ALBERT

Description: The surveillance of the Neapolitan volcanic area (Mt. Vesuvius, the Phlegrean Fields and the island of Ischia) represents the principal activity of the Osservatorio Vesuviano. Such an activity is carried out also through the study of ground deformations. This study deals with the use of the GPS as a powerful topographic technique. In the last two years, three GPS networks in the above mentioned area were established, with 8 vertices at Mt. Vesuvius, 20 vertices in the Island of Ischia and 30 vertices in the Phlegrean Fields. In Mt. Vesuvius area a GPS test was carried out, in order to verify the possibility of the installation of a network of GPS permanent stations. In the island of Ischia, three diferent GPS techniques (Static, Fast Static and RTK-Real Time Kinematics) have been used to get a first set of coordinates and to carry out a comparison between these in small extension areas. GPS data of the Phlegrean Fields are still in processing. The results for Mt. Vesuvius area and the island of Ischia are hereby presented and discussed.

Description: Osservatorio Vesuviano - Napoli, Italy DISTART - Università di Bologna, Italy Università della Calabria - Cosenza, Italy Dipartimento di Costruzioni e Trasporti - Università di Padova, Italy

Description: Published

Description: 705-711

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We demonstrate a synchronous correlation technique to determine the chronology of Quaternary palaeoshorelines to test proposed relationships between tectonics, climate and sea-level change. The elevations of marine palaeoshorelines in Calabria around the active Vibo normal fault have been measured from TIN DEM 10 m data and fieldwork and correlated with global sea-level curves. A synchronous correlation method and new U/Th dates are used to ascertain how the slip-rate on the fault relates to uplift rates across the region. Regional uplift, possibly associated with subduction along the Calabrian trench or due to the cumulative effect of closely-spaced active normal faults, is rapid enough to uplift even the hangingwall of the Vibo normal fault; the actual value for the rate of background uplift can only be ascertained once the rate of slip on the Vibo fault is subtracted. Synchronous correlation of multiple palaeoshorelines sampled along 29 elevation profiles with global sea-levels shows that the resultant uplift rate (background uplift minus local hangingwall subsidence) is constant through time from 0 to 340 ka, and not fluctuating by a factor of 4 as previously suggested. The uplift rate increases from 0.4 mm/yr at the centre of the hangingwall of the fault to 1.75 mm/yr in the hangingwall in the vicinity of the fault tip. Palaeoshorelines can be traced from the hangingwall to the footwall around the fault tip and hence correlated across the fault. The throw-rate on the fault averaged over 340 ka decreases from a maximum at the centre of the fault (1 mm/yr) to zero at the tip. This gradient in throw-rate explains the spatial variation in resultant uplift rates along the fault. We interpret the 1.75 mm/yr resultant uplift rate at and beyond the fault tip as the signature of a regional uplift, presumably related to subduction, although we cannot exclude the possibility that other local faults influence this uplift; the lower uplift rates in the hangingwall of the fault are due to interaction between “regional” uplift and subsidence associated with the local active normal faulting. We discuss (a) how our synchronous correlation technique should trigger a re-appraisal of palaeoshoreline chronologies worldwide, and (b) the implications for the tectonics and seismic hazard of Calabria, suggesting that perturbations in the uplift-rate field are a key criterion to map the locations of active faults, their deformation rates, and hence seismic hazard above subduction zones.

Description: Published

Description: 169-187

Description: 2T. Deformazione crostale attiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The Cotentin Peninsula (Normandy, France) displays sequences of marine terraces and rasas, the latter being wide Late Cenozoic coastal erosion surfaces, that are typical of Western European coasts in Portugal, Spain, France and southern England. Remote sensing imagery and field mapping enabled reappraisal of the Cotentin coastal sequences. From bottom to top, the N Cotentin sequence includes four previously recognized Pleistocene marine terraces (T1 to T4) at elevations 〈 40 m as well as four higher and older rasas (R1 to R4) reaching 200 ± 5 m in elevation. Low-standing marine terraces are not observed in the central part of the Peninsula and a limited number of terraces are described to the south. The high-standing rasas are widespread all over the peninsula. Such strandline distributions reveal major changes during the Late Cenozoic. Progressive uplift of an irregular sea-floor led to subaerial exposure of bathymetric highs that were carved into rocky platforms, rasas and marine terraces. Eventually, five main islands coalesced and connected to the mainland to the south to form the Cotentin Peninsula. On the basis of previous dating of the last interglacial maximum terrace (i.e. Marine Isotopic Stage, MIS 5e), sequential morphostratigraphy and modelling, we have reappraised uplift rates and derived: (i) mean Upper Pleistocene (i.e. since MIS 5e ~ 122 +/− 6 ka, i.e. kilo annum) apparent uplift rates of 0.04 ± 0.01 mm/yr, (ii) mean Middle Pleistocene eustasy-corrected uplift rates of 0.09 ± 0.03 mm/yr, and (iii) low mean Pleistocene uplift rates of 0.01 mm/yr. Extrapolations of these slow rates combined with geological evidence implies that the formation of the sequences from the Cotentin Peninsula occurred between 3 Ma (Pliocene) and 15 Ma (Miocene), which cannot be narrowed down further without additional research. Along the coasts of Western Europe, sequences of marine terraces and rasas are widespread (169 preserve the MIS 5e benchmark). In Spain, Portugal, S England and other parts of western France, the sequences morphostratigraphy is very similar to that of Cotentin. The onset of such Western European sequences occurred during the Miocene (e.g. Spain) or Pliocene (e.g. Portugal). We interpret this Neogene-Quaternary coastal uplift as a symptom of the increasing lithospheric compression that accompanies Cenozoic orogenies.

Description: Published

Description: 338-356

Description: 2T. Deformazione crostale attiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: 〈jats:title〉Abstract〈/jats:title〉〈jats:p〉Earthquake magnitude calibration using hydrophone records has been carried out at Campi Flegrei caldera, an active area close to the highly populated area of Naples city, partly undersea. Definite integrals of the hydrophone records amplitude spectra, between the limits of 1 and 20 Hz, were calculated on a set of small volcano-tectonic earthquakes with moment magnitudes ranging from 1 to 3.3. The coefficients of a linear relationship between the logarithm of these integrals and the magnitude were obtained by linear optimization, thus defining a useful equation to calculate the moment magnitude from the hydrophone record spectra. This method could be easily exported to other volcanic areas, where submerged volcanoes are monitored by networks of hydrophones and seismic sensors on land. The proposed approach allows indeed magnitude measurements of small magnitude earthquakes occurring at sea, thus adding useful information to the seismicity of these volcanoes.〈/jats:p〉

Description: Published

Description: 875–882

Description: 1IT. Reti di monitoraggio e sorveglianza

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The knowledge of sea level in harbours is very important to manage port activities (safety of navigation, prevention of ship stranding, optimization of vessel loading, water quality control). In this article we describe the use of a software tool developed to help local authorities and working organizations to optimize navigation and avoid or manage hazardous situations due to sea level changes in port basins. This prototype application, starting from reading data coming from a monitoring station in La Spezia harbour (in North Western Italy), updates dynamically the port bathymetry based on sea level oscillations (measured in the past or real-time, or expected in the near future). Then, it detects potentially dangerous areas for a given ship moving in the basin at a certain time, by means of the idea of “virtual traffic lights”: sea level variations are provided as parameters to the application that performs the updating of the bathymetric map and the subdivision of the harbour in allowed (green)/warning (yellow)/prohibited (red) areas for each ship, based on its draft. The tool can provide a useful support interface to competent authorities to avoid or manage critical situations by detecting hazardous areas for a given vessel at a given time.

Description: Published

Description: 89–101

Description: 4A. Oceanografia e clima

Description: 7SR AMBIENTE – Servizi e ricerca per la società

Description: This work describes the development of an underwater anti-intrusion system based on a magnetometer self-informed network, whose purpose is to detect the presence of threats in the proximity of critical infrastructures (e.g, terrorist divers in harbours). In this context, the magnetic network fills the gaps of sonar systems at the critical boundaries of the water volume to be controlled (sea bed, docks, …), where acoustic performances deteriorate due to reflections and attenuations. The system operates in a port-protection scenario, characterized by a medium-high environmental magnetic noise that can hide the diver signal (a diver is a weak, quasi-point-like, moving source). The magnetometer network processes two inputs: the environmental magnetic noise and a signal including the target magnetic signal superimposed to the same noise; the frequencies of a diver signal lie within the noise band, hence frequency filtering proves inadequate for noise removal. The basic idea underlying the system is to measure and use the noise itself to filter the overall signal; measuring noise supports a background-subtraction process that allows to extract the target signal and therefore detect the threat presence. The effectiveness of the procedure depends on the positions of magnetometers: sensors must be close enough to one another to measure the common background noise, and, at the same time, should be distant enough from one another so that just one sensor can measure the target signal. To generate alarms when a threat is detected, a real-time software application processes data and activates a visual and acoustic alarm upon identification of a magnetic anomaly. Sea trials carried out in port areas provided extremely satisfactory results in the detection of intruders. The paper presents experimental results obtained during the method validation tests, when intruders were moving in the surrounding undersea environment.

Description: Published

Description: 104743

Description: 1A. Geomagnetismo e Paleomagnetismo

Description: 3A. Geofisica marina e osservazioni multiparametriche a fondo mare

Description: 7SR AMBIENTE – Servizi e ricerca per la società

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The structure of a caldera may influence its activity, making its understanding crucial for hazard assessment. Here, we analysed high-resolution seismic profiles in the Campi Flegrei (southern Italy) offshore sector. We recognised two main fault systems, including those associated with the formation of the caldera and those affecting the resurgent dome. The former system comprises three broadly concentric fault zones (inner, medial and outer ring fault zones) depicting a nested caldera geometry. Considering the relations between faults and seismic units that represent the marine and volcaniclastic successions filling the caldera, all ring faults were formed during the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption (40 ka) and subsequently reactivated during the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff eruption (15 ka). In this last caldera-forming event, the inner and medial fault zones accommodated most of the collapse and were episodically reactivated during the younger volcano-tectonic activity. The second fault system occurs in the apical zone of the resurgent dome and comprises dominantly high-angle normal faults that are mainly related to the volcanotectonic collapse that followed the Agnano-Monte Spina Plinian eruption (4.55 ka). Finally, we provide a volcano-tectonic evolutionary model of the last 40 kyr, considering the interplay among ring and dome faults activity, volcaniclastic sedimentation, ground deformation and sea-level changes.

Description: Published

Description: 104723

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Methods of Earth Sciences have been employed in archaeological sites of the Marsica region, central Italy, in two different perspectives: to enhance knowledge on past natural events which damaged/destroyed ancient settlements/monuments and to gather data useful/necessary for preservation of the local cultural heritage. Within this wide perspective, the paper deals with (i) recent archaeoseismological investigations at Alba Fucens and other sites of the Fucino Plain which add evidence of sudden building collapse to the already available (archaeoseismological and paleoseismological) data concerning seismicity of fifth-sixth century AD; (ii) archaeological investigations on remains of the Medieval church of San Bartolomeo showing that coseismic damage in 1349 caused the abandonment of part of the building and its (re)use for burials; (iii) evidence of slope instability which caused rapid mass deposition in the lowest sector of ancient Alba Fucens since around the half of the sixth century AD, inhibiting the occupation of the Roman town; (iv) capable faulting potentially affecting the westernmost sector of the huge hydraulic works made by Romans during the first-second century AD to drain former Lake Fucino.

Description: Published

Description: 287-318

Description: 4T. Sismicità dell'Italia

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

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: Argnani (2021, hereinafter ARG2021) commented on the paper by Barreca et al. (2021, hereinafter BRC2021) titled: “The Strait of Messina: Seismotectonics and the source of the 1908 earthquake”, in which a new seismotectonic model and constraints on the possible source fault (the so-called W-Fault) for the 1908 disastrous seismic event were provided. Results from BRC2021 led to a revision of most of the previously published papers on the issue. ARG2021 commented both on the recent activity of the W-Fault and even about its existence in the offshore. In fact, according to the author's inferences: “it may belong to a fault system that is no longer active” and, contradictorily, “the offshore occurrence of the W-Fault is not supported by the data”. The comment is mostly based on a new tectonic interpretation that the author performed directly on the BRC2021 figures, where the offshore portion of the W-fault is illustrated. In this reply, we demonstrate that the interpretation provided by ARG2021 is affected by several oversights that led the author to erroneous conclusions about the issue. Accordingly, we strongly confirm both the occurrence of the W-Fault in the offshore and the present-day activity of this structure, the only active fault capable of producing large earthquakes in the Strait of Messina area.

Description: Published

Description: 103962

Description: 3T. Fisica dei terremoti e Sorgente Sismica

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Seismic Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment (SPTHA) is a framework for calculating the probability that seismically induced tsunami waves exceed a specific threshold height, over a given time span and a specific region (i.e. regional SPTHA) or site (i.e. local SPTHA). To account for the uncertainty of the possible sources, SPTHA must integrate the results of a large number of computationally demanding tsunami simulations In this work, we innovatively use Parallel density scanned Adaptive Kriging (P-ds AK) to overcome the computational efficiency challenge of local SPTHA within a framework that consists in modeling/retrieving the full spectrum of possible earthquake triggering events at the regional level, filtering sources not relevant for the target, adopting a clustering procedure to select “representative scenarios” for inundation modeling, and, finally, adopt P-ds AK to identify the clusters centroids that most influence the hazard intensity (i.e., wave height) in the areas of interest. This approach is applied in the area of the oil refinery located in Milazzo (Italy). The application shows a consistent reduction of the number of high-resolution tsunami simulations required for the evaluation of the hazard curves over a set of inland Point of Interest (PoIs), either concentrated in one specific area or distributed along the coast.

Description: Published

Description: 108441

Description: 6T. Studi di pericolosità sismica e da maremoto

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We investigate the impact of viscoelastic tidal deformation of the Moon on the motion of a polar orbiter. The dissipative effects in the Moon’s interior, i.e., tidal phase lags, are modeled as Fourier series sampled at given frequencies associated with linear combinations of Delaunay arguments, the fundamental parameters describing the lunar motion around the Earth and the Sun. We implement the tidal model to evaluate the temporal lunar gravity field and the induced perturbation on the orbiter. We validate the numerical scheme via a frequency analysis of the perturbed orbital motion. We show that, in the case of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at a low altitude of less than 200 km, the main lunar tides and hence the potential Love numbers around the monthly and some multiple frequencies are dynamically separable. The omission of those effects in practice introduces a position error at the level of a few decimeters within 10 days.

Description: Published

Description: 16

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The Colli Albani volcanic district emplaced huge pyroclastic-flow deposits up to 20 m thick in the southeastern suburbs of the City of Rome. The soil quality onto the gentle slopes of the Colli Albani has certainly contribute to the growth of Ancient Rome, a city with one million inhabitants as early as 2000 years ago. Interestingly, the Colli Albani soils developed on K-foiditic pyroclastic rocks with peculiar low silica, high alkali and high CaO composition. In the past, the productivity of the Colli Albani soils was maximized without the understanding of the unique physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of these soils; now an in-depth knowledge of the Colli Albani soils is necessary to respond to the current and increasingly demand of sustainable soil use.

Description: Published

Description: 105430

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The name peperino derives from the Italian word pepe (pepper) and has been used in the common language for lithified volcanic deposits characterized by grey to dark grey color and granular texture, resembling that of ground pepper. Among these, the best-known examples are represented by some phreatomagmatic deposits of the Colli Albani Volcanic District, near Rome, and ignimbrite deposits of the Cimini Mountains near Viterbo (Northern Latium), which have been widely employed in artifacts of historical and archaeological interest. In particular, these resistant volcanic rocks have been widely employed by the Etruscans and Romans since the 7 th century BCE to produce sarcophagi and dimension stones, as well as architectural and ornamental elements in central Italy up to the present.

