ALBERT

Description: Public concern about anthropogenic seismic- ity in Italy first arose in the aftermath of the deadly M ≈ 6 earthquakes that hit the Emilia-Romagna region (northern Italy) in May 2012. As these events occurred in a (tectonically active) region of oil and gas production and storage, the question was raised, whether stress perturbations due to underground industrial activities could have induced or triggered the shocks. Following expert recommendations, in 2014, the Italian Oil & Gas Safety Authority (DGS-UNMIG, Ministry of Economic Development) published guidelines (ILG - Indirizzi e linee guida per il monitoraggio della sismicità, delle deformazioni del suolo e delle pressioni di poro nell’ambito delle attività antropiche), describing regula- tions regarding hydrocarbon extraction, waste-water in- jection and gas storage that could also be adapted to other technologies, such as dams, geothermal systems, CO2 storage, and mining. The ILG describe the frame- work for the different actors involved in monitoring activities, their relationship and responsibilities, the procedure to be followed in case of variations of mon- itored parameters, the need for in-depth scientific anal- yses, the definition of different alert levels, their mean- ing and the parameters to be used to activate such alerts. Four alert levels are defined, the transition among which follows a decision to be taken jointly by relevant au- thorities and industrial operator on the basis of evalua- tion of several monitored parameters (micro-seismicity, ground deformation, pore pressure) carried on by a scientific-technical agency. Only in the case of liquid reinjection, the alert levels are automatically activated on the basis of exceedance of thresholds for earthquake magnitude and ground shaking – in what is generally known as a Traffic Light System (TLS). Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia has been charged by the Italian oil and gas safety authority (DGS- UNMIG) to apply the ILG in three test cases (two oil extraction and one gas storage plants). The ILG indeed represent a very important and positive innovation, as they constitute official guidelines to coherently regulate monitoring activity on a national scale. While pilot studies are still mostly under way, we may point out merits of the whole framework, and a few possible critical issues, requiring special care in the implementa- tion. Attention areas of adjacent reservoirs, possibly licenced to different operators, may overlap, hence mak- ing the point for joint monitoring, also in view of the possible interaction between stress changes related to the different reservoirs. The prescribed initial blank- level monitoring stage, aimed at assessing background seismicity, may lose significance in case of nearby ac- tive production. Magnitude – a critical parameter used to define a possible step-up in activation levels – has inherent uncertainty and can be evaluated using differ- ent scales. A final comment considers the fact that relevance of TLS, most frequently used in hydraulic fracturing operations, may not be high in case of trig- gered tectonic events.

Description: Published

Description: 1015–1028

Description: 1IT. Reti di monitoraggio e sorveglianza

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Tor Caldara natural reserve hosts the southernmost discharge of endogenous gas of Colli Albani volcano (mostly CO2 with a relevant H2S content up to 6.3 vol.%). Gas discharges in zones where past sulfur mining removed the impervious surficial cover (e.g. Miniera Grande and Miniera Piccola) and along tectonic fissures. A structural study of the reserve has shown the presence of two zones with different characteristics: prevailing directions NS and N30° in the northern zone; EW and N60° in the southern one. In MarchJuly 2012 a geochemical study was carried out, including a soil CO2 flux survey and continuous monitoring (from 2 to 11 days) of air concentration of CO2 and H2S in 12 sites of the reserve. Environmental parameters were also monitored. Total diffuse soil flux of endogenous CO2 was estimated to 17.48 ton*day1 from 1,259 measurements over a 0.47 km2 surface, with 6.56 ton*day1 only from Miniera Grande. This is the second highest value of soil CO2 flux at Miniera Grande, after that of 2005 (9.25 ton*day1) and is significantly higher than in 2009 (1.20 ton*day1). As both the 2005 and 2012 surveys were made shortly after earthquakes with epicentres near to Tor Caldara (max ML= 4.7 in 2005 and 3.5 in 2012), data confirm that soil CO2 flux increases during earthquakes because of seismic rock microfracturing and soil shaking. Hazardous air concentrations have been found only for H2S, up to immediately lethal values (5651,124 ppm) and with potentially lethal values (≥ 250 ppm) long persisting (up to 12h27’) in several no wind nights. Instead, the CO2 air concentration remained always well below dangerous levels (maximum recorded value = 2.1 vol.%). The most hazardous gas releasing sites were found in Miniera Grande and in a small pond NE of Miniera Piccola, where the carcasses of mammals and other small animals are frequently found. The killer gas is H2S, and the dangerous sites should be appropriately fenced to prevent access to people and animals.

