ALBERT

Description: The late Miocene Monte Capanne and Porto Azzurro plutons are investigated by means of coupled U-Pb zircon and 40Ar/39Ar white mica dating to test the occurrence of long-lived magmatic systems in the upper crust. Zircon crystallized for 〉 1 Myr in both plutonic systems, with supersolidus conditions overlapping for ~220 kyr indicating previously unrecognized co-existence of the two reservoirs. The development of the Porto Azzurro high T-aureole is post-dated by continuous igneous zircon crystallization until ~ 6.0 Ma. By linking crystallization to post-emplacement cooling of late-stage pulses in both western and eastern Elba we constrain long-lived sizeable reservoirs (possibly the same reservoir) in the Tyrrhenian upper crust between ~8 and 6 Ma.

Description: In press

Description: OST1 Alla ricerca dei Motori Geodinamici

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Mts. Simbruini karst aquifer feeds important springs whose capture contributes to the water supply of Rome City. To improve the geochemical characterization of this aquifer, we analyzed 36 groundwater samples, 29 from springs and 7 from shallow wells, collected in 1996 and 2019. Atomic adsorption spectroscopy, titration, ionic chromatography and mass spectrometry were the used analytical methods. Groundwater is bicarbonate alkaline-earth type and HCO3- dominance confirms that the aquifer is hosted in carbonate rocks. Total alkalinity vs. cations plot indicates that CO2 driven weathering controls the water chemistry. The probability plots of HCO3-, cations and Ca2+ +Mg2+ indicate four groundwater populations with the less represented one (9 samples)characterized by the highest PCO2 values (〉 0.3 atm). Most anomalous values of the dissolved PCO2are from springs located near the center of the studied area. Four samples have negative values of𝛿13CCO2 (about -22‰ vs. PDB), indicating its organic origin, but two other samples have positivevalues (1.6 and 2.6 ‰ vs. PDB), similar to those observed in the CO2 of deep origin discharged atthe close Colli Albani volcano. Therefore, geochemical evidence indicates that the Mts. Simbruiniaquifer is locally affected by the input of deep originated CO2, likely rising up along fractures, interacting with a recharge of meteoric origin, as evidenced by its 𝛿2H and 𝛿18O isotopic signatures.

Description: Published

Description: HS659

Description: 1TR. Georisorse

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Miscellanea INGV - Progetto “Sale Operative Integrate e Reti di monitoraggio del futuro: l’INGV 2.0”. Report finale

Description: L’INGV è Centro di Competenza per i fenomeni sismici, vulcanici e i maremoti per il Dipartimento di Protezione Civile Nazionale (DPC). Nell’ambito delle attività previste dall’Accordo Quadro DPCINGV 20122021 (AQ vigente), l’INGV svolge attività di sorveglianza tecnicoscientifica sulla sismicità del territorio nazionale, sui fenomeni vulcanici e sui maremoti, finalizzata ai compiti di protezione civile, in modo ininterrotto (H24 per 365 giorni l’anno). Tale attività viene realizzata con uno specifico assetto organizzativo, che consente la trasmissione in tempo reale verso il DPC di tutte le informazioni riguardanti eventi e rischi sismici, vulcanici e da maremoto di interesse per il Dipartimento stesso. La sorveglianza sismica del territorio nazionale e delle aree limitrofe è in carico all’Osservatorio Nazionale Terremoti (ONT), insieme alle comunicazioni relative agli eventi in area mediterranea e nel mondo. La sorveglianza delle aree vulcaniche campane (Campi Flegrei, Ischia, Vesuvio) e siciliane (Etna, Stromboli, Vulcano, altre isole Eolie, Pantelleria) sono rispettivamente in carico all’Osservatorio Vesuviano (OV) e all’Osservatorio Etneo (OE). Dal gennaio 2017 è diventata ufficialmente operativa anche l’attività di monitoraggio e il Servizio di allerta dei maremoti di origine sismica (Centro Allerta Tsunami CAT) con l’introduzione nella Sala INGV di Roma di una nuova unità di personale. In fase sperimentale, fino alla fine del 2016, e per i primi mesi di operatività, il personale per il Servizio di Allerta Tsunami è stato scelto all’interno del gruppo di turnisti che da anni svolgeva il Servizio di Sorveglianza Sismica; successivamente, è stato reclutato e formato nuovo personale in grado di svolgere entrambi i Servizi. A partire dal 2017 e nei due anni successivi sono stati attivati, quindi, i corsi per la formazione di nuovi Turnisti e Funzionari per i servizi di Sorveglianza Sismica e di Allerta Tsunami ed anche per i reperibili di Sala [Quintiliani et al., 2020]. La formazione del personale che partecipa al Servizio di Sorveglianza Sismica è prevista nei Piani di attività annuali relativi all’Allegato A dell’AQ vigente, tematica “Sorveglianza sismica” e quella del personale che partecipa alle attività del CAT nella tematica “Centro Allerta Tsunami (CAT)”. Inoltre, il Progetto “S.O.I.R. monitoraggio futuro” ha tra le sue finalità quella della formazione del personale delle Sale Operative INGV, essendo il WP4 “Formazione” uno dei sei working package del progetto espressamente dedicato a questo.