Description: Published

Description: 69

Description: 2TM. Divulgazione Scientifica

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Through the analysis of seven 15 to 30 m deep boreholes drilled in the western sector of the Circus Maximus we reconstruct the aggradational history of one main tributary valley of the Tiber River in Rome, the Murcia Valley ( Vallis Murcia) .

Description: Published

Description: 44-53

Description: 5A. Ricerche polari e paleoclima

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The Acheulian and early Middle Paleolithic assemblages from Torre in Pietra (Latium, Italy) were never securely dated before. We have now 49 Ar/39Ar dates and ESR-U-series dates which support corrrelations to marine isotope stages. The Acheulian (previously correlated to MIS 9) is now dated to MIS 10 while the Middle Paleolithic is dated to MIS 7. The analysis and comparisons of the two assemblages and comparisons with the Acheulian small tools of Castel di Guido show a culturally transmitted pattern of technology that was shared by the craftsmen of the region.

Description: Published

Description: 1-11

Description: 5A. Ricerche polari e paleoclima

Description: JCR Journal

Description: With the aim of deepening our understanding of deep-seated fluids upwelling and mixing in large regional aquifers, we performed a hydrogeochemical study of twenty-two springs in the Contursi area (upper Sele river valley, southern Apennines) by means of the measurements of chemical-physical parameters, major ions, trace elements, and stable and radioactive isotopes. Besides, we realized two updated geo-structural cross-sections inorder to reconstruct the groundwater flowpath in the study area. The hydrogeochemical composition, as well a the water temperature allow to identify-three main groups of groundwater: Cold and Low salinity Groundwater (CLGW), Intermediate Salinity Groundwater (ISGW), and Thermal Salinity Groundwater (TSGW). The CLGW group, mostly emerging at the boundary of carbonate aquifers, is characterized by alkaline earth-bicarbonate hydrofacies. Instead, ISGW and TSGW, situated in the inner zone of the valley, show gradually a hydrogeochemical evolution towards sodium-chloride type hydrofacies domain with the highest salinity value. Stable isotope (δ18O-δD) of CLGW reveal the local meteoric origin of groundwater, while isotopic signatures of ISGW and TSGW is associated with the deep fluids inflow. CLGW hydrogeochemistry is clearly related to dissolution of carbonate rocks. On the other hand, for ISGW and TSGW an additional contribution from evaporitic rocks is supported by saturation indices values (gypsum and anhydrite) and validated by isotopic signature of dissolved sulphate (δ34S-δ18O). The application of two models based on tritium data (i.e., the piston-flow and well-mixed reservoir) attributes longer and deeper groundwater flowpaths to TSGW. Through geothermometric calculations (e,g., K-Mg and SiO2-quartz), the equilibrium temperature of deep fluids reservoir is also extrapolated (i.e., 75–96 ◦C). The results of the adopted hydrogeochemical multi-component approach allowed us to propose an interpretative model of groundwater flowpath for the Contursi area, where deep-seated tectonic discontinuities play a significant role for the upwelling of saline deep thermal fluids in shallow aquifers.

Description: Published

Description: 129258

Description: 9T. Geochimica dei fluidi applicata allo studio e al monitoraggio di aree sismiche

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The paper is part of a book conceived as a "collection of stories, reflections and advice written by proficient scientists" aimed in particular at younger people and early-career researchers, with the author illustrating her most significant professional experiences. The contribution is structured in four sections: 1) how interest in science has been developed 2) the work done and the personal scientific approach 3) perspectives on science today and tomorrow, 4) advice to much younger colleagues.

Description: Published

Description: 277-286

Description: 2TM. Divulgazione Scientifica

Description: Boron (B) and Lithium (Li) concentrations were studied in the Platani river, one of the most important catchments of South-Central Sicily which is under semiarid climatic conditions for roughly eight months to a year. In this area, evaporites result in potential B and Li sources for surface waters. Results from river waters have measured ionic strength values between 0.1 and 4.54 M. B and Li distributions in these waters were studied in colloidal (CF, extracted by ultrafiltration from the 0.45 μm filtrate) and total dissolved (TDF) fractions and in fractions extracted from corresponding riverbed sediments, according to changes of the B/Li ratio. In river waters, CF and TDF showed very similar B/Li values, suggesting that only negligible fractionation occurs between Li and B in the aqueous phase. Similar evidence was observed between B/Li values in TDF and the labile sediment fraction, whereas an inverse relationship arose between B/Li values in TDF and in the easily reducible sediment fraction. This relationship indicates that Mn oxy-hydroxides preferentially react with aqueous B species relative to Li at the riverbed sediment interface. The extent of the B-Mn oxy-hydroxide reactions is influenced by the ionic strength, so that only B/Li values below 4 are measured in river waters with ionic strength values above 0.5 M. Comparing B/Li and ionic strength values measured in the Platani river with those from oxic brines worldwide, the same preferential B removal relative to Li is observed. This evidence suggests that B is removed as positively-charged borate ion-pairs, formed in the aqueous phase under higher ionic strength conditions, reacting with negatively charged surfaces of Mn oxy-hydroxides. The observed B reactivity relative to Li could be exploited to bring down the B excess from natural or waste waters, allowing the natural reactions with Mn oxy-hydroxides to take place under natural conditions.

Description: Published

Description: 135509

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Although explosivity is linked with high decompression rates induced by magma ascent, the quantitative relationships between decompression rate and eruption energy have yet to be properly assessed, especially for open-conduit basaltic volcanoes, where ordinary weak activity can rapidly evolve into more intense eruptions. Here, we selected three eruptions of different explosivity from Mt. Etna’s recent activity to study the relationships between the observed explosive intensities and decompression rates determined through diffusion chronometry, which is based on modeling volatile diffusion along olivine-hosted melt embayments. The approach used in this study has provided important indications on differences in the timescales of decompression-driven degassing for magmas emitted with markedly distinct eruptive dynamics, starting from similar physical and chemical conditions of the magmas involved in the three eruptions. The intense paroxysmal activity at Voragine Crater on December 3, 2015, was fostered by high decompression rate (∼0.36-0.74 MPa/s), slightly higher than in the less energetic paroxysm that occurred on February 19, 2013, at New South-East Crater (NSEC) (∼0.14-0.29 MPa/s). Decompression rates of magmas emitted during lava fountaining are one order of magnitude greater than values obtained for the mild flank eruption that occurred in December 2018 (∼0.045-0.094 MPa/s). Our results indicate that degassing kinetics controlled the intensity of activity at Mt. Etna, thus suggesting that the explosivity does not depend exclusively on the degree of overpressurization of the shallowest reservoir due to injection of gas from the deepest levels of the plumbing system.

Description: Published

Description: 117821

Description: 4V. Processi pre-eruttivi

Description: JCR Journal

Description: •Anthropogenic CO2 flux can be estimated by stable isotopic surveying. •Gas emissions from human activities force the atmospheric CO2. •The monitoring of stable isotopes allows identifying the CO2 sources in the air. •Several tons per day of CO2 flow through the geosphere in urban zones. •Transient in the air CO2 occurs owing to changes in weather variables.

Description: Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations increase due to volcanic emissions, diffuse degassing from fault zones, and various human-caused gas emissions, especially in densely populated urban zones, which play a pivotal role in the ongoing climate change. This study aims to examine changes in the concentration and stable isotopic composition of atmospheric CO2. A laser-based analyzer provided the δ13C and δ18O values based on concentration measurements for various CO2 isotopologues. Multiple linear regression (MLR) showed that almost 30% of the atmospheric CO2 changes are caused by weather variations, while ~70% of the changes involve CO2 from various gas sources related to human activities. The Keeling plot approach was used to identify the isotopic signature of the extra CO2, which points to the gas produced by hydrocarbon combustion. An isotopic mass balance model was designed to show the relation between excess atmospheric CO2 and the flux of human-related gas emissions. Calculating the CO2 flux in the atmosphere based on this isotopic mass balance model showed that several tons of CO2 move daily between geospheres. This study shows that surveying atmospheric CO2 in urban zones allows quantifying the CO2 emissions from various sources.

Description: Published

Description: 119302

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

Description: 1TR. Georisorse

Description: 1IT. Reti di monitoraggio e sorveglianza

Description: 2IT. Laboratori analitici e sperimentali

Description: 6IT. Osservatori non satellitari

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The performance of herbivore consumers in freshwater ecosystems is influenced by food quality and quantity, which are crucial factors in understanding energy flow. However, the comprehensive effects of these factors on consumer growth based on natural food research remain unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a growth experiment culturing the Cladocera Daphnia similis in natural lake water collected from 30 subtropical lakes. Our results showed that the seston concentration (SC), seston phosphorus (seston P), and seston carbon: phosphorus ratio (seston C:P, in moles) were the most important factors in influencing the growth rate of D. similis according to the Random Forest model. Specifically, the growth rate of D. similis was significantly positive correlated with SC and seston P, and significantly negative correlated with seston C:P. D. similis exhibited the optimal growth performance within the seston C:P range of 32.8 to 69.8, with a sharp decline in growth rate observed at a break point of seston C:P of 70. The combined effect of food quality and quantity on growth rate was that higher SC (≥0.26 mg C/L), lower seston C:P (≤69.80), and higher P (≥0.11 mmol/g) were associated with significantly higher growth rates. Additionally, the growth rate increased significantly with the biomass of cryptophyte, indicating the importance of food composition. Our study shows that the growth rate of D. similis is co-affected by the quality and quantity of natural food. SC, seston C:P, seston P and algae composition are reliable indicators for assessing the growth rate of consumer in freshwater ecosystems. The inhibitory effect of low C:P on consumer growth should be applied with caution when assessing the development of herbivore consumers in natural lakes.

Description: Zooplankton communities vary in space and time. Their composition is strongly influenced by lower trophic levels that are dependent on the availability of light and nutrients. As all marine ecosystems are relying on zooplankton as intermediate trophic step between primary production and higher trophic levels, changes in the zooplankton community composition and biomass can cascade through the food web with important impacts on fish communities and through that on fisheries yields. An intense fisheries exist around the Falkland Islands in the SW Atlantic Ocean, around 51° S, but to the best of our knowledge, no previous study has to date investigated the seasonal variation in zooplankton community composition in these waters. We show that copepods (39.2%), the larvae of the anomurid Grimothea gregaria (33.1%) and euphausiids (10.9%) dominate the local mesozooplankton community by biomass. All species showed seasonal patterns, including ontogenetic behaviour of G. gregaria migrating to deeper waters with development, which were significantly explained by temperature (p 〈 0.001). While overall biomass significantly decreased with distance from shore (p 〈 0.001), mesozooplankton diversity was highest at 30 km from shore. The presented study is the first assessment of the mesozooplankton biomass off the Falkland Islands and provides a first baseline to aid future ecosystem studies in the context of ecosystem based fisheries management in the region.

Description: Water and sediment supply are essential to the health of deltaic ecosystems. Diverse datasets were integrated to better understand how climate change is shifting the supply of water and sediment to the largest polar distributary channel pattern – the Lena River Delta. Here the increase in warming rate from an average air temperature is from 4.1 °C for the period 1950–99 to 6.1 °C during 2000–21, which is higher than in the adjacent polar regions. Streamflow and sediment yield entering the Lena Delta have increased since 1988 by 56.3 km3 and 6.1×106 t, respectively; meanwhile, the Lena River’s increases in water temperature in June, July–August and September were found to be as much as 1.1, 0.6 and 0.05 °C. These changes have a pronounced effect on sediment regimes in particular parts of the delta. Based on analyses of correlations between various hydroclimatic drivers and sediment concentration changes across particular distributaries of the Lena Delta extracted from Landsat datasets, bank degradation driven by thermal erosional processes (which are in turn related to air and soil temperature increases) is proved to be the primary factor of the sediment regime in the delta. The study also highlights that sediment load changes are sensitive to wind speed due to remobilization of bottom sediment. Sums of daily air temperature and wind speed over 3 days are correlated with sediment concentration changes in the delta. The results also indicate that carbon transport across the delta (both POC and DOC) depends on sediment transport conditions and water discharge and might increase by up to 10 %. We conclude that the Lena Delta can be recognized as the global hot spot in terms of the hydrological consequences of climate change, which is altering sediment regimes, stream hydromorphology and carbon transport.

Description: It is a fundamental challenge to understand how the function of a network is related to its structural organization. Adaptive dynamical networks represent a broad class of systems that can change their connectivity over time depending on their dynamical state. The most important feature of such systems is that their function depends on their structure and vice versa. While the properties of static networks have been extensively investigated in the past, the study of adaptive networks is much more challenging. Moreover, adaptive dynamical networks are of tremendous importance for various application fields, in particular, for the models for neuronal synaptic plasticity, adaptive networks in chemical, epidemic, biological, transport, and social systems, to name a few. In this review, we provide a detailed description of adaptive dynamical networks, show their applications in various areas of research, highlight their dynamical features and describe the arising dynamical phenomena, and give an overview of the available mathematical methods developed for understanding adaptive dynamical networks.

Description: At opposite ends of our world lie the poles. In the North, the Arctic, an ocean surrounded by coasts; in the South, the Antarctic continent surrounded by an ocean that separates it from the nearest landmasses. At first glance, the poles could not be more dissimilar owing to their contrasting location, geography, and tectonic and evolutionary history. The amplitude and types of ice cover, though differing between the poles, are influenced by the same climatic, atmospheric, and hydrodynamic processes that affect the entire Earth. Freshwater influx into their coastal areas too—beyond the effects of glaciological changes and dynamics such as glacier melt and increasing meltwater discharges—is different: in contrast to the Arctic, the Antarctic continent and sub-Antarctic islands lack major rivers. However, their latitudinal range and low temperatures, ice shelves, icebergs, sea ice, impacts from tidewater and land-based glaciers, significant seasonal variation in light intensity and, hence, primary productivity, offer parallel environments for organisms that have adapted to such conditions. Although we know much about the similarities and differences from an environmental perspective, there are still many unknowns about how benthic communities, especially the meiobenthos, from both regions compare. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the contrasts and parallels between Arctic and Antarctic meiobenthos and place it into context of their extreme habitats. Following a brief account of Arctic and Antarctic evolution and the historical study of their faunas, we (i) compare how extreme polar conditions affect meiofauna across four main habitats: polar coastal areas and fjords, continental shelves and ice shelves, the deep sea, and sea ice, and we (ii) discuss the implications of climate change on meiofauna in these habitats. Reflecting on (i) and (ii) allowed us to identify frontiers for future research of polar meiofauna, which we put forward in the concluding sections of this chapter.

Description: ItalianseismicityisgeneratedbytheongoingsubductionoftheEuro- pean lithosphere beneath the Alps, and the Adriatic lithosphere beneath the Apen- nines. The two belts are extremely different due to their opposite polarity relative to the inferred underlying ‘eastward’ mantle flow. Contractional tectonics is con- centrated in low topography areas, whereas extensional tectonics and the larger magnitude seismicity due to normal faulting is preferentially located along the Apennines ridge, where the brittle crustal layer is thicker and the lithostatic load is maximum. Seismicity is the result of dissipation of energy along passive faults but stored mostly in crustal volumes located in the hangingwall of the faults. The 2–5 mm/yr deformation in all Italian tectonic settings prevents the occurrence of great earthquakes (Mw 8) that rather occur in other areas of the world where deformation rates are at least one order of magnitude faster. The maximum event so far recorded in Italy is Mw 7.3, 1693 southeast Sicily. InSAR data nowadays provide a precise definition of the epicentral area of an earthquake, which can be several hundred km2. The epicentral area is defined as the ‘active’ domain where the hangingwall is moving along the fault and it is contemporaneously crossed by the seismic waves radiated by the fault plane due to the friction in it. Within the active domain occur the strongest coseismic shaking, both vertical and horizontal. The vertical coseismic motion allows the horizontal shaking to be much more effective.