Description: Regione Lazio Civil Protection Department

Description: Published

Description: 1-48

Description: 6A. Geochimica per l'ambiente e geologia medica

Description: JCR Journal

Description: probably confirm this opinion, with qualifica ons. Historical earthquake catalogues, up to CPTI11 [Rovida et al., 2011], report only one Mw 5.1 event on 13 November 1948: it was located in the Sardinian Sea, and had very modest effects on land. In later decades, the seismic networks did record very few earthquakes of moderate energy (Mw 〈5), mostly located off-shore, either south-east of Cagliari or west of Olbia or in the Sea of Sardinia. The most recent ones (occurred in 2000, 2004 and 2006) had very slight effects on the island. Given the low level of instrumental seismicity and the weak macroseismic effects of known historical earthquakes, Sardinia's seismic risk is perceived as very low. The low seismicity of the region certainly has a geological explana on, given that the Corsica-Sardinia block is among the most stable areas of the Mediterranean basin. “Low”, however, does not mean “non- existent”: recent historical research has improved knowledge on the major known historical earthquake of Sardinia (it occurred on June 4, 1616 and was responsible for minor but widespread damage to the system of coastal watchtowers, south-west of Cagliari) and rediscovered several minor earthquakes, part of which were known to the seismological tradi on but had been almost completely forgo en. This paper collects all the documenta on available at present on the seismic history of Sardinia.

Description: Published

Description: 1-160

Description: 4T. Sismicità dell'Italia

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Several months of ambient seismic noise recordings are used for investigating the distribution of elastic properties in the Fucino Plain, one of the largest intermontane tectonic depressions of the Italian Apennine chain (Central Italy). The Plain is characterized by a low level of seismicity but the presence of several active faults makes it an Italian area of high seismic hazard. The most recent and strongest seismic event in Fucino Plain occurred in the 1915 (Avezzano earthquake) and it represents one of the most energetic events (Ms = 7.0) happened in central Apennines. Inter-stations Green’s functions are reconstructed by the cross-correlation of continuous ambient noise data recorded from twelve seismic velocimeters deployed around the Avezzano city, and organized in two different temporally sub-networks. The aim of cross-correlation analysis is to extract surface waves from Green’s functions for investigating the dispersive response of the structure. We analyzed the temporal stability of the cross-correlated signals that is used as an indicator of reliability of measurements and as criteria to select the Green’s functions to analyze

Description: Published

Description: 1173-1176

Description: 5T. Sismologia, geofisica e geologia per l'ingegneria sismica

Description: Buildings close to each other can perform different behaviour despite its similar seismic vulnerability. This effect is mainly due to the local seismic response connected to the characteristics of the shallow soil layers, especially when we move away from the epicentral area and the near field motion reduces its importance among the total amount of shaking. In this paper we show some results of the microzonation project of the Avezzano municipality, a town located in the southwestern portion of the Abruzzi region, which experienced the severe effects of the January 13th, 1915 M 7.0 earthquake. Starting from a particularly detailed knowledge of the geological characteristics of outcropping lithologies and inferring the trend of subsoil geometries, we explored the role played by the near-surface geology in causing variability of the ground motion by analysing a large database of earthquakes and microtremor recordings acquired by temporary seismological networks using classical site-reference and non-reference spectral techniques. Based on the obtained results we can seismically characterize all the municipal territory not only in terms of fundamental resonance frequency, useful in drawing maps of seismic microzonation and design geological sections, but also of amplification factors helpful in verifying numerical modelling of seismic response as required by national microzonation guidelines. We have also found many criticisms that need a more detailed analysis in order to establish the cause of these anomalies.

