model is consistent with the activation of four main coseismic asperities belonging to the SW dipping normal fault system associated with the Mount Gorzano‐Mount Vettore‐Mount Bove alignment. Additional slip, equivalent to a Mw ~ 6.1–6.2 earthquake, on a secondary (1) NE dipping antithetic fault and/or (2) on a WNW dipping low‐angle fault in the hanging wall of the main system is required to better reproduce the complex deformation pattern associated with the greatest seismic event (the Mw 6.5 earthquake). The recognition of ancillary faults involved in the sequence suggests a complex interaction in the activated crustal volume between the main normal faults and the secondary stru...
The RETRACE-3D project (centRal italy EarThquakes integRAted Crustal model) focused on the revisi... more The RETRACE-3D project (centRal italy EarThquakes integRAted Crustal model) focused on the revision of all the available geological and geophysical data in the area interested by the 2016-2018 seismic sequence of central Italy, with the final aim to reconstruct a reliable and consistent 3D geological model of that area. It is based on a collaboration, which was framed into a formal agreement, between Dipartimento della Protezione Civile (the Italian Civil Protection Department), Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, and Istituto per il Rilevamento Elettromagnetico of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, and Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale. The agreement purpose was to develop a project aimed at the geological and seismotectonic characterisation of the crustal volume hosting that seismic sequence. We present and discuss the approach, methodology and results of the project. The 3D geological model of the study area is developed in detail down to a depth of about 12 km, and extended to the Moho based on available regional-scale information. The model is available on the RETRACE-3D project website (www.retrace3d.it)
Decision-making under conditions of large uncertainty is an issue that poses serious questions ab... more Decision-making under conditions of large uncertainty is an issue that poses serious questions about the decisional chain, its complexities, the consequent responsibilities, and, ultimately, the difficulties of identifying the “right” decision to make. This paper addresses these issues from a civil protection perspective, i.e., from the point of view of an organization which often operates under highly uncertain conditions in the management of the risk cycle. Three main participants in the decision-making process are identified: scientists, political decision-makers (PDMs), and technical decision-makers (TDMs). They provide different contributions to the risk management, with frequent and intricate interactions that, however, can cause distortions in the distinction of the roles to be played, and thus of the responsibilities to be taken. In addition to scientists and decision-makers, there are other participants playing important roles in the risk cycle, and thus influencing decisions within the civil protection system, such as the technical community of professionals, the mass media, the magistrates, and the citizens. PDMs and TDMs, as well as scientists, are directly involved in the decision-making process. Professionals, journalists, magistrates, and citizens can indirectly condition decisions and their implementation. Examples are reported for all of these categories. Participants in the decisional process who understand their role and responsibilities can contribute to a more efficient and effective civil protection system, reducing the occurrence of errors and incidents, if they act within the bounds of their expertise, but avoid to adhere too rigidly to their role. How to develop a correct and fruitful interaction among all the actors is a primary target for a mature civil protection system.
After the seismic events occurred in Emilia (Italy) on May 20 and May 29, 2012, the International... more After the seismic events occurred in Emilia (Italy) on May 20 and May 29, 2012, the International Commission on Hydrocarbon Exploration and Seismicity in the Emilia Region (ICHESE) evaluated the possible links between E&P activities and the seismic activity in the area affected by the earthquakes. The Commission could not rule out the possibility of a link and emphasized the need of further analyses, in order to exclude the correlation of seismic events of May 2012 to waste-water injection activities performed at the Cavone field. The Ministry of Economic Development (MiSE), the EmiliaRomagna Region and the Operator with the patronage of Assomineraria i carried out such analyses and found new elements against the possibility that operations could affect the seismic events. Furthermore, the Commission recommended developing new integrated monitoring systems for seismicity, ground deformations and pore pressures that were able to provide high-quality data in real time, in order to sup...
Una gerarchia al rovescio delle faglie normali attive evidenziata dal terremoto del 6 Aprile 2009... more Una gerarchia al rovescio delle faglie normali attive evidenziata dal terremoto del 6 Aprile 2009 de L'Aquila.Comprendere le relazioni esistenti tra lo slip dinamico in profondita e le deformazioni che avvengono in superficie e fondamentale nelle analisi di pericolosita sismica, perche le tecniche di studio tradizionali per identificare e caratterizzare il potenziale dei terremoti prodotti da faglie continentali si basano principalmente su analisi di superficie. Il terremoto del 6 Aprile 2009 de L'Aquila ha rimesso in discussione gli approcci standard perche: (1) nessuno degli studi svolti prima dell'evento ne aveva identificata correttamente la sorgente, e (2) perche le faglie considerate come sismogenetiche non hanno mostrato riattivazioni, se non parziali.Il terremoto del 2009 e l'evento per faglia normale meglio documentato al mondo, e offre dunque un'opportunita unica per esplorare i rapporti tra l'attivita della sorgente sismogenetica profonda e le evid...
La Rivista del Nuovo Cimento, 2021
Destructive tsunamis are most often generated by large earthquakes occurring at subduction interf... more Destructive tsunamis are most often generated by large earthquakes occurring at subduction interfaces, but also other “atypical” sources—defined as crustal earthquakes and non-seismic sources altogether—may cause significant tsunami threats. Tsunamis may indeed be generated by different sources, such as earthquakes, submarine or coastal landslides, volcano-related phenomena, and atmospheric perturbations. The consideration of atypical sources is important worldwide, but it is especially prominent in complex tectonic settings such as the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, or the Indonesian archipelago. The recent disasters in Indonesia in 2018, caused by the Palu-Sulawesi magnitude Mw 7.5 crustal earthquake and by the collapse of the Anak-Krakatau volcano, recall the importance of such sources. Dealing with atypical sources represents a scientific, technical, and computational challenge, which depends on the capability of quantifying and managing uncertainty efficiently and of reducing it...