Description: Published

Description: 168-180

Description: 4T. Sismicità dell'Italia

Description: The understanding of the Earth’s magnetic field variations over time on the African continent is fundamental for several reasons. For instance, the most important feature of the present geomagnetic field, the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) characterized by weaker geomagnetic strength values than those expected for their latitudes, may have emerged in South Africa at the beginning of the second millennium CE. Here, we first selected the available volcanic and archaeomagnetic data following a set of three criteria inspired by the FAIR principles. We then built a first regional geomagnetic model for Africa covering the last 4000 years, using a revised version of the spherical cap harmonic (SCH) analysis in 2 dimensions. The new regional model shows, at the Earth’s surface, the westward migration of the SAA from the Indian Ocean over Africa since 1100 CE. In addition, the regional model is tested as a paleomagnetic dating tool by re-dating previous archaeomagnetic data from Africa and thus can be used to date other African archeological sites and the numerous active and dormant volcanoes of the East African System.

Description: Published

Description: 106855

Description: 1A. Geomagnetismo e Paleomagnetismo

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Seismic data of earthquakes recorded during the last 40 years in southern Calabria have been compared with geological data in order to obtain a seismotectonic picture of the area. We sought for any possible correlation between the main regional tectonic st ructures, the distribution of earthquake hypocentres and the focal mechanism of earthquakes with magnitude (Ml)≥3. Studies of historical and recent seismicity and analysis of geological stru ctures allowed to define the main shear strips on a regional scale. More than 2600 earthquakes with 1.5 ≤ Ml ≤ 4.5 have been considered. The focal mechanisms of earthquakes with Ml≥3 have been compared with the kinematics of known faults and used to give insight on the current active stress field. From the analysis carried out it was possible to expand the cognitive framework regarding the activity of the main tectonic structures present in the area. This study also served to identify areas of high seismicity which do not correspond to any evidence of tectonic structures on the surface, and areas where recognized tectonic structures have not shown any seismicity during the la st decades. These cases could be the subject of future investigation in order to correctly assess the se ismic hazard in Calabria. This task is important in the context of seismic hazard evaluation and mitigation.

Description: Published

Description: 3148-3162

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Volcano science has been deeply developing during last decades, from a branch of descriptive natural sciences to a highly multi-disciplinary, technologically advanced, quantitative sector of the geosciences. While the progress has been continuous and substantial, the volcanological community still lacks big scientific endeavors comparable in size and objectives to many that characterize other scientific fields. Examples include large infrastructures such as the LHC in Geneva for sub-atomic particle physics or the Hubble telescope for astrophysics, as well as deeply coordinated, highly funded, decadal projects such as the Human Genome Project for life sciences. Here we argue that a similar big science approach will increasingly concern volcano science, and briefly describe three examples of developments in volcanology requiring such an approach, and that we believe will characterize the current decade (2020–2030): the Krafla Magma Testbed initiative; the development of a Global Volcano Simulator; and the emerging relevance of big data in volcano science.

Description: Published

Description: 20

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This book contributes to the current discussion on geoethics and global ethics within the geoscience and humanities communities. It provides new content and insights into developing convergent human actions in response to global anthropogenic changes, based on perspectives that make it possible to combine geoscience knowledge with humanities and social sciences approaches. Selected authors present their reflections, findings and insights regarding the vision of geoethics (ethics of responsibility towards the Earth) as global ethics from philosophical, humanities and social sciences perspectives. In addition, they discuss ethical frameworks from diverse cultural traditions, searching for points of intersection with geoethics. The goal: for global environmental problems to be managed via multi-perspective approaches that can more effectively accommodate complexity. Combining the strengths of the geosciences, humanities and social sciences can pave the way for a paradigm shift in how human societies develop adaptive, sustainable responses to environmental changes and societal inequalities.

Description: Published

Description: 1TM. Formazione

Description: In their paper, Spiess et al. (2021) published structural, geochronological, and EBSD data on one of the monzogranite apophyses (Capo Bianco) of the buried Porto Azzurro Pluton (island of Elba, Northern Apennines, Italy), a pluton emplaced in the upper crust (P 〈 0.2 GPa; e.g. Papeschi et al., 2019). The authors published a new U/Pb age of 6.4 ± 0.4 Ma, associated with the thermal peak, and a U-Th/He apatite age of 5.0 ± 0.6 Ma, indicating cooling below 60 ◦C. Spiess et al. (2021) use these ages to model the exhumation of the pluton controlled, in their model, by the Zuccale Fault, a subhorizontal fault with 6 km of eastward displacement (ZF; Keller & Coward, 1996). Their structural dataset from the macro to the microscale and EBSD analyses relies on a small section (about 100 m wide) in the NE part of the Calamita Peninsula. Based on their documentation of (1) vertical dykes in the monzogranite, (2) vertical to low-angle top-to-the-E extensional faults, and (3) later NWstriking oblique faults, they interpret the Porto Azzurro Pluton as emplaced in an extensional to transcurrent tectonic setting, extrapolating their findings to the entire Eastern Elba.

Description: Published

Description: 104499

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This book wants to enrich the current discussion on geoethics and global ethics within the geoscience and humanities communities, providing new contents and insights elaborated by scholars with different disciplinary backgrounds.

Description: Published

Description: 1-3

Description: 1TM. Formazione

Description: The globalized society is held together by an intricate system of human relationships. This system constitutes a planetary architecture characterized by (a) a complex technological structure, (b) the homogenization of cultural forms and economic systems, (c) growing social, political and economic inequalities. Faced with planetary systemic perturbations (such as pandemics and wars), the globalized society shows criticalities, but also strengths, despite it is still too vulnerable to anthropogenic environmental changes. These changes modify the physical–chemical-biological characteristics of the Earth system and therefore represent a great threat to human communities, more serious than the pandemic threat from SARS-CoV-2, perhaps equal to the threat of a nuclear war, since it is the habitability of the planet by humanity and many other living species to be in danger. In order to promptly address the dangers of the anthropogenic changes underway, a closer and more structured international cooperation between states is needed. There are no alternatives. But this goal today appears increasingly difficult and distant due to the international geopolitical instability triggered by the war in Ukraine. In fact, only, human communities that share ethical principles and values on which to base new forms of relationship between human beings and the Earth system are able to face the planetary ecological crisis and build a possible future on Earth. In this perspective, geoethics is proposed as global ethics of a complex world, founded on the principles of dignity, freedom and responsibility and aimed at the renewal of the human-Earth System nexus and the realization of an ecological humanism.

Description: Published

Description: 5-23

Description: 1TM. Formazione

Description: Crystal zoning plays a fundamental role in modern volcanology as a key to unravel the geometry and the dynamics of plumbing systems. In this study, a detailed textural and compositional study of clinopyroxene crystals entrained in intrusive, hypabyssal and effusive products from Cima Pape (Dolomites) is coupled with thermobarometric-hygrometricmodels to reconstruct the geometry and evolution of the feeding systembeneath Middle Triassic volcanic edifices. Whole-rock major, trace element distribution and Sr-Nd isotopic signature (87Sr/86Sri = 0.7045–0.7050; 143Nd/144Ndi = 0.51223–0.51228) show that the rocks from Cima Pape are SiO2- saturated and have shoshonitic affinity, and likely belong to the acme of the Mid-Triassic magmatismthat shaped the Southern Alps between 239 and 237.6Ma. Highly porphyritic trachybasaltic to basaltic trachyandesitic volcanic rocks contain a large number of concentric-zoned clinopyroxene crystals. Here, high-Mg# and -Cr2O3, REEdepleted bands (Mg# 80–91; Cr2O3 up to 1.2 wt%) with variable thickness grew between relatively low-Mg# and -Cr2O3 (Mg# 70–77; Cr2O3 〈 0.1 wt%) augitic cores and rims. In contrast, the gabbroic to monzodioritic 50- to 300-m-thick sill cropping out belowthe volcanic sequences, though to represent a relic of the shallowest portion of the plumbing system, is mostly made up of unzoned clinopyroxene crystals. Thermobarometric and hygrometric models allowed us to define that a small “mush-type” batchwas located beneath the Cima Pape volcano at depths between 7 and 14 km. Here, augitic clinopyroxene formed in equilibrium with a slightly evolved (basaltic trachyandesitic), H2O-rich melt (Mg# = 43–45; T = 1035–1075 °C; H2O = 2.6–3.8 wt%). Periodic replenishments of the magma batch by primitive (Mg# = 65–70), hotter and relatively H2O-poor (T = 1130–1150 °C; H2O = 2.1–2.8 wt%) basaltic magmas led to the formation of diopsidic bands mantling the already formed augitic cores. Later on, re-equilibration of clinopyroxene with the mixed melt resulted in the formation of low-Mg#, LILE- and LREE-enriched rims. The most Mg-poor micro-phenocrystic clinopyroxene in the volcanic rocks and in the sill records the ultimate and shallowest conditions of crystallization, occurring at T of 975–1010 °C and P comprised between 50 and 150 MPa. Based on the presence of similar zoning in clinopyroxene phenocrysts, a comparison between the Mid-Triassic Cima Pape and active volcanoes was put forward to highlight the potential of studying ancient, entirely exposed volcanic systems for interpreting the feeding systemprocesses acting beneath active volcanoes. At a regional scale, this approach represents a new, powerful tool for investigating the evolution of the Mid-Triassic magmatism in the Southern Alps and shedding light on the interactions between mantle-derived melts and differentiated batches ponding in the crust.

Description: Published

Description: 107459

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: © The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Li, Y., Umanzor, S., Ng, C., Huang, M., Marty-Rivera, M., Bailey, D., Aydlett, M., Jannink, J.-L., Lindell, S., & Yarish, C. Skinny kelp (Saccharina angustissima) provides valuable genetics for the biomass improvement of farmed sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima). Journal of Applied Phycology, 34, (2022): 2551–2563, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-022-02811-1.

Description: Saccharina latissima (sugar kelp) is one of the most widely cultivated brown marine macroalgae species in the North Atlantic and the eastern North Pacific Oceans. To meet the expanding demands of the sugar kelp mariculture industry, selecting and breeding sugar kelp that is best suited to offshore farm environments is becoming necessary. To that end, a multi-year, multi-institutional breeding program was established by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) program. Hybrid sporophytes were generated using 203 unique gametophyte cultures derived from wild-collected Saccharina spp. for two seasons of farm trials (2019–2020 and 2020–2021). The wild sporophytes were collected from 10 different locations within the Gulf of Maine (USA) region, including both sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) and the skinny kelp species (Saccharina angustissima). We harvested 232 common farm plots during these two seasons with available data. We found that farmed kelp plots with skinny kelp as parents had an average increased yield over the mean (wet weight 2.48 ± 0.90 kg m−1 and dry weight 0.32 ± 0.10 kg m−1) in both growing seasons. We also found that blade length positively correlated with biomass in skinny kelp x sugar kelp crosses or pure sugar kelp crosses. The skinny x sugar progenies had significantly longer and narrower blades than the pure sugar kelp progenies in both seasons. Overall, these findings suggest that sugar x skinny kelp crosses provide improved yield compared to pure sugar kelp crosses.

Description: Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, ARPAe MARINER project contract number DE-AR0000915 and DE-AR0000911.

Description: We investigate the differences in seismicity rate estimates from two historical earthquake catalogues obtained with two methodologies (Boxer and QUake-MD) calibrated on a common dataset of macroseismic intensities and calibration events. The two methodologies were then applied to a test data set of historical earthquakes covering the France, Italy and Switzerland Alpine region. Differences between the resulting magnitude estimates and instrumental magnitudes show a standard deviation of 0.4 for both methodologies, with a mean residual of 0.01 for Boxer and − 0.04 for Quake-MD. A systematic difference in magnitude estimates between the two methodologies that correlates with the depth estimated by Quake-MD has been observed. This is attributed to the difference in the treatment of the depth parameter between Boxer and QUake-MD. Nevertheless, differences in magnitude estimates between the two methodologies show a mean residual of 0.006 and a standard deviation of 0.35 resulting in seismicity rates that are not significantly different considering the associated uncertainties. Such results made us believe that the European community could gain in the reduction of epistemic uncertainties associated with the estimate of historical earthquake parameters by agreeing on a common macroseismic and calibration dataset across borders. These efforts should be strongly encouraged. On the other hand, we show that even in the ideal conditions of this benchmark (same calibration events and same macroseismic intensity dataset), methodological differences can lead to systematic differences in magnitude estimates. It is therefore paramount to explore different methodologies for a more realistic quantification of the epistemic uncertainties in estimates of maximum magnitudes and seismic activity rates.

Description: Published

Description: 569–586

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

Description: 6T. Studi di pericolosità sismica e da maremoto

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Trace metals and Rare Earth Element (REE) are amply discharged by submarine hydrothermal vents, sometimes leading to the formation of ore deposits of economic interest. We report on first data on the geochemical processes involving REE and trace metals, at the solid-liquid interface, in the hydrothermal area of Levante Bay at Vulcano Island (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy). Samples were collected from several submarine springs and seeps, a mud pool and one thermal well, and analyzed for Al, Si, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, As, Rb, Sr, Cs, Ba, U and REE, besides major ions. Within the bay, hydrothermal fluids contaminate seawater and promote the leaching of metals from sediments through the dissolution of CO2 and H2S, while the particulate matter removes several elements from the water. The leaching of the bottom sediments and the contribution of steam-heated water produce an enrichment of some metals and REE in the Levante Bay with respect to the concentrations expected in the ambient seawater. An enrichment up to one order of magnitude is measured for Fe, Al, Ba, Cs and Rb, and up to two orders of magnitude for Mn in the submarine samples. Other transition metals (Ti, V, Co, Cr), U, As and Sr have concentrations similar or slightly lower than the ambient seawater. REE are in concentrations higher than in ambient seawater up to two orders of magnitude. Despite being significantly higher than uncontaminated seawater, the concentrations of some metals (namely Fe, Al, Ti, Cr, V, Co, U) and REE in most samples are lower than expected by the mixing between seawater and the steam-heated water, discharging from submarine springs. Indeed, equilibrium and reaction path modeling indicate the likely precipitation of Fe-oxyhydroxides, able to remove minor elements, such as Ti, Cr, Co, V and As, and REE. The last ones are significantly removed by newly-forming solid phases, due to the presence of a large amount of Fe released by the acidic fluids through the leaching of sediments. The low pH limits the formation of solution complexes of REE with carbonate ions (the main complexing agent for REE in seawater), whereas the sorption onto particles is still effective, even at close distance from the submarine springs and seeps. This study brings new insights on the geochemical processes occurring in submarine hydrothermal systems, in particular, those in subduction-related context.

Description: Fondo Sociale Europeo (PO FSE 2014-2020)

Description: Published

Description: 120756

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Hydrogeological resources in the semiarid regions of Mexico support the economy and essential domestic activities of around 17 million people. However, adverse climatic conditions and overexploitation of aquifers affect the quantity and quality of the resource, added to problems of anthropogenic pollution and the salinity of water bodies. The Region Carbonífera aquifer represents the primary hydrogeological system in the most important coal-mining region in Mexico, located in the state of Coahuila. In this work, we present a complete dataset of 157 samples from surface and groundwaters sites have been used to characterizethe physicochemical and isotopic processes responsible for the composition of circulating waters, clarifying their origin, and to evaluate the water quality in terms of human consumption and irrigation use. The aquifer is mostly represented by Ca2+-Mg2+-SO42- and Ca2+-Mg2+-Cl- type waters, that supports salinization problems in 76% of the samples as well as sulfate excess. The origin of this chemical behavior seems to be the result of three main processes: 1) dissolution of soluble salts (gypsum, anhydrite and halite), 2) high surface evaporation under semiarid climate conditions, and 3) ionic and reverse ionic exchange. Processes 1 and 2 are also supported by the enrichment trends in the δ18O and δD signatures. For human consumption, 21% of the samples show high concentrations above the maximum permissible limits of the Official Mexican Standard (NOM-127-SSA1-1994) in total dissolved solids, Cl−, Na+, and SO42−. Additionally, 80% of the waters have some irrigation limitations due to excess sodicity or salinity. The worst quality waters for human or irrigation uses are located south of the aquifer in the municipalities of Juárez and Progreso. This study exhibits the complex hydric situation of the aquifer, raising awareness of the need to seek alternative sources, rational exploitation of resources, the use of crops that better adapt to these semiarid conditions, and intensifying hydrochemical monitoring in the region.