Description: Published

Description: 150-155

Description: 1SR TERREMOTI - Sorveglianza Sismica e Allerta Tsunami

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: Gases present in the Earth crust are important in various branches of human activities. Hydrocarbons are a significant energy resource, helium is applied in many high-tech instruments, and studies of crustal gas dynamics provide insight in the geodynamic processes and help monitor seismic and volcanic hazards. Quantitative analysis of methane and CO2 migration is important for climate change studies. Some of them are toxic (H2S, CO2, CO); radon is responsible for the major part of human radiation dose. The development of analytical techniques in gas geochemistry creates opportunities of applying this science in numerous fields. Noble gases, hydrocarbons, CO2, N2, H2, CO, and Hg vapor are measured by advanced methods in various environments and matrices including fluid inclusions. Following the “Geochemical Applications of Noble Gases”(2009), “Frontiers in Gas Geochemistry” (2013), and “Progress in the Application of Gas Geochemistry to Geothermal, Tectonic and Magmatic Studies” (2017) published as special issues of Chemical Geology and “Gas geochemistry: From conventional to unconventional domains” (2018) published as a special issue of Marine and Petroleum Geology, this volume continues the tradition of publishing papers reflecting the diversity in scope and application of gas geochemistry.

Description: Published

Description: 976190

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

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The Western Ionian Sea is characterised by an active and diffuse seismicity, directly related to the convergence of the European and African Plates and by gravitational sinking and rollback of the oceanic lithosphere. In this area, the location of earthquakes is characterised by considerable uncertainties due to large azimuthal gaps, resulting in notable location errors. This problem was partially overcome with the use of data recorded by NEMO-SN1 seafloor observatory (October 2002 - February 2003; June 2012 - May 2013). We relocated 1130 crustal and sub-crustal earthquakes using land network and NEMO-SN1 data. As most events occurred on Mt. Etna, we focused on 358 earthquakes in the offshore area and near the coasts of Sicily and Calabria. The use of the combined land-marine networks has improved the earthquake locations in terms of azimuthal GAP, as well as in horizontal and vertical errors. The comparison between locations performed with and without NEMO-SN1 data shows that differences in latitude, longitude and depths are more evident in the Western Ionian Sea and in the coast of Sicily, where values of the differences over 5 km correspond to structural heterogeneities. The increased number of seismic stations deployed on land from 2003 to 2012 did not influence the location of events occurring offshore, where NEMO-SN1 continued to be the distinctive tool in the location process. Moreover, the new 73 focal mechanisms computed with P-wave polarities from NEMO-SN1 and land stations are in agreement with the regional structural model, showing a prevalent normal, normal/oblique, and strike-slip kinematics. The similarity of two new focal solutions with the mechanisms of the main shock and aftershock of the 1990 earthquake demonstrates that the seismic structures are still active and potentially dangerous. The P-wave travel time residual analysis confirms the activity along the main structural alignments. A single point of observation in the Ionian Sea can significantly improve the quality of locations, giving an opportunity to focus on the seismogenic structures responsible for the occurrence of medium-to-high magnitude earthquakes.

Description: Published

Description: Se655

Description: 1T. Struttura della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Here we present the results of the inversion of a new geodetic data set covering the 2012 Emilia seismic sequence