Description: Published

Description: 1153-1157

Description: 5T. Sismologia, geofisica e geologia per l'ingegneria sismica

Description: In the last few decades, advanced monitoring networks have been extended to the main active volcanoes, providing warnings for variations in volcano dynamics. However, one of the main tasks of modern volcanology is the correct interpretation of surface-monitored signals in terms of magma transfer through the Earth's crust. In this frame, it is crucial to investigate decompression-induced magma degassing as it controls magma ascent towards the surface and, in case of eruption, the eruptive style and the atmospheric dispersal of tephra and gases. Understanding the degassing behaviour is particularly intriguing in the case of poorly explored evolved alkaline magmas. In fact, these melts frequently feed hazardous, highly explosive volcanoes (e.g., Campi Flegrei, Somma-Vesuvius, Colli Albani, Tambora, Azores and Canary Islands), despite their low viscosity that usually promotes effusive and/or weakly explosive eruptions. Decompression experiments, together with numerical models, are powerful tools to examine magma degassing behaviour and constrain field observations from natural eruptive products and monitoring signals. These approaches have been recently applied to evolved alkaline melts, yet numerous open questions remain. To cast new light on the degassing dynamics of evolved alkaline magmas, in this study we present new results from decompression experiments, as well as a critical review of previous experimental works. We achieved a comprehensive dataset of key petrological parameters (i.e., 3D textural data for bubbles and microlites using X-ray computed microtomography, glass volatile contents and nanolite occurrence) from experimental samples obtained through high temperature-high pressure isothermal decompression experiments on trachytic alkaline melts at super-liquidus temperature. We explored systematically a range of final pressures (from 200 to 25 MPa), decompression rates (from 0.01 to 1 MPa s−1), and volatile (H2O and CO2) contents. On these grounds, we integrated coherently literature data from decompression experiments on evolved alkaline (trachytic and phonolitic) melts under various conditions, with the aim to fully constrain the degassing mechanisms and timescales in these magmas. Finally, we simulated numerically the experimental conditions to evaluate strengths and weaknesses in decrypting degassing behaviour from field observations. Our results highlight that bubble formation in evolved alkaline melts is primarily controlled by the initial volatile (H2O and CO2) content during magma storage. In these melts, bubble nucleation needs low supersaturation pressures (≤ 50–112 MPa for homogeneous nucleation, ≤ 13–25 MPa for heterogeneous nucleation), resulting in high bubble number density (~ 1012–1016 m−3), efficient volatile exsolution and thus in severe rheological changes. Moreover, the bubble number density is amplified in CO2-rich melts (mole fraction XCO2 ≥ 0.5), in which continuous bubble nucleation predominates on growth. These conditions typically lead to highly explosive eruptions. However, moving towards slower decompression rates (≤ 10−1 MPa s−1) and H2O-rich melts, permeable outgassing and inertial fragmentation occur, promoting weakly explosive eruptions. Finally, our findings suggest that the exhaustion of CO2 at deep levels, and the consequent transition to a H2O-dominated degassing, can crucially enhance magma vesiculation and ascent. In a hazard perspective, these constraints allow to postulate that time-depth variations of unrest signals could be significantly weaker/shorter (e.g., minor gas emissions and short-term seismicity) during major eruptions than in small-scale events.