Description: Published

Description: 105307

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: © The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Lozier, M., Bower, A., Furey, H., Drouin, K., Xu, X., & Zou, S. Overflow Water pathways in the North Atlantic. Progress In Oceanography, (2022): 102874, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2022.102874.

Description: As part of the international Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP), 135 acoustically-tracked deep floats were deployed to track the spreading pathways of Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) and Denmark Strait Overflow Water (DSOW) from 2014 to 2018. These water masses, which originate in the Nordic Seas, are transported by the deepest branch of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The OSNAP floats provide the first directly-observed, comprehensive Lagrangian view of ISOW and DSOW spreading pathways throughout the subpolar North Atlantic. The collection of OSNAP float trajectories, complemented by model simulations, reveals that their pathways are (a) not restricted to western boundary currents, and (b) remarkably different from each other in character. The spread of DSOW from the Irminger Sea is primarily via the swift deep boundary currents of the Irminger and Labrador Seas, whereas the spread of ISOW out of the Iceland Basin is slower and along multiple export pathways. The characterization of these Overflow Water pathways has important implications for our understanding of the AMOC and its variability. Finally, reconstructions of AMOC variability from proxy data, involving either the strength of boundary currents and/or the property variability of deep waters, should account for the myriad pathways of DSOW and ISOW, but particularly so for the latter.

Description: MSL gratefully acknowledges the support from the Physical Oceanography Program of the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant OCE-2017522). ASB, HHF and SZ gratefully acknowledge the support from the Physical Oceanography Program of the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant OCE-1756361). KLD gratefully acknowledges the support from the Physical Oceanography Program of the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant OCE-1851075). XX gratefully acknowledges the support from the Physical Oceanography Program of the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant OCE-2038449). RAFOS float data can be accessed at Woods Hole Open Access Server (https://doi.org/10.26025/1912/24388).

Description: In this paper, we propose the use of advanced and flexible statistical models to describe the spatial displacement of earthquake data. The paper aims to account for the external geological information in the description of complex seismic point processes, through the estimation of models with space varying parameters. A local version of the Log-Gaussian Cox processes (LGCP) is introduced and applied for the first time, exploiting the inferential tools in Baddeley (Spat Stat 22:261–295, 2017), estimating the model by the local Palm likelihood. We provide methods and approaches accounting for the interaction among points, typically described by LGCP models through the estimation of the covariance parameters of the Gaussian Random Field, that in this local version are allowed to vary in space, providing a more realistic description of the clustering feature of seismic events. Furthermore, we contribute to the framework of diagnostics, outlining suitable methods for the local context and proposing a new step-wise approach addressing the particular case of multiple covariates. Overall, we show that local models provide good inferential results and could serve as the basis for future spatio-temporal local model developments, peculiar for the description of the complex seismic phenomenon.

Description: Published

Description: 633–671

Description: 3T. Fisica dei terremoti e Sorgente Sismica

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We use the tidal deformations of the Moon induced by the Earth and the Sun as a tool for studying the inner structure of our satellite. Based on measurements of the degree-two tidal Love numbers $k_2$ and $h_2$ and dissipation coefficients from the GRAIL mission, Lunar Laser Ranging and Laser Altimetry on board of the LRO spacecraft, we perform Monte Carlo samplings for 120,000 possible combinations of thicknesses and viscosities for two classes of the lunar models. The first one includes a uniform core, a low viscosity zone (LVZ) at the core-mantle boundary, a mantle and a crust. The second one has an additional inner core. All models are consistent with the lunar t otal mass as well as its moment of inertia. By comparing predicted and observed parameters for the tidal deformations we find that the existence of an inner core cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, by deducing temperature profiles for the LVZ and an Earth-like mantle, we obtain stringent constraints on the radius (500 $\pm$ 1) km, viscosity, $(4.5 \pm 0.8) \times10^{16}$ Pa$\cdot$s and the density (3400 $\pm$ 10) kg/m$^3$ of the LVZ. We also infer the first estimation for the outer core viscosity, (2.07 ± 1.03) × 10$^{17}$ Pa·s, for tw o different possible structures: a Moon with a 70 km thick outer core and large inner core (290 km radius with a density of 6000 kg/m$^{3}$), and a Moon with a thicker outer core (169 km thick) but a denser and smaller inner core (219 km radius for 8000 kg/m$^{3}$).

Description: Published

Description: 115426

Description: 5IT. Osservazioni satellitari

Description: JCR Journal

Description: In this paper, we propose a novel picking algorithm for the automatic P- and S-waves onset time determination. Our algorithm is based on the variance piecewise constant models of the earthquake waveforms. The effectiveness and robustness of our picking algorithm are tested both on synthetic seismograms and real data. We simulate seismic events with different magnitudes (between 2 and 5) recorded at different epicentral distances (between 10 and 250 km). For the application to real data, we analyse waveforms from the seismic sequence of L’Aquila (Italy), in 2009. The obtained results are compared with those obtained by the application of the classic STA/LTA picking algorithm. Although the two algorithms lead to similar results in the simulated scenarios, the proposed algorithm results in greater flexibility and automation capacity, as shown in the real data analysis. Indeed, our proposed algorithm does not require testing and optimization phases, resulting potentially very useful in earthquakes routine analysis for novel seismic networks or in regions whose earthquakes characteristics are unknown.

Description: Published

Description: 2101-2113

Description: 8T. Sismologia in tempo reale e Early Warning Sismico e da Tsunami

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Intra-oceanic arcs are typically associated with intermediate (andesitic) cone volcanoes. However, caldera volcanoes may also form in these settings from very large eruptions, resulting in sudden changes to the magma reservoir. These reservoirs can then produce either semi-continuous or intermittent low-intensity volcanism between major caldera-producing or caldera-deepening eruptions, providing insights into the post-caldera evolution of the system. Hunga volcano (Kingdom of Tonga, Southwest Pacific) is a large mainly submarine edifice that produced a series of caldera-forming eruptions ~900 years ago. Since then, numerous smaller-scale subaerial and submarine eruptions occurred, the most recent forming new islands in 2009 and 2014/15. Pyroclastic deposits associated with these latest eruptions have identical (range ~ 0.1 wt% of all major oxides) andesitic composition that overlap with the primitive end of the slightly wider compositional range of the caldera-forming episodes. Texturally simple plagioclase, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene phenocrysts in pre-, syn- and post-caldera pyroclasts point to a single shallow storage reservoir at 5–8 km depth. Lack of complex zonation indicates that this reservoir is constantly resupplied by low-flux inputs of basaltic andesite magma and is large enough that convective mixing rapidly homogenises new inputs. The reservoir feeds intermittent, low-intensity, post-caldera volcanism with constant andesite composition, driven possibly by magmatic overpressure and “leakage” of gas-rich magma pockets around the edges of the caldera. More primitive and compositionally variable basaltic andesites formed a lava-dominated edifice prior to the caldera-forming event. This suggests a causal link between magma supply dynamics and caldera priming relating to the maturing of the plumbing system and formation of a sustained subvolcanic andesite magma reservoir.

Description: This research was funded by the Faculty Research Development Fund, The University of Auckland to MB and SJC. We are grateful for financial and logistic support from ICON Films, Bristol, UK. We are especially grateful for the help and company of Lucy Meadows and Alex Holden, ICON Films, UK, during the field studies.

Description: Published

Description: 106614

Description: 1V. Storia eruttiva

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

Description: 4V. Processi pre-eruttivi

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We develop a new inversion approach to construct a 3-D structural and shear-wave velocity model of the crust based on teleseismic P-to-S converted waves. The proposed approach does not require local earthquakes such as body wave tomography, nor a large aperture seismic network such as ambient noise tomography, but a three-component station network with spacing similar to the expected crustal thickness. The main features of the new method are: (1) a novel model parametrization with 3-D mesh nodes that are fixed in the horizontal directions but can flexibly vary vertically; (2) the implementation of both sharp velocity changes across discontinuities and smooth gradients; (3) an accurate ray propagator that respects Snell’s law in 3-D at any interface geometry. Model parameters are inverted using a stochastic method composed of simulated annealing followed by a pattern search algorithm. The first application is carried out over the Central Alps, where long-standing permanent and the temporary AlpArray Seismic Network stations provide an ideal coverage. For this study we invert 4 independent parameters, which are the Moho discontinuity depth, the Conrad discontinuity depth, the P-velocity change at the Conrad and the average Vp/Vs of the crust. The 3-D inversion results clearly image the roots of the Alpine orogen, including the Ivrea Geophysical Body. The lower crust's thickness appears fairly constant. Average crustal Vp/Vs ratios are relatively higher beneath the orogen, and a low-Vp/Vs area in the northern foreland seems to correlate with lower crustal earthquakes, which can be related to mechanical differences in rock properties, probably inherited. Our results are in agreement with those found by 3-D ambient noise tomography, though our method inherently performs better at localizing discontinuities. Future developments of this technique can incorporate joint inversions, as well as more efficient parameter space exploration.

Description: Published

Description: 529 - 562

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Explosive volcanic eruptions can produce vast amounts of volcanic ash made up mainly of fragments of magmatic glass, country rock and minerals 〈 2 mm in size. Ash particles forming from magma fragmentation are generated by several processes when brittle response accommodates (local) deformation stress that exceeds the capability of the bulk material to respond by viscous flow. These processes span a wide range of temperatures, can occur inside or outside the volcanic edifice and can involve all melt compositions. Ash is then dispersed by volcanic and atmospheric processes over large distances and can have global distributions. Explosive eruptions have repeatedly drawn focus to studying volcanic ash. The continued occurrence of such eruptions worldwide and their widespread impacts motivates the study of the chemical and physical processes involved in the lifecycle of volcanic ash (e.g. magma fragmentation, particle aggregation), as well as the immediate to long-term effects (e.g. water and air pollution, soil fertilization) and consequences (e.g. environmental, economic, social) associated with ashfall. In this perspectives article, we reflect on the progress made over the last two decades in understanding (1) volcanic ash generation; (2) dispersion, sedimentation and erosion; and (3) impacts on the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and modern infrastructure. Finally, we discuss open questions and future challenges.

Description: Published

Description: 51

Description: 5V. Processi eruttivi e post-eruttivi

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Many vertical seismic velocity anomalies observed below different parts of the Eurasian plate are rooted in the transition zone between the upper and lower mantle (410–660 km), forming so-called secondary plumes. These anomalies are interpreted as the result of thermal effects of large-scale thermal upwelling (primary plume) in the lower mantle or deep dehydration of fluid-rich subducting oceanic plates. We present the results of thermo-mechanical numerical modelling to investigate the dynamics of such small-scale thermal and chemical (hydrous) anomalies rising from the lower part of the Earth’s upper mantle. Our objective is to determine the conditions that allow thermo-chemical secondary plumes of moderate size (initial radius of 50 km) to penetrate the continental lithosphere, as often detected in seismo-tomographic studies. To this end, we examine the effect of the following parameters: (1) the compositional deficit of the plume density due to the presence of water and hydrous silicate melts, (2) the width of the weak zone in the overlying lithosphere formed because of plume-induced magmatic weakening and/or previous tectonic events, and (3) a tectonic regime varied from neutral to extensional. In our models, secondary plumes of purely thermal origin do not penetrate the overlying plate, but flatten at its base, forming “mushroom”-shaped structures at the level of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. On the contrary, plumes with enhanced density contrast due to a chemical (hydrous) component are shown to be able to pass upwards through the lithospheric mantle to shallow depths near the Moho when (1) the compositional density contrast is ≥ 100 kg m−3 and (2) the width of the lithospheric weakness zone above the plume is ≥ 100 km. An extensional tectonic regime facilitates plume penetration into the lithosphere but is not mandatory. Our findings can explain observations that have long remained enigmatic, such as the “arrow”-shaped zone of low seismic velocities below the Tengchong volcano in south-western China and the columnar (“finger”-shaped) anomaly within the lithospheric mantle discovered more than two decades ago beneath the Eifel volcanic fields in north-western Germany. It appears that a chemical component is a characteristic feature not only of conventional hydrous plumes located over presently downgoing oceanic slabs, but also of upper mantle plumes in other tectonic settings.

Description: Published

Description: 117819

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Continental ultramafic rock systems, through the process of serpentinization, provide chemical and biochemical pathways that lead to the production of methane. The extent to which rock-water-gas reactions and organisms supply methane in these systems is a matter of considerable discussion and debate. Deciphering the interplay of abiotic and microbial methane observed at the surface requires several lines of reasoning as well as a variety of analyses. Despite using multiple models and interpretative tools, conclusions for the origin of methane at a particular site may vary or diverge from regional or global observations. Here, we critically address how possible conclusions of microbial versus abiotic methane in continental serpentinization systems may be interpreted and reinterpreted. We review fundamental concepts, advantages and limits, for three major methane origin models: (a) abiotic CO2 hydrogenation supplying gas reservoirs, (b) derivation from fluid inclusions in olivine-rich rocks, and (c) microbialgenesis in aquifers. We use the case of methane in the Samail ophiolite of Oman as an emblematic example of multiple interpretations; we identify ambiguous information offered by methane clumped isotopes and molecular gas compositions (e.g., the meaning of gaseous hydrocarbons heavier than methane), and suggest key tools, such as radiocarbon (14C) in methane, which may solve interpretative issues. The major constraint in any model of methane origin is the capability to sustain continuous gas flows, in terms of methane emission intensity, longevity and spatial extension, such as in natural gas sedimentary systems. Overall, this review suggests that any site interpretation can benefit from a holistic approach, integrating geochemical, geological and biological data with gas flow dynamics, as well as including regional and global contextualization.

Description: Published

Description: 105373

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Sector-zoned clinopyroxene records kinetic effects imposed by variable degrees of magma undercooling, ΔT, and can be utilised to track the dynamics of magmatic systems. The partitioning of trace elements into sectors grown in different crystallographic orientations can be used as a proxy for ΔT. However, an experimental assessment of the relationship between trace element zoning and ΔT has been lacking to date. Here we present trace element data from a series of undercooling crystallisation experiments on a primitive trachybasalt from Mt. Etna (Italy), at conditions of crustal storage (400 MPa, NNO + 2), and ΔT ranging from 23 to 173 °C. Changes in ΔT were modulated by varying both resting and liquidus temperatures, the latter via the melt-H2O content of the experiments. The resting temperature was retained for 24 h to ensure the attainment of near-equilibrium conditions. High-resolution elemental mapping reveals the distribution of trace elements in individual clinopyroxene zones. Increasing ΔT drives a shift from polyhedral morphologies with Al-rich prism and Al-poor hourglass sectors (ΔT = 23–25 °C), to skeletal (ΔT = 75–123 °C) and dendritic (ΔT = 132–173 °C) crystals with Al-rich skeletons and Al-poor overgrowths. Aluminium-rich zones have higher concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) and high field strength elements (HFSE) than Al-poor zones across all investigated ΔT conditions, and overall, Al, REE and HFSE contents increase with ΔT. This indicates that tetrahedral aluminium (TAl) and associated charge-balancing mechanisms govern the incorporation of REE and HFSE within clinopyroxene. Lattice strain parameters for REE in the M2 site indicate the incorporation of light relative to heavy REE in clinopyroxene is controlled by competing effects between the strain-free partition coefficient, D0, and the optimum cation radius, r0. Critically, the middle and heavy REE switch from incompatible to compatible with increasing ΔT. Used to model fractional crystallisation, our data demonstrate that fractionation of clinopyroxene at low ΔT controls pre-eruptive melt evolution. Importantly, this indicates crystallisation of clinopyroxene in the deep portions of Mt. Etna’s plumbing system is not rapid and is unlikely to result in the early formation of dendrites. We develop a parameterisation of ΔT based on REE partitioning between experimental clinopyroxene and coexisting melt, which can be applied to sector-zoned augite crystallising from mafic alkaline magmas, to reconstruct dynamic processes and thermal pathways during magma transport and storage. Applied to sector-zoned clinopyroxene microphenocrysts and groundmass microcrysts from the 1974 eccentric eruption at Mt. Etna, our parameterisation tracks an increase in ΔT with magma ascent and eruption, following recharge of Cr-rich mafic magma at depth. Sector-zoned clinopyroxene can track ΔT variations leading to volcanism at Mt. Etna and could be applied to quantify magma dynamics in other active volcanoes.

Description: This work was supported by a Foundation Research Excellence Award from The University of Queensland (UQ-FREA RM2019001828, T.U.), the Advance Queensland Women’s Research Assistance Program from the Queensland Government (WRAP109-2019RD1 RM2020002371, T.U.) and the HP-HT laboratory of Experimental Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV, Rome). A.M. was supported by the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP). S.M, M.M. and A.P. were supported by the MIUR project “Time scales of solidification in magmas: Applications to Volcanic Eruptions, Silicate Melts, Glasses, Glass- Ceramics” (PRIN 2017J277S9).

Description: Published

Description: 249-268

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

Description: 4V. Processi pre-eruttivi

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We illustrate the implementation and results of a field experiment, consisting of recording continuous signal from a hydrophone 3 m deep in the Venetian lagoon. We simultaneously recorded audio signal through a microphone placed on a nearby pier. We investigate the potential of this simple instrumental setup to explore the small touristic boat traffic contribution to the underwater noise. The ultimate goal of our work is to contribute to quantifying underwater noise pollution due to motorboat passages and its impact on the ecosystem. Efforts such as ours should help to identify measures that could diminish noise pollution, focusing specifically on the aspects that are most disruptive to underwater life. After this preliminary test, more work can be planned, involving the deployment of a larger network of similar instruments around the lagoon. At this point, we can conclude that (i) our instruments are sensitive enough to detect motorboats and identify some of their characteristics; (ii) the area of interest is characterized by a large (approx. 20 dB) day/night difference in ambient noise; and (iii) the historic center of Venice and its immediate surroundings are particularly noisy, in comparison to other similarly studied locations.

Description: Published

Description: 221

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We compute a high-resolution topographic model of the Moho beneath the fault system activated during the 2016–2017 Central Italy seismic sequence, using Receiver Function (RF) analyses. We document that Ps conversions recorded in RF data-set varies abruptly at very short distance across the crustal lineament called Ancona-Anzio Line (AAL). Moho depth varies from about 25-30 km in the Tyrrhenian domain on the West to 35- 40 km in the Adriatic domain in the East. Where the two domains are juxtaposed along the AAL, Moho depth values cluster around 50 km depth, in a stripe-like area 20 km wide. Such unique feature marks the deformation zone in the lithosphere and testifies the abrupt change in delamination style in the two sectors of the Apennines. Intermittent large normal faulting earthquakes driven by across-belt extension break through such inherited strong structural changes, conditioned by localized barriers to fluids migration and overpressuring.

Description: Published

Description: 229237

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: 4T. Sismicità dell'Italia

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Volcanic plume aerosol following the paroxysmal event of Mount Etna (Italy) in February 21st - 26th, 2021 was detected in Naples area (Italy), together with transport of Saharan dust aerosol, combining lidar, sunphotometer and satellite observations with back-trajectories and dispersion models simulations. Lidar data allowed to clearly distinguish the two main aerosol components, to investigate the spectral dependence of the aerosol optical properties and to retrieve their microphysical properties, essential for a detailed aerosol characterization. A new Monte Carlo algorithm, capable of retrieving the particle size distribution from lidar measurements, was applied. Lidar results are in good agreement with columnar integrated sunphotometer data. This combination of novel lidar observations of the vertically-resolved aerosol microphysics, column observations and modelling allows for a more complete description of multi-layered aerosol conditions.

Description: Published

Description: 106099

Description: 5V. Processi eruttivi e post-eruttivi

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Quantification of the subsurface geothermal potential primarily relies on the assessment of the thermal and mechanical configuration of the lithosphere. Such investigations require a detailed knowledge of the geological and tectonic forcing on the regional thermal, stress and hydraulic regimes and their counter feedback mechanisms. This approach becomes even more relevant in complex and active tectonic settings. In this regard, the Sicily region, which is located in the Central-Western Mediterranean, is an exceptional case study due to its almost unexplored geothermal potential hosted in a complex geodynamic setting. The present-day geological configuration resulted from the collision between the African and European plates, which led to the coexistence of compressional phases, beginning with the Oligocene-Miocene clockwise rotation of Corsica-Sardinia and alternated extensional phases in the Tyrrhenian basin due to the southward progression of the Sicilian- Maghrebian chain towards areas of the internal foreland (Hyblean domain). In this study, we attempt a reconstruction of the present-day lithospheric state of Sicily to quantify its thermal regime at shallow and intermediate depths. We have carried out a 3D lithospheric-scale gravity modelling in order to define the main geological units and their lithology-dependent rock properties, then integrated into a 3D geological model consistent with available borehole and seismic datasets. We have used the constructed geological model with its lithologydependent density, thermal conductivity, and radiogenic heat production to derive the present-day conductive thermal field as a whole and for individual tectonic or geological units, thereby considering different boundary conditions. We have finally validated results of the modelling against a shallow temperature dataset derived from hydrocarbon explorations. Our results indicate that the thermal field at depths shallower than 10 km is largely controlled by variability in sedimentary thickness in the foreland and the orogen, while deeper temperatures are primarily controlled by the distribution of the heat transferred from the mantle together with the radiogenic contribution of the shallow crystalline basement rocks and deeper crustal layers. The thermal modelling portrays a rather heterogenous Moho heat flow, locally higher than 80 mW/m2, revealing a particular geodynamic setting with specific areas characterized by high-to-medium enthalpy geothermal potential. As such, our modelling provides new perspectives for the exploration of geothermal resources in Sicily and helps to better constrain the thermal structure of the complex Sicilian collisional setting.

Description: Published

Description: 103976

Description: 1TR. Georisorse

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The Calabrian Arc represents one of the most active sectors of the upper plate of the Tyrrhenian-Ionian subduction system. This research aims to reconstruct the evolution of the Squillace Basin (Ionian offshore of the Calabrian Arc) from the Late Miocene to Recent times and recognise active shallow and deep structures using a multiscale approach. The latter is based on interpreting high-penetration and high-resolution seismic reflection profiles, calibrated with well-log data coupled with bathymetric data and the distribution of instrumental earthquakes. Data highlight three steps in the evolution of the Squillace Basin. A Late Miocene extensional event led to the formation of WNW-ESE oriented horst and half-graben structures. During the Pliocene, deformation was localised in the central and northern sectors of the basin and expressed by a WNW-ESE oriented strike-slip fault and NW-SE normal to trastensional faults, respectively. A transpressional event started in the Early Pleistocene, causing the positive inversion of deep (〉 3 km) extensional faults and the formation of NW-SE to WNW-ESE oriented transpressional/reverse faults and related anticlines. The kinematics of these faults agree with the NW-SE oriented left-lateral Albi-Cosenza, Lamezia-Catanzaro and Petilia-Sosti crustal fault zones developed in north Calabria. The results of this work suggest that the transpressional structures in the northwestern sector of the basin likely represent the offshore prolongation of the Albi-Cosenza fault zone. NW-SE to WNW-ESE trending, shallow (〈2 km) high-angle normal faults offset the younger deposits. Their depth and direction indicate that these faults are secondary structures formed in the extrados of the anticlines associated with the transpressional faults. The distribution of earthquakes shows events with M 〉 3 and depth 〈15 km located in the hanging wall of transpressional faults. The integrated data suggest that these structures are active and probably responsible for the major earthquakes that affected the Ionian offshore.

Description: Published

Description: 229772

Description: 2T. Deformazione crostale attiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Published in https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X22004617

Description: Earthquake forecasting and prediction have long and in some cases sordid histories but recent work has rekindled interest based on advances in early warning, hazard assessment for induced seismicity and successful prediction of laboratory earthquakes. In the lab, frictional stick-slip events provide an analog for earthquakes and the seismic cycle. Labquakes are ideal targets for machine learning (ML) because they can be produced in long sequences under controlled conditions. Recent works show that ML can predict several aspects of labquakes using fault zone acoustic emissions. Here, we generalize these results and explore deep learning (DL) methods for labquake prediction and autoregressive (AR) forecasting. DL improves existing ML methods of labquake prediction. AR methods allow forecasting at future horizons via iterative predictions. We demonstrate that DL models based on Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) and Convolution Neural Networks predict labquakes under several conditions, and that fault zone stress can be predicted with fidelity, confirming that acoustic energy is a fingerprint of fault zone stress. We predict also time to start of failure (TTsF) and time to the end of Failure (TTeF) for labquakes. Interestingly, TTeF is successfully predicted in all seismic cycles, while the TTsF prediction varies with the amount of preseismic fault creep. We report AR methods to forecast the evolution of fault stress using three sequence modeling frameworks: LSTM, Temporal Convolution Network and Transformer Network. AR forecasting is distinct from existing predictive models, which predict only a target variable at a specific time. The results for forecasting beyond a single seismic cycle are limited but encouraging. Our ML/DL models outperform the state-of-the-art and our autoregressive model represents a novel framework that could enhance current methods of earthquake forecasting.

Description: Published

Description: 117825

Description: 3T. Fisica dei terremoti e Sorgente Sismica

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The footwall of the surface rupturing Paganica normal fault, the source of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake (Mw 6.1) in the Central Apennines (Italy), was investigated using integrated geological and geomorphological approaches. The aim was to constrain the active tectonics by studying the Raiale River that orthogonally crosscuts the fault trace, where it provides a useful geomorphological marker of long-term fluvial incision and footwall uplift. Using morphostratigraphy and paleomagnetic analysis, the Plio–Pleistocene morphotectonic evolution of the area was reconstructed, comprising an ancient continental basin and paleolandforms that predate the footwall incision. Starting from the Late Early Pleistocene–Middle Pleistocene, fluvial dissection was mainly due to marked river downcutting triggered by significant activity of the Paganica Fault, which caused progressive base-level lowering. The Raiale River downcutting formed five Middle–Late Pleistocene fluvial terraces, that, along with absolute Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating, allowed the identification of paleolongitudinal profiles with a diverging downstream configuration. Terrace dating yielded a minimum incision rate of 0.25 ± 0.02 mm/a, which only partially compensates the footwall uplift and can thus be considered as a minimum value for the Paganica Fault throw rate, which could reach up to ~0.45 mm/a. In parallel, using terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides, a denudation rate of 0.02–0.04 mm/a was measured on the summit of the footwall block. This denudation is in keeping with the drainage incision, suggesting a non-steady state for the fault footwall topography and a dominance of relief growth. Last, the analysis of the modern Raiale River longitudinal profile denoted an ungraded status, with two main knickzones that we interpret as transient forms due to tectonic perturbations, likely triggered by activity of the Paganica Fault during the end Early Pleistocene and the Late Pleistocene. Considering the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake coseismic rupture, we observe that the younger transience on the Raiale River longitudinal profile, if it is of tectonic origin, could have only been produced by much larger seismic events (i.e., Mw 〉 6.5) than those documented in the area by paleoseismological investigations. The collective results confirmed that in the Central Apennines, conditions of dynamic equilibrium are often not met, and that the persistence of transient perturbations induced by tectonics should be accounted for.

Description: The work was financially supported by the MIUR (Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research) project “FIRB Abruzzo - High-resolution analyses for assessing the seismic hazard and risk of the areas affected by the 6 April 2009 earthquake”, ref. RBAP10ZC8K_005 and RBAP10ZC8K_007, and by Agreement INGV-DPC 2012-2021. The airborne LiDAR survey performedby the Civil Protection of Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy) was kindly released by Italian Civil Protection Department Special thanks to Simone Atzori, who provided the InSAR data.

Description: Published

Description: 108411

Description: 2T. Deformazione crostale attiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: In seismically active regions with variable dominant focal mechanisms, there is considerable tsunami inundation height uncertainty. Basic earthquake source parameters such as dip, strike, and rake affect significantly the tsunamigenic potential and the tsunami directivity. Tsunami inundation is also sensitive to other properties such as bottom friction. Despite their importance, sensitivity to these basic parameters is surprisingly sparsely studied in literature. We perform suites of systematic parameter searches to investigate the sensitivity of inundation at the towns of Catania and Siracusa on Sicily to changes both in the earthquake source parameters and the Manning friction. The inundation is modelled using the Tsunami-HySEA shallow water code on a system of nested topo-bathymetric grids with a finest spatial resolution of 10 m. This GPU-based model, with significant HPC resources, allows us to perform large numbers of high- resolution tsunami simulations. We analyze the variability of different hydrodynamic parameters due to large earthquakes with uniform slip at different locations, focal depth, and different source parameters. We consider sources both near the coastline, in which significant near-shore co-seismic deformation occurs, and offshore, where near- shore co-seismic deformation is negligible. For distant offshore earthquake sources, we see systematic and intuitive changes in the inundation with changes in strike, dip, rake, and depth. For near-shore sources, the dependency is far more complicated and co- determined by both the source mechanisms and the coastal morphology. The sensitivity studies provide directions on how to resolve the source discretization to optimize the number of sources in Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Analysis, and they demonstrate a need for a far finer discretization of local sources than for more distant sources. For a small number of earthquake sources, we study systematically the inundation as a function of the Manning coefficient. The sensitivity of the inundation to this parameter varies greatly for different earthquake sources and topo-bathymetry at the coastline of interest. The friction greatly affects the velocities and momentum flux and to a lesser but still significant extent the inundation distance from the coastline. An understanding of all these dependencies is needed to better quantify the hazard when source complexity increases.

Description: Published

Description: 757618

Description: 6T. Studi di pericolosità sismica e da maremoto

Description: 8T. Sismologia in tempo reale e Early Warning Sismico e da Tsunami

Description: 1SR TERREMOTI - Sorveglianza Sismica e Allerta Tsunami

Description: 3IT. Calcolo scientifico

Description: JCR Journal

Description: A hydrogeochemical study was carried out on the shallow Catania Plain alluvial aquifer, in eastern Sicily to reconstruct its hydrogeological structure, the meteoric recharge and to assess the infuence of human activities on groundwater. To characterize the geochemistry of the shallow aquifer, two sampling campaigns were carried out, August–October 2004 and April–May 2005 in 47 sites distributed throughout the plain. The samples were collected and analyzed for physical–chemical parameters and major ions, as well as stable isotopes (δ18O and δ2 H). Alluvial deposits with heterogeneous grain sizes constitute the aquifer. Varying conditions of vertical and horizontal permeability lead to the presence of a multilayered aquifer with diferent conditions of confnement and partial interconnection among layers. The sampled waters were separated into four groups of diferent compositions due to the water–rock interaction with the diferent lithologies present in and around the study area. Maps of electrical conductivity and sulfate show a systematic control of land use, in correspondence with the biggest farms. High sulfate concentration is due to both the natural interaction between local meteoric waters and Etna’s plume and the mixing with groundwater coming from the area where evaporitic rocks of the Gessoso Solffera formation are present. In addition, anthropogenic contamination cannot be ruled out. A rain gauge network, consisting of 3 sites located at diferent altitudes, was installed to collect rain waters to determine isotopic data (δ2 H and δ18O) and to measure the monthly rainfall amount. Based on the isotopic composition of sampled waters, it has been established that beyond the direct meteoric recharge, the recharging areas are in the North (Mt. Etna) and the South (Hyblean Plateau).

Description: Published

Description: 144

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The present investigation provides measurements of radon (222Rn) concentration levels in 20 thermal waters at the Campi Flegrei volcanic caldera, an important geothermal system with hydrothermal manifestations in the Neapolitan area (Southern Italy). We used a RAD7® Radon-in-air detector equipped with Big Bottle RAD H2O and DRYSTIK accessories (Durridge Co. Inc.). Water samples with different chemical and/or physical conditions, not used as drink waters, are taken from continental thermal groundwaters, springs, lakes, pools and one sub merged thermal spring. The waters are mostly chlorine to bicarbonate, except of a few sulphate types sampled at the hydrothermal discharge areas of Solfatara and Pisciarelli, central in the caldera. Water temperature and pH values range from 18.1 to 91.3 ◦C and from 2 to 8, respectively. Sampling and measurement of radon in groundwater are complicated by the high volatility of the gas; a method is here proposed. In some of the 20 sites double or triple samples were collected by using different volume polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, diluting sample with blank water, and modifying flow of pumped wells. We suggest that dilution can be considered when water is i) not enough to fill in the PET, resulting in large head space in the sampler, ii) too hot determining damage of the PET or iii) too saline to clog the Big Bottle System. Dissolved radon concentrations vary from 0.1 ± 0.1 to 1146 ± 57 Bq/L with an average value of 152 Bq/L, using the CAPTURE program, the default RAD7 data acquisition program. Similar values in radon concentration are obtained using the method proposed in De Simone et al. (2015) ranging between 0.1 ± 5.8 and 1286 ± 98 Bq/L with an average value of 167 Bq/L. The hottest and most acidic sulphate waters refer to a small boiling pool at Pisciarelli hydrothermal discharge area and have nearly zero 222Rn content. 222Rn concentrations from this study are mostly below the reference level of 1000 Bq/L recommended for human health protection by the European Commission and the most adopted in the scientific community (Catao ˜et al., 2022). No correlation has been observed between temperature, pH, major anions and radon content values, nor between rock composition since it is almost homogeneous trachyte at the study sites. 222Rn levels therefore appear to reflect the local sedimentological, structural or hydrogeological conditions. The levels of 222Rn here presented are an important background for the scientific community that will intend to define the natural fluctuations of dissolved 222Rn in relation with seasons, environment, hydrogeology or volcanic dynamics at the geohazardous Campi Flegrei area.

Description: Published

Description: 107641

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

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

Description: 6SR VULCANI – Servizi e ricerca per la società

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The δ18O and δ2H of rivers and springs were investigated in order to characterize the groundwater recharge sources around Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira volcanoes, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Water samples were collected monthly between November 2013 and October 2014 from 5 major rivers, 3 major cold springs, 3 tepid springs and 1 hot spring. The temperatures of each spring were nearly constant over the sampling period attesting for their groundwater character, while the temperatures of the rivers were much more variable. The rivers monthly δ2H and δ18O range from 􀀀 6.8‰ to 1.9‰ and 􀀀 3.1‰ to 1.6‰, respectively, while springs showed depleted values that span from 􀀀 10.2 to 􀀀 1.1‰ for δ2H and 􀀀 3.6 to 􀀀 1.9‰ for δ18O. Catchment morphology (formed of depression, upper footslope and medium to high gradient-mountains) and the local tectonic discontinuity (fissures and faults) regulate the surface runoff and subsurface flow, control the precipitation infiltration zones and hence the aquifers recharge areas. Chemical and isotopic (δ18O and δ2H) compositions of springs and rivers reveal the presence of shallow and deep aquifers, with some waters having intermediate isotope composition. Three different recharge zones characterized by different altitudes were identified: the first is found at low altitude ranging from ~1800 m to ~2150 m, the second and intermediate recharge zone in the altitude range from ~2180 m to ~2500 m at the upper footslope area, while the third and highest recharge area is located in the altitudes range from ~2620 to ~3220 m. The two upper recharge areas are the most fractured and fissured zones allowing rapid infiltration of depleted precipitations which recharge deep aquifers found in the tepid and hot springs. Based on their chemical and isotopic composition, waters from the shallow and deep aquifers have been considered representative of mixing end members. During their ascent to the surface, water from the deep aquifer mixes with that of shallow aquifer yielding the tepid springs of intermediate chemical and isotopic composition, while the other keep their original fingerprint corresponding to the isotopically depleted hot spring.

Description: Published

Description: 120778

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Implicit integration of the viscous term can significantly improve performance in computational fluid dynamics for highly viscous fluids such as lava. We show improvements over our previous proposal for semi-implicit viscous integration in Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics, extending it to support a wider range of boundary models. Due to the resulting loss of matrix symmetry, a key advancement is a more robust version of the biconjugate gradient stabilized method to solve the linear systems, that is also better suited for parallelization in both shared-memory and distributed-memory systems. The advantages of the new solver are demostrated in applications with both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, covering both the numerical aspect (improved convergence thanks to the possibility to use more accurate boundary model) and the computing aspect (with excellent strong scaling and satisfactory weak scaling).

Description: Published

Description: 111413

Description: 3IT. Calcolo scientifico

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The evolution of High-Performance Computing (HPC) platforms enables the design and execution of progressively larger and more complex workflow applications in these systems. The complexity comes not only from the number of elements that compose the workflows but also from the type of computations they perform. While traditional HPC workflows target simulations and modelling of physical phenomena, current needs require in addition data analytics (DA) and artificial intelligence (AI) tasks. However, the development of these workflows is hampered by the lack of proper programming models and environments that support the integration of HPC, DA, and AI, as well as the lack of tools to easily deploy and execute the workflows in HPC systems. To progress in this direction, this paper presents use cases where complex workflows are required and investigates the main issues to be addressed for the HPC/DA/AI convergence. Based on this study, the paper identifies the challenges of a new workflow platform to manage complex workflows. Finally, it proposes a development approach for such a workflow platform addressing these challenges in two directions: first, by defining a software stack that provides the functionalities to manage these complex workflows; and second, by proposing the HPC Workflow as a Service (HPCWaaS) paradigm, which leverages the software stack to facilitate the reusability of complex workflows in federated HPC infrastructures. Proposals presented in this work are subject to study and development as part of the EuroHPC eFlows4HPC project.

Description: Published

Description: 414-429

Description: 6T. Studi di pericolosità sismica e da maremoto

Description: 8T. Sismologia in tempo reale e Early Warning Sismico e da Tsunami

Description: 4V. Processi pre-eruttivi

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

Description: 3IT. Calcolo scientifico

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Aquaculture represents an important source of food and it plays an important role in terms of contribution to economic development. Offshore farming offers considerable advantages, especially in terms of production costs (lower than those of onshore facilities) and of farmed product quality. Suitable areas for aquaculture activities are still available in Italy but are increasingly limited and the demand for new farms is high. The lack of coastal areas allocated to aquaculture and the complex regulatory and legal framework constitutes the major constraints for further development of the sector. Zoning is the process that can allow to sustainably identify and allocate suitable areas for aquaculture. Several aspects, such as effective legal framework and procedures, collection of bio-geochemical, physical and socio-economical information, are crucial for a correct aquaculture zoning process in order to identify the Allocated Zones for Aquaculture (AZAs). In the present work, a spatial multi-criteria decision analysis (SMCDA) was applied for the individuation of potentially suitable marine areas for fish farming across the southern Tyrrhenian coast of Tuscany (Italy). The spatial model was developed by collecting and processing Earth Observation (EO) data, oceanography in situ measurements, and infrastructural and environmental constraints. Excluding areas of constrains, obtained results highlight that 96% of the total investigated area is characterised by medium (62%) and high (34%) suitability. In particular, the highest suitability areas occur in the Talamone gulf and offhore the Argentario promontory at water depth between 15-30 m and 30 50m, respectively. Other high suitability areas occur northern of Piombino town between 30-100 m depth. Environmental data at higher spatial resolution are needed to improve aquaculture zoning and further process of site selection in order to ensure the sustainability of fish farming in the study area.

Description: Published

Description: 106261

Description: 3A. Geofisica marina e osservazioni multiparametriche a fondo mare

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Geophysical and geochemical methods were applied to detect the subsurface setting of an Upper Pleistocene-Holocene fluvial incised-valley where a travertine body intercalates between alluvial deposits of the Tiber river (central Italy), at Prima Porta (close to Rome). This study allowed us to provide more information regarding the local stratigraphic architecture and structural features, as a reference analogue to similar settings: i.e., hard (stiff) lithic travertines buried below fine and loose alluvial plain covers. Two Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) profiles, interpreted and calibrated using previously collected litho-stratigraphic data from a borehole, identified a massive body, with a relatively high resistivity that correlates with the 21 travertine deposit of Prima Porta. In addition to ERT, ambient noise measurements, processed with the HVSR technique and 2D array, and seismic refraction tomography were carried out; HVSR data were highly consistent with ERT results and allowed to discriminate between the travertine body and the silty-sand channels and overbank deposits, which were attributed to the Tiber river’s evolution during Upper Pleistocene-Holocene. Finally, the presence of cracks/fractures could be inferred, as suggested by slight polarisation effects recorded in the HVSR results and soil-gas anomalies.

Description: Published

Description: 197–216

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

Description: 7A. Geofisica per il monitoraggio ambientale

Description: JCR Journal

Description: A multidisciplinary study of a sector of the Ionian coastal belt, southern Italy, mainly based on two new bore holes approximately 25 m (MSA) and 20 m (MSB) deep, was carried out in the frame of a wider geo archaeological project. Stratigraphic and Paleoecological data, together with geomorphological observations, have been used in order to define the Late Quaternary morpho-sedimentary evolution and its relationships with tectonic and climate forcing. The analyses of core sediments and geomorphic interpretations allowed us to reconstruct the changes in depositional setting and physical landscape starting from the MIS 5.5. To this scope, new data about sedimentary facies, benthic foraminifera and ostracod assemblages, and a set of 14C ages spanning from about 33 to 15 kyr BP are here presented. All these data revealed a strong modification of the depositional setting within the coastal plain, as inferred by the presence of marine, transitional, and continental deposits, and suggest an anomalous position of sea-level reference points. Such anomalies are clustered in two homogenous arrays that can be explained only admitting a significant tectonic uplift in recent times (i.e. about 4 mm/yr over the last 15,000 years).

Description: Published

Description: 84-110

Description: 4A. Oceanografia e clima

Description: 7SR AMBIENTE – Servizi e ricerca per la società

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The sedimentological, lithological and textural characteristics of the Brown Tuffs (BT) pyroclastic deposits, combined with their grain-size, componentry and geochemical glass compositions, are here investigated to obtain information on the transport and depositional mechanisms of the corresponding pyroclastic density currents (PDCs). The BT are widespread reddish-brown to grey, ash-rich pyroclastic deposits generated by pulsating hydromagmatic explosive activity from the La Fossa Caldera on Vulcano island during the c. 80–6 ka time-stratigraphic interval, and then distributed on most of the Aeolian Islands and Capo Milazzo peninsula (Sicily) and in the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Sea regions. Near the source area on Vulcano, the BT are characterised by alternating massive and planar to cross stratified lithofacies that result from the stepwise, repeating aggradation of discrete PDC pulses. This alternance is regulated by either fluid escape or granular flow depositional regimes at high clast concentration or grain by grain traction deposition in thewaning diluted stages of the PDCs. Most of the BT on Vulcano showintermittently stratified and massive ash deposits resulting froma pervasive post-depositional disruption of the primary structures. This is induced by upward fluid expulsion associated with dissipation of pore pressure between layers at different grain size (fine to coarse ash) and porosity, as outlined by distinctive upwards bends and pillar-type escape structures through the fluid-filled cracks and rupture points. Massive BT deposits with a faint colour and grain-size banding are widely recognised on Lipari, the nearby island of Vulcano. Based on the presence, at the base of BT depositional units, of cm-thick amalgamation bands containing pumice lapilli, scoria and lithic clasts ripped-up and embedded from the loose underlying pyroclastic units, they are interpreted as deposited by ash-rich PDCs laterally spreading from La Fossa Caldera and moving to Lipari.During their motion to Lipari these currents (likely) crossed a narrow and shallow sea-water inlet which did not stop their advancement but influenced the grain size distribution of those spreading on the Lipari mainland. In this paper, the mechanism of clast erosion and incorporation is outlined across the whole island of Lipari by means of field study, grain-size, and geochemical glass analyses on the different components of the mixed basal bands of the BT. This suggests that the BT PDCs maintained enough flow power as to erode the substratum, hence likely impacting the territory, over a distance up to at least 16–17 km from the volcanic source. Evidence that the BT PDCs exerted a high shear-stress over the loose substratum is also provided by undulated, recumbent flame and rip-up structures at the base of some depositional units in southern and central Lipari. In order to form such bed granular instabilities between the BT and the underlying deposits we calculate that the currents had at least a shear velocity of ca. 2 m s−1 and a shear stress in the range of 1‐4.5 kPa. These results add new insights on the large-scale hazard at the Aeolian Islands and shed new lights on the widespread transport and depositional dynamics of ash flows spreading over the sea and reaching nearby islands, and their interactions with the substratum and the pre-depositional topography. The sedimentological, lithological and textural characteristics of the Brown Tuffs (BT) pyroclastic deposits, combined with their grain-size, componentry and geochemical glass compositions, are here investigated to obtain information on the transport and depositional mechanisms of the corresponding pyroclastic density currents (PDCs). The BT are widespread reddish-brown to grey, ash-rich pyroclastic deposits generated by pulsating hydromagmatic explosive activity from the La Fossa Caldera on Vulcano island during the c. 80–6 ka time-stratigraphic interval, and then distributed on most of the Aeolian Islands and Capo Milazzo peninsula (Sicily) and in the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Sea regions. Near the source area on Vulcano, the BT are characterised by alternating massive and planar to cross stratified lithofacies that result from the stepwise, repeating aggradation of discrete PDC pulses. This alternance is regulated by either fluid escape or granular flow depositional regimes at high clast concentration or grain by grain traction deposition in thewaning diluted stages of the PDCs. Most of the BT on Vulcano showintermittently stratified and massive ash deposits resulting froma pervasive post-depositional disruption of the primary structures. This is induced by upward fluid expulsion associated with dissipation of pore pressure between layers at different grain size (fine to coarse ash) and porosity, as outlined by distinctive upwards bends and pillar-type escape structures through the fluid-filled cracks and rupture points. Massive BT deposits with a faint colour and grain-size banding are widely recognised on Lipari, the nearby island of Vulcano. Based on the presence, at the base of BT depositional units, of cm-thick amalgamation bands containing pumice lapilli, scoria and lithic clasts ripped-up and embedded from the loose underlying pyroclastic units, they are interpreted as deposited by ash-rich PDCs laterally spreading from La Fossa Caldera and moving to Lipari. During their motion to Lipari these currents (likely) crossed a narrow and shallow sea-water inlet which did not stop their advancement but influenced the grain size distribution of those spreading on the Lipari mainland. In this paper, the mechanism of clast erosion and incorporation is outlined across the whole island of Lipari by means of field study, grain-size, and geochemical glass analyses on the different components of the mixed basal bands of the BT. This suggests that the BT PDCs maintained enough flow power as to erode the substratum, hence likely impacting the territory, over a distance up to at least 16–17 km from the volcanic source. Evidence that the BT PDCs exerted a high shear-stress over the loose substratum is also provided by undulated, recumbent flame and rip-up structures at the base of some depositional units in southern and central Lipari. In order to form such bed granular instabilities between the BT and the underlying deposits we calculate that the currents had at least a shear velocity of ca. 2 m s−1 and a shear stress in the range of 1‐4.5 kPa. These results add new insights on. the large-scale hazard at the Aeolian Islands and shed new lights on the widespread transport and depositional dynamics of ash flows spreading over the sea and reaching nearby islands, and their interactions with the substratum and the pre-depositional topography.

Description: Published

Description: 106040

Description: 5V. Processi eruttivi e post-eruttivi

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This work deals with a comprehensive multiparametric and multilayer approach to study earthquake-related processes that occur during the preparation phase of a large earthquake. As a case study, the paper investigates the M7.2 Kermadec Islands (New Zealand) large earthquake that occurred on June 15, 2019 as the result of shallow reverse faulting within the Tonga-Kermadec subduction zone. The analyses focused on seismic (earthquake catalogs), atmospheric (climatological archives) and ionospheric data from ground to space (mainly satellite) in order to disclose the possible Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling (LAIC). The ionospheric investigations analysed and compared the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver network with insitu observations from space thanks to both the European Space Agency (ESA) Swarm constellation and the China National Space Administration (CNSA in partnership with Italian Space Agency, ASI) satellite dedicated to search for possible ionospheric disturbances before medium-large earthquakes, i.e. the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES-01). An interesting comparison is made with another subsequent earthquake with comparable magnitude (M7.1) that occurred in Ridgecrest, California (USA) on 6 July of the same year but in a different tectonic context. Both earthquakes showed anomalies in several parameters (e.g. aerosol, skin temperature and some ionospheric quantities) that appeared at almost the same times before each earthquake occurrence, evidencing a chain of processes that collectively point to the moment of the corresponding mainshock. In both cases, it is demonstrated that a comprehensive multiparametric and multilayer analysis is fundamental to better understand the LAIC in the occasion of complex phenomena such as earthquakes.

Description: Published

Description: 113325

Description: 7T. Variazioni delle caratteristiche crostali e "precursori"

Description: 1A. Geomagnetismo e Paleomagnetismo

Description: 2A. Fisica dell'alta atmosfera

Description: JCR Journal

Description: In this work, we document two distinct tsunami deposits on the coasts of Ios Island, Aegean Sea, Greece. The younger tsunami deposit, dated 1831–1368 cal. BCE, includes both marine sediments and pumices from the ∼1600 BCE Minoan eruption of Santorini volcano. This is the first evidence of the Minoan tsunami in the Cycladic Islands North of Santorini. Tsunami waves inundated the Manganari coastal plain, southern coast of Ios, over a distance 〉200 m (〉2 m a.s.l.). The second tsunami deposit reworks pumice from the 22 ka Cape Riva eruption mixed with marine sediment. We assume a Neolithic age for this major tsunami, with a wave runup 〉13 m a.s.l. on the southern and eastern coasts of Ios. The source of this tsunami - volcanic eruption, landslide, or earthquake - remains unknown. Additionally, we provide the first on-land evidence of Cape Riva deposits outside Santorini, thus questioning previous estimates on the magnitude of this eruption.

Description: Published

Description: 106908

Description: 6T. Studi di pericolosità sismica e da maremoto

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Stromboli (Italy) is a basaltic volcano characterized by persistent, mild strombolian activity, occasionally interrupted by lava effusion and more violent explosive events, named major explosions and paroxysms depending on their intensity and magnitude. The normal activity is fed by a shallow and degassed highly porphyritic (HP) shoshonitic basalt carrying about 50 vol.% crystals settled in a shoshonitic glassy matrix ( K2O 〉 3.8 wt.%). The more energetic explosions erupt a deep, volatile-rich, low-porphyritic (LP) magma with 〈 10 vol.% crystals in a shoshonitic basaltic glassy matrix ( K2O 〈 2.4 wt.%). Products with intermediate glass composition are also found in the more violent explosive events. In this study, we present a new data set of major and trace element contents in matrix glasses and minerals performed in products from different types of explosive activity that occurred at Stromboli between 1998 and 2020. This large data set is used to put constraints on the evolution and architecture of the intermediate plumbing system, where the transformation from LP to HP occurs. Results indicate that, compared to paroxysms, the glassy matrices of the LP pumices from major explosions are richer in incompatible trace elements (and K2O wt.%) due to 〈 15 wt.% fractionation of clinopyroxene and olivine. This points to a chemical zoning of the deep reservoir and suggests that major explosions are fed by magmas residing in its upper part. Among the major explosions, the homogeneous intermediate glasses in the products from the 19 July 2020 event originate from the interplay of mixing and crystal fractionation processes. The crystallization of euhedral microphenocrysts of An-rich plagioclase suggests that batches of magma can pond and crystallize for few days (〈 11) at the base of the intermediate zone of the plumbing system, at pressure coinciding with the entering of plagioclase into the system (〈 100 MPa). As a relevant point for understanding the pre- and syn-eruptive magma dynamics, data indicate a positive correlation between the magnitude of the explosions and the depth of the supply magma.

Description: Published

Description: 96

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The mechanism governing the kinetic growth of olivine in dynamic volcanic settings has been the subject of considerable attention in recent years. Under variable cooling rate (CR) and undercooling (􀀀 ΔT) regimes, the textual maturation of olivine proceeds from skeletal/dendritic crystals to polyhedral morphologies by infilling of the crystal framework. Owing to the establishment of a diffusion-controlled growth regime, a sharp diffusive boundary layer develops in the melt next to the advancing olivine surface. In this context, we have quantified the apparent partitioning of Ti, Al, P, and Cr between olivine and a Hawaiian tholeiitic basaltic melt at P = 1 atm, fO2 = QFM-2 buffer, and CR = 4, 20, and 60 ◦C/h over a constant -ΔT = 85 ◦C. Differences in charge and/or size between the substituent minor cations and the major species in the olivine crystallographic site dominate the energetics of homovalent and heterovalent cation substitutions. While the entry of Ti in the olivine lattice site accounts for the simple exchange [TSi4+] ↔ [TTi4+], more complex charge-balancing coupled-substitution mechanisms have been determined for the incorporation of Al, P, and Cr, i.e., [MMg2+, TSi4+] ↔ [MAl3+, TAl3+], [2 TSi4+] ↔ [TP5+, TAl3+], and [MMg2+, TSi4+] ↔ [MCr3+, TAl3+], respectively. In order to maintain charge balance, the disequilibrium uptake of minor cations in rapidly growing crystals is controlled by the same substitution mechanisms observed under equilibrium crystallization. This finding is consistent with the achievement of a local interface equilibrium at the olivine-melt interface independently of the diffusive boundary in the melt. A statistical approach based on multivariate analysis of olivine/melt compositional parameters confirms that the control of melt structure on the partitioning of Ti, Al, P, and Cr is almost entirely embodied in the olivine structure and chemistry via charge compensation reactions. Therefore, the magnitude of minor element partition coefficients is weakly dependent on diffusion kinetics in the melt but rather strongly governed by olivine zoning patterns resulting from fast crystal growth rates.

Description: Published

Description: 120870

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The gradual temporal shift of the spectral lines of harmonic seismic and/or acoustic tremor, known as spectral gliding, has been largely documented at different volcanoes worldwide. Despite the clear advantage of the experimental approach in providing direct observation of degassing processes and related elastic radiation, experimental studies on gliding tremor are lacking. Therefore, we investigated different episodes of gliding of acoustic and seismic tremor observed during analogue degassing experiments performed under different conditions of magma viscosity (10-1,000 Pa s), gas flux (5-180×10−3 l/s) and conduit surface roughness (fractal dimension of 2-2.99). Gliding experimental harmonic seismic and acoustic tremor was observed at high gas flux rates and viscosities, mostly associated with an increasing trend and often preceding a major burst. Decreasing secondary sets of harmonic spectral lines were observed in a few cases. Results suggest that gliding episodes are mostly related to the progressive volume variation of shallow interconnected gas pockets. Spectral analyses performed on acoustic signals provided the theoretical length of the resonator that was compared against the temporal evolution of the gas pockets, quantified from video analyses. The similarities between the observed degassing regime and churn-annular flow in high viscous fluids encourage further studies on churn dynamics in volcanic environments.

Description: Published

Description: 117344

Description: 5V. Processi eruttivi e post-eruttivi

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We report on the characterization of a thick sequence of pyroclastic deposits exposed on the summit area and flanks of Mount Melbourne volcano, in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica related to eruptions during the Late Glacial period. We provide a complete characterization of tephra deposits including mineralogy, single shard major- and trace-element glass compositions, and an 40Ar-39Ar age of feldspar crystals extracted from the deposit. The pyroclastic deposits are trachybasaltic to trachytic in composition and are interpreted to have resulted from four Strombolian/Vulcanian to sub-Plinian/Plinian eruptions. The younger and more intense sub-Plinian/Plinian eruption (our eruption 2) yielded an 40Ar-39Ar age of 13.5 ± 4.3 ka (±2σ). The study of Mount Melbourne proximal deposits provides significant new data for the reconstruction of the volcano eruptive history and a better assessment of the volcanic risk connected to a possible future eruption. We also explore geochemical correlations between Mount Melbourne proximal deposits and distal tephra layers recognized in ice cores and blue ice fields of East Antarctica. A good geochemical match exists between the composition of products from the trachytic sub-Plinian/Plinian eruption 2 and some tephra layers from Talos Dome and shards in Siple Dome which is also compatible in age (c. 9.3 ka) with our 40Ar-39Ar age determination. Our new insights into the volcanic history of Mount Melbourne and the new high-quality electron microprobe and trace element composition data on its proximal products will help improve future correlations and synchronization of tephra archives in the region.

Description: Published

Description: 107457

Description: 1V. Storia eruttiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This paper deals with the well-known mismodelling characterizing the NeQuick topside ionosphere at low latitudes, i.e., the fact that the model keeps the two electron density humps typical of the equatorial ionization anomaly as the altitude increases from the height of the F2-layer electron density peak, without merging them in a single peak above the geomagnetic equator as expected. This is because the NeQuick topside ionosphere modelling strongly depends on several bottomside ionosphere parameters, which causes an essential coupling between the topside and the bottomside that in many cases behave differently. This means that this kind of topside ionosphere modelling may lead to inaccurate results, as it is the maintenance at low latitudes of the electron density double hump structure in the topside as the altitude increases. On the base of some recently published results, this paper analyzes the role played by the three NeQuick scale height parameters H0, g and r in the description of the electron density above the F2 layer peak height. The results of this work pave the way for a possible solution of this low-latitude NeQuick topside ionosphere mismodelling.

Description: Published

Description: 1224-1236

Description: 2A. Fisica dell'alta atmosfera

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The development of structurally controlled basins is frequently dominated by inherited geological and tectonic structures, especially when the affected region has undergone multiple tectonic phases. In this study we use physically scaled analog models to analyze the impact of inherited faults on the evolution of a new extensional fault system and its associated basin. In our experiments, we introduced inherited faults – bearing diverse geometries and orientations – cut through a homogeneous analog material (wet clay). After each experiment, we compare (a) how the inherited faults affected the inception and development of new faults and (b) the shape of the resulting basins, using a ‘reference model’ run without pre-existing faults. The results show that the orientation of pre-existing faults with respect to the extensional axis does affect the development of the new extensional structures. The main effects show up when the orientation of the pre-existing faults is closer to that expected for a fault that is optimally oriented (perpendicular) with respect to the direction of extension and has a dip close to an Andersonian extensional fault. Conversely, the impact on the resulting basin shape is more spatially complex, especially in the case of misoriented pre-existing faults. We also compare our experimental results with an analytical method based on the slip tendency theory. The application of our findings to selected natural cases demonstrates how one may interpret the occurrence, orientation, and activity of inherited faults by looking at the present-day geometry and wavelength of an extensional basin, particularly when newly formed extensional faults exhibit structurally unexpected trajectories.

Description: Part of this work was funded by the project “The impact of an inherited structural setting on the development of extensional systems in the Amatrice-Norcia-Visso area: insights from analog modeling” (UR 0865.050; P.I.: Umberto Fracassi), part of the INGV-FISR 2016 Project - Italia centrale “Centro di studio e monitoraggio dei rischi naturali dell'Italia centrale” (cod. D82F16001180001), and by the INGV “FASTMIT” Project (UR 0850.010; P.I.: Roberto Basili – cod. D52F16001150001).

Description: Published

Description: 104836

Description: 2T. Deformazione crostale attiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This work pursues the hydro-geochemical and isotopic characterization of the complex groundwater system of the Gioia Tauro Plain, one of the most important industrialized and agricultural coastal areas of southern Italy. The anthropic pressure exposes the water resources at risk of depletion and quality degradation making the plain groundwater a system of high scientific and social interest. The plain is characterized by a shallow aquifer, mostly recharged by local rains and a deep aquifer apparently less influenced by local precipitation. Both aquifers are mainly Ca-HCO3 waters except for localized sectors where Na-HCO3, Na-Cl and Ca-SO4 waters are present. In deep aquifer, both prolonged interaction with sedimentary rocks, mainly deriving from the erosion of crystalline rocks, and direct cation exchange represent the primary factors controlling the formation of Na-HCO3 waters. Mixing processes between these waters and either connate brine and/or deep thermal waters contribute to the formation of isolated high salinity Na-Cl-rich waters. In shallow aquifer, inputs of N-rich sewage and agriculture-related contaminants, and SOx emissions in proximity of the harbor are responsible of the increasing nitrate and sulphate concentrations, respectively. The Cl/Br and NO3/Cl ratios highlight contamination mainly linked to agricultural activities and contribution of wastewater. Along the northern boundary, the warmest groundwater (Na-Cl[SO4]) were found close to a bend of the main strike-slip fault system, locally favouring the rising of B- and Li-rich deep waters, testifying the influence of geological-structural features on deep water circulation. Despite the high-water demand, a direct marine intrusion is localized in a very restricted area, where we observed an incipient groundwater-seawater mixing (seawater contribution ≤7 %). The qualitative and quantitative conditions of the shallow aquifer still have acceptable levels because of the relatively high recharge inflow. A reliable hydrogeochemical conceptual model, able to explain the compositional variability of the studied waters, is proposed.

Description: Published

Description: 160694

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Changes in ocean heat content (OHC), salinity, and stratification provide critical indicators for changes in Earth’s energy and water cycles. These cycles have been profoundly altered due to the emission of greenhouse gasses and other anthropogenic substances by human activities, driving pervasive changes in Earth’s climate system. In 2022, the world’s oceans, as given by OHC, were again the hottest in the historical record and exceeded the previous 2021 record maximum. According to IAP/CAS data, the 0–2000 m OHC in 2022 exceeded that of 2021 by 10.9 ± 8.3 ZJ (1 Zetta Joules = 1021 Joules); and according to NCEI/NOAA data, by 9.1 ± 8.7 ZJ. Among seven regions, four basins (the North Pacific, North Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea, and southern oceans) recorded their highest OHC since the 1950s. The salinity-contrast index, a quantification of the “salty gets saltier–fresh gets fresher” pattern, also reached its highest level on record in 2022, implying continued amplification of the global hydrological cycle. Regional OHC and salinity changes in 2022 were dominated by a strong La Niña event. Global upper-ocean stratification continued its increasing trend and was among the top seven in 2022

Description: Published

Description: 963–974

Description: 4A. Oceanografia e clima

Description: JCR Journal

Description: This study investigates site effects for developing predictive models of site response, for both research purposes and future geognostic applications, by using a statistical analysis method to define possible correlations between different kinds of seismological and geological data. The test area is the intermontane Montereale basin (Abruzzo region, Italy), which was investigated for site effects studies and microzonation purposes because it has been affected by the 2016–2017 Central Italy seismic sequence. The available geological and geophysical information include geological profiles, thickness and geometry of the sedimentary infilling, shear-wave velocity profiles, downhole and borehole data. Seismological analysis (such as earthquake and noise spectral ratios, duration lengthening of seismic signals) has been performed to retrieve parameters useful for seismic response. A GIS database has been created to better manage all this information, by georeferencing all the measurement points and results. Finally, Factor Analysis multivariate technique was used to evaluate the most important site effect indicators, in terms of correlation between the involved parameters, and to deduce how the geological context influences their behavior. The performed analysis highlighted the statistical variability of the strong motion, that depends on the position inside the basin, over the Holocene deposits, and on the edges, at the limit between different lithologies. Moreover, some of the correlations between geological and geophysical indicators are strongly coherent with the basin geological features.

Description: Published

Description: 1875–1901

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande is one of the degassing areas of Fogo, a trachytic central volcano located at Sa ̃o Miguel Island (Azores archipelago). Recently, new steam emissions, soil CO2 and temperature anomalies developed towards the inhabited area, causing high indoor CO2 values and affecting the vegetation and several small animals that were found dead in depressions and low-ventilated zones. During July–August 2021, a soil CO2 flux survey was carried out on the north flank of the volcano, estimating a soil gas release of at least 40 t d− 1 (excluding the contribution of the fumaroles) over an area of ~0.27 km2. Two populations for the CO2 released were found, highlighting the biogenic and volcanic-hydrothermal origins. General NW-SE diffuse degassing structures (DDS) were identified, in agreement with the tectonic lineaments previously recognized in the area. In this regard, we investigated the passive gas dispersion in the atmosphere at Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande per- forming a model validation aimed to estimate the fumarolic gas flux at source and the potential hazard for human and animal lives posed by CO2. Numerical simulations were carried out with the DISGAS-2.3, a 3D Eulerian advection-diffusion model, and the relative outputs processed through the VIGIL-1.3 workflow able to provide probabilistic long-term CO2 concentration maps, considering a meteorological variability over the last 30 years (1991–2020) taken from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis dataset. A best-fit between observed and simulated CO2 concentrations allowed us to estimate the total gas flux of the area (~209 t d− 1) obtained by scaling the soil CO2 gas flux by a factor 30. Such an estimate is composed of ~174 t d− 1 as unknown fumarolic and ~ 35 td− 1 as diffuse contribution, in a good agreement with measurements. Although the present-day CO2 concentration at 0.3 m height cannot be considered to raise serious concerns for human health, we reasonably infer that the death of small animals may be due to local conditions of CO2 accumulation or to the presence of H2S. The current study highlights the relevance of coupling gas flux maps, concentration data, and gas dispersion modeling to obtain robust estimation of gas fluxes, including the fuma- rolic contribution, and identify zones potentially impacted by dangerous concentrations of volcanic gases, which are relevant for land-use planning and hazard assessment in case of renewed escalations of volcanic activity.

Description: Published

Description: 107807

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Risks determined by natural phenomena cannot be cancelled entirely but can be reduced by minimizing their destructive effects. At present, scientists can predict, though with a certain degree of uncertainty, the onset and the evolution over time of most natural events. Scientific progress provides societies with advanced tools and methods to defend people, such as predictive models, monitoring instruments, early warning systems, and safe building standards. Nevertheless, the defence against natural risks should consider the ethical and social aspects involved in a risk scenario: this is fundamental to help the human community recover after a disaster and support science to identify possible solutions for an acceptable living with natural phenomena. Geoethics promotes the reflection on values that should guide human interaction with the territory and the associated and interlinked individual and collective responsibilities. Geoethics discusses issues and practices in natural risk management and fosters geoeducation and risk communication as a means to improve societal resilience.

Description: Published

Description: 3-8

Description: Terceira Island, Azores (Portugal)

Description: 1TM. Formazione

Description: 3TM. Comunicazione

Description: The management of multiple hazards simultaneously impacting on a territory is a challenge for effective risk mitigation. This is particularly true on active volcanoes like Mt. Etna, characterized by effusive and explosive eruptions, often coupled with an intense seismic activity. This work aims at presenting the approach of the PANACEA project on the treatment of multi-hazards in terms of risk, which requires a common definition of the exposed elements and their vulnerability. Another aspect emerging from the recent and historical volcanic crises at Etna, is the occurrence of cascading effects and the problem of assessing their short-term interactions. Here we present a risk model taking into account a set of sequences of hazardous events which may result from a volcano unrest to possible impacts to some infrastructural elements. The outcomes of the project are intended to be a significant step towards a more comprehensive resilience to volcanic disasters, leading to a more safe society.

Description: Published

Description: 37-40

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

Description: The ability to image the underground structures of volcanoes is limited by the precision, resolution and pene tration depth of each single geophysical method. In order to improve the knowledge of specific volcanic edifices and to better understand the general behavior of structures, the use of a combination of methods is strongly recommended to exploit and maximize their complementary capabilities of resolution and penetration depths. In this work a large dataset of seismic and electromagnetic measurements has been used to provide a more detailed and improved geophysical image of the shallower portion of the northern sector of Ischia Island(Campania region, Italy), severely hit by the August 21, 2017 earthquake (Mw 3.9). We analysed data by using different methodologies: Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR), seismic array technique (f k),polarization analysis and Time Domain ElectroMagnetic (TDEM) survey. These methods are sensitive in a different way to tectonic features, lithologies, layer geometry and fluid distribution. Thus, their combination is useful for studying sites with complex crustal structures such as Ischia island, which is characterized by a well-developed geothermal system linked to the presence of a shallow magmatic body. Results of our study provides detailed information of the physical properties of the subsoil through: 1) the spatial distribution of the amplification parameters of ground motion, showing frequency peaks below 1 Hz and/or between 1 Hz and 5 Hz; 2) the definition of the velocity models up to 600 m depth, with shear wave velocities ranging from 150 m/s for the shallower layers to 2500 m/s for the half space; 3) the recognition of the correlation between the principal fault structures and polarization directions of the noise wavefield, mostly oriented along EW and NE-SW directions; 4) the resistivity models of the first 80 m depth with high resistivity values of the shallow layers in the range 50–100 Ω.m and low resistivity values of the bottom layers in the range 1–10 Ω.m.

Description: Published

Description: 107820

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

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Sea-level rise is one of the most significant and perceptible consequences of global warming because it affects natural environments and coastal anthroposcapes at human timescales, particularly in sediment-starved littoral contexts. Within this framework, improvements in understanding the projection of sea-level rise require better knowledge of regional changes. Here we focus on the recent sea-level history of the Mediterranean Sea, an area characterized by a densely populated coast and where climate variability is larger, and the rate of sea-level rise higher than the global average. We produce a spatially-averaged Mediterranean relative sea-level (RSL) time series, based on 138 tide-gauge records, stretching back to the late 1800s, indicating that Mediterranean RSL has risen by ∼24 cm in the past ∼140 years. At interdecadal timescales and beyond, we find that Mediterranean relative sea-level rising rates (RSLRR) are significantly influenced by the strength of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Climate-model predictions of a weakened Atlantic overturning circulation in the coming decades, slowing and diminishing North Atlantic heat transport, has the potential to accentuate Mediterranean rising rates, with significant implications for the basin's coastal societies, infrastructure and economies. We conservatively estimate that a 0.1 °C decrease in AMO sea surface temperatures can accentuate Mediterranean RSLRR by up to −0.61 ± 0.5 mm yr−1. Future coastal management and adaptation policies must assimilate these findings into local/regional-scale impact and vulnerability assessments.

Description: Published

Description: 104456

Description: 4A. Oceanografia e clima

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Tidal forces are generally neglected in the discussion about the mechanisms driving plate tectonics despite a worldwide geodynamic asymmetry also observed at subduction and rift zones. The tidal drag could theoretically explain the westerly shift of the lithosphere relative to the underlying mantle. Notwithstanding, viscosity in the asthenosphere is apparently too high to allow mechanical decoupling produced by tidal forces. Here, we propose a model for global scale geodynamics accompanied by numer- ical simulations of the tidal interaction of the Earth with the Moon and the Sun. We provide for the first time a theoretical proof that the tidal drag can produce a westerly motion of the lithosphere, also com- patible with the slowing of the Earth’s rotational spin. Our results suggest a westerly rotation of the litho- sphere with a lower bound of x % ð0:1 0:2Þ /Myr in the presence of a basal effective shear viscosity g % 1016 Pa s, but it may rise to x 〉 1 /Myr with a viscosity of g K 3 1014 Pa s within the Low- Velocity Zone (LVZ) atop the asthenosphere. This faster velocity would be more compatible with the mainstream of plate motion and the global asymmetry at plate boundaries. Based on these computations, we suggest that the super-adiabatic asthenosphere, being vigorously convecting, may further reduce the viscous coupling within the LVZ. Therefore, the combination of solid Earth tides, ultra-low viscosity LVZ and asthenospheric polarized small-scale convection may mechanically satisfy the large-scale decoupling of the lithosphere relative to the underlying mantle. Relative plate motions are explained because of lat- eral viscosity heterogeneities at the base of the lithosphere, which determine variable lithosphere- asthenosphere decoupling and plate interactions, hence plate tectonics.

Description: Published

Description: 101623

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Five tephra layers named BRH1 to 5 were sampled in an ice cliff located on the north-eastern flank of Mount Melbourne (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica). The texture, componentry, mineralogy, and major and trace element compositions of glass shards have been used to characterize these layers. These properties suggest that they are primary fall deposits produced from discrete eruptions that experienced varying degrees of magma/water interaction. The major and trace element glass shard analyses on single glass shards indicate that Mount Melbourne Volcanic Field is the source of these tephra layers and the geochemical diversity highlights that the eruptions were fed by compositionally diverse melts that are interpreted to be from a complex magma system with a mafic melt remobilizing more evolved trachy-andesitic to trachytic magma pockets. Geochemical compositions, along with textural and mineralogical data, have allowed correlations between two of the englacial tephra and distal cryptotephra from Mount Melbourne, recovered within a marine sediment core in the Edisto Inlet (~ 280 km northeast of Mount Melbourne), and constrain the age of these englacial tephra layers to between the third and the fourth century CE. This work provides new evidence of the intense historical explosive activity of the Mount Melbourne Volcanic Field and better constrains the rates of volcanism in northern Victoria Land. These data grant new clues on the eruptive dynamics and tephra dispersal, and considerably expand the geochemical (major and trace elements) dataset available for the Mount Melbourne Volcanic Field. In the future, this will facilitate the precise identification of tephra layers from this volcanic source and will help define the temporal and spatial correlation between Antarctic records using tephra layers. Finally, this work also yields new valuable time-stratigraphic marker horizons for future dating, synchronization, and correlations of different palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic records across large regions of Antarctica.

Description: Published

Description: 39

Description: 1V. Storia eruttiva

Description: 5V. Processi eruttivi e post-eruttivi

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The WSW-ENE Meran-Mauls Fault (MMF) represents a break in the broadly E-W trending Periadriatic Fault (PAF), separating the Southern Alps from the N-verging wedge of the European Alps. Understanding the MMF evolution is mandatory to reconstruct the role of the entire PAF during the evolution of the belt since the late Cenozoic. Structural and microstructural analyses and paleostress calculations based on fault-slip data suggest the occurrence of four evolutionary stages for the MMF: 1) top-to-the-SE mylonites; 2) top-to-the-SE brittle faulting; 3) dextral faulting with re-activation of previous structures; 4) N–S compression associated with conjugate sets of mainly strike-slip fault systems. Paleostress reconstructions point to a σ2-σ3 permutation from stage 2 to stage 3, resulting in the switch from pure thrusting to strike-slip, followed by an anticlockwise rotation of the principal stress axes during stage 4, in a strike-slip regime related to N–S compression. Geochronological and thermochronological data point to 39-22 Ma age for stage 1, 22-17 Ma for stage 2, less than 17 Ma for stage 3. Our reconstruction strongly supports the interpretation of the MMF as a restraining bend of the PAF, which was weakly reactivated along its eastern portion as a dextral fault and later displaced by NNE-SSW left-lateral faults.

Description: Published

Description: 104878

Description: 2T. Deformazione crostale attiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: In the brittle regime, faults tend to be oriented along an angle of about 30° relative to the principal stress direction. This empirical Andersonian observation is usually explained by the orientation of the stress tensor and the slope of the yield envelope defined by the Mohr-Coulomb criterion, often called critical-stress theory, assuming frictional properties of the crustal rocks (μ ≈ 0.6−0.8). However, why the slope has a given value? We suggest that the slope dip is constrained by the occurrence of the largest shear stress gradient along that inclination. High homogeneous shear stress, i.e., without gradients, may generate aseismic creep as for example in flat decollements, both along thrusts and low-angle normal faults, whereas along ramps larger shear stress gradients determine higher energy accumulation and stick-slip behaviour with larger sudden seismic energy release. Further variability of the angle is due to variations of the internal friction and of the Poisson ratio, being related to different lithologies, anisotropies and pre-existing fractures and faults. Misaligned faults are justified to occur due to the local weaknesses in the crustal volume; however, having lower stress gradients along dip than the optimally-oriented ones, they have higher probability of being associated with lower seismogenic potential or even aseismic behavior.

Description: Published

Description: 100211

Description: 2T. Deformazione crostale attiva

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: The AD 472 eruption of Somma-Vesuvius widely impacted the northern and eastern territory around the volcano, laying down a complex sequence of pyroclastic fallout and pyroclastic current deposits. During archaeological test excavations conducted in the Acerra locality, Pollena eruption (AD 472) fallout and lahar deposits composed of fine ash containing traces of plant impressions were found. These deposits were sampled and carefully frac tured in order to recover the plant imprints. Features of the ash impressions were compared with those of live plants and dried Herbarium specimens. Species identification was based on the characteristics of leaves (maximum width, type of leaf margin, size of midrib, angle of formation of the secondary veins) and fruits. Impressions of Mandragora officinarum L., Rosa canina L. and Hedera helix L. were recognized. This is the first documented discovery of subfossil mandrake specimens. The use of mandrake plants for healing and psycho tropic purposes is referred to by Classical authors such as Pliny the Elder and Dioscorides; it was sometimes used mixed with rose. In addition, rose and ivy plants were symbolically important to the ancient Romans and were employed together as medicinal plants. The coexistence of these plants in a restricted area suggests the presence of a garden dedicated to sacred/medicinal plants. In addition, it is interesting to note that the discovery of mandrake plants with fruits supports the hypothesis that the eruptive event took place between the end of summer and the autumn.

Description: Published

Description: 103802

Description: 5V. Processi eruttivi e post-eruttivi

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The ocean plays a central role in modulating the Earth’s carbon cycle. Monitoring how the ocean carbon cycle is changing is fundamental to managing climate change. Satellite remote sensing is currently our best tool for viewing the ocean surface globally and systematically, at high spatial and temporal resolutions, and the past few decades have seen an exponential growth in studies utilising satellite data for ocean carbon research. Satellite-based observations must be combined with in-situ observations and models, to obtain a comprehensive view of ocean carbon pools and fluxes. To help prioritise future research in this area, a workshop was organised that assembled leading experts working on the topic, from around the world, including remote-sensing scientists, field scientists and modellers, with the goal to articulate a collective view of the current status of ocean carbon research, identify gaps in knowledge, and formulate a scientific roadmap for the next decade, with an emphasis on evaluating where satellite remote sensing may contribute. A total of 449 scientists and stakeholders participated (with balanced gender representation), from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Sessions targeted both inorganic and organic pools of carbon in the ocean, in both dissolved and particulate form, as well as major fluxes of carbon between reservoirs (e.g., primary production) and at interfaces (e.g., air-sea and land–ocean). Extreme events, blue carbon and carbon budgeting were also key topics discussed. Emerging priorities identified include: expanding the networks and quality of in-situ observations; improved satellite retrievals; improved uncertainty quantification; improved understanding of vertical distributions; integration with models; improved techniques to bridge spatial and temporal scales of the different data sources; and improved fundamental understanding of the ocean carbon cycle, and of the interactions among pools of carbon and light. We also report on priorities for the specific pools and fluxes studied, and highlight issues and concerns that arose during discussions, such as the need to consider the environmental impact of satellites or space activities; the role satellites can play in monitoring ocean carbon dioxide removal approaches; economic valuation of the satellite based information; to consider how satellites can contribute to monitoring cycles of other important climatically-relevant compounds and elements; to promote diversity and inclusivity in ocean carbon research; to bring together communities working on different aspects of planetary carbon; maximising use of international bodies; to follow an open science approach; to explore new and innovative ways to remotely monitor ocean carbon; and to harness quantum computing. Overall, this paper provides a comprehensive scientific roadmap for the next decade on how satellite remote sensing could help monitor the ocean carbon cycle, and its links to the other domains, such as terrestrial and atmosphere.