Description: Published

Description: 103402

Description: 1V. Storia eruttiva

Description: 2V. Struttura e sistema di alimentazione dei vulcani

Description: 3V. Proprietà chimico-fisiche dei magmi e dei prodotti vulcanici

Description: 4V. Processi pre-eruttivi

Description: 5V. Processi eruttivi e post-eruttivi

Description: 6V. Pericolosità vulcanica e contributi alla stima del rischio

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Questo rapporto tecnico descrive le attività svolte da SISMIKO [Moretti et al., 2012; 2016a; 2016b; Pondrelli et al., 2016] in occasione della sequenza sismica che ha interessato l’area in provincia di Campobasso tra i comuni di Montecilfone, Guardialfiera e Larino a partire dal 14 agosto 2018 e che ha visto nel terremoto di magnitudo ML 5.2 (MW 5.1) del 16 agosto 2018 (18:19 UTC), ben risentito in un’ampia area che comprende molte regioni dell’Italia centro meridionale, l’evento più significativo della sequenza. SISMIKO è uno dei gruppi operativi dell’Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) per la gestione delle emergenze sismiche [Pondrelli et al., 2016], e come per ogni terremoto con magnitudo superiore a 5.0, ovvero alla soglia prevista nella vigente Convenzione tra l’INGV e il Dipartimento della Protezione Civile (DPC), a seguito del terremoto del 16 agosto 2018 (ML 5.2) ha predisposto un intervento volto al miglioramento del monitoraggio sismico dell’area interessata. L’integrazione di stazioni sismiche temporanee nella geometria della Rete Sismica Nazionale (RSN [Michelini et al., 2016; INGV Seismological Data Centre]), consente infatti un miglioramento nella individuazione dei terremoti e un perfezionamento del calcolo dei parametri ipocentrali, soprattutto della profondità che è strettamente connessa alla distanza media tra le stazioni sismiche. L’intervento principale è stato svolto nella giornata del 17 agosto [SISMIKO working group, 2018], ma nelle due settimane successive i siti allestiti sono stati più volte visitati e il giorno 30 si è proceduto con l’integrazione di ulteriori 2 stazioni, portando a 5 i punti di acquisizione della rete temporanea. La rete sismica è stata operativa per circa 2 mesi. I dati sono stati trasmessi in tempo reale al centro di acquisizione dati della rete mobile presso la sede di Roma di SISMIKO e al contempo integrati nel sistema di sorveglianza sismica INGV [Michelini et al., 2016] per essere utilizzati nelle localizzazioni e nei prodotti scientifici forniti in tempo reale. On 16 August 2018 at 18:19:04 UTC an earthquake with magnitude ML 5.2 (MW 5.1) occurred in the Molise region. The earthquake was felt in a large area including many regions of Central and Southern Italy. The seismologists on duty in the 24H seismic monitoring room of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) located the event in the province of Campobasso, 4 km south­east of Montecilfone and at a preliminary depth of 9 km. The same area was affected two days before by a MW 4.6 event (August 14 at 23.48 Italian time1). Following the MW 5.1 event and the associated aftershock sequence, the SISMIKO Operational Group was activated [Moretti et al., 2012; 2016a; 2016b; Pondrelli et al., 2016] for the installation of temporary seismic stations to integrate the permanent stations of the National Seismic Network (RSN [Michelini et al., 2016; INGV Seismological Data Centre]) deployed in the region.

Description: Published

Description: 1-32

Description: 2SR TERREMOTI - Gestione delle emergenze sismiche e da maremoto

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: The dichotomy between explosive volcanic eruptions, which produce pyroclasts, and effusive eruptions, which produce lava, is defined by the presence or absence of fragmentation during magma ascent. For lava fountains the distinction is unclear, since the liquid phase in the rising magma may remain continuous to the vent, fragment in the fountain, then re-weld on deposition to feed rheomorphic lava flows. Here we use a numerical model to constrain the controls on basaltic eruption style, using Kilauea and Etna as case studies. Based on our results, we propose that lava fountaining is a distinct style, separate from effusive and explosive eruption styles, that is produced when magma ascends rapidly and fragments above the vent, rather than within the conduit. Sensitivity analyses of Kilauea and Etna case studies show that high lava fountains (〉50 m high) occur when the Reynolds number of the bubbly magma is greater than ∼0.1, the bulk viscosity is less than 10^6, and the gas is well-coupled to the melt. Explosive eruptions (Plinian and sub-Plinian) are predicted over a wide region of parameter space for higher viscosity basalts, typical of Etna, but over a much narrower region of parameter space for lower viscosity basalts, typical of Kilauea. Numerical results show also that the magma that feeds high lava fountains ascends more rapidly than the magma that feeds explosive eruptions, owing to its lower viscosity. For the Kilauea case study, waning ascent velocity is predicted to produce a progressive evolution from high to weak fountaining, to ultimate effusion; whereas for the Etna case study, small changes in parameter values lead to transitions to and from explosive activity, suggesting that eruption transitions may occur with little warning.

Description: RCUK NERC DisEqm project

Description: Published

Description: 116658

Description: 5V. Processi eruttivi e post-eruttivi

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Rare Earth Elements (REE; lanthanides and yttrium) are elements with high economic interest because they are critical elements for modern technologies. This study mainly focuses on the geochemical behavior of REE in hyperacid sulphate brines in volcanic-hydrothermal systems, where the precipitation of sulphate minerals occurs. Kawah Ijen lake, a hyperacid brine hosted in the Ijen caldera (Indonesia), was used as natural laboratory. ∑REE concentration in the lake water is high, ranging from 5.86 to 6.52 mg kg-1. The REE pattern of lake waters normalized to the average local volcanic rock is flat, suggesting isochemical dissolution. Minerals spontaneously precipitated in laboratory at 25 °C from water samples of Kawah Ijen were identified by XRD as gypsum. Microprobe analyses and the chemical composition of major constituents allow to identify possible other minerals precipitated: jarosite, Al-sulphate and Sr, Ba-sulphate. ∑REE concentration in minerals precipitated (mainly gypsum) range from 59.53 to 78.64 mg kg-1. The REE patterns of minerals precipitated normalized to the average local magmatic rock show enrichment in LREE. The REE distribution coefficient (KD), obtained from a ratio of its concentration in the minerals precipitated (mainly gypsum) and the lake water, shows higher values for LREE than HREE. KD-LREE/KD-HREE increases in the studied samples when the concentrations of BaO, MgO, Fe2O3, Al2O3, Na2O and the sum of total oxides (except SO3 and CaO) decrease in the solid phase. The presence of secondary minerals different than gypsum can be the cause of the distribution coefficient variations. High concentrations of REE in Kawah Ijen volcanic lake have to enhance the interest on these environments as possible REE reservoir, stimulating future investigations. The comparison of the KD calculated for REE after mineral precipitation (mainly gypsum) from Kawah Ijen and Poás hyperacid volcanic lakes allow to generalize that the gypsum precipitation removes the LREE from water.

Description: Published

Description: 140133

Description: 6A. Geochimica per l'ambiente e geologia medica

Description: 2IT. Laboratori analitici e sperimentali

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The partitioning of carbon dioxide (CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) released by soils at Vulcano Island (Aeolian Islands, Italy) was performed by combining the CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 flux and the carbon isotope measurements. Based on this method, the amount of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 of volcanic origin was quantified six times during the period 2015–2018. The data analysis allowed us to establish the correlation between CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 soil degassing and changes in the contribution of volcanic fluids. Carbon isotope determinations were performed in situ to enhance the coverage of data collection in space and time. These data were combined with both the CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 contents in the ground gases and the soil CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 flux. The amount of volcanic CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 was distinguished from that of biogenic origin by implementing a three-component mixing model. The results of this study indicate that the increase in CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 output in September 2018 reflects the increase in volcanic gas emissions. The measurement method and analysis presented in this work are sufficiently general to be applicable to the monitoring programs of active volcanoes.

Description: Published

Description: 106972

Description: 6V. Pericolosità vulcanica e contributi alla stima del rischio

Description: JCR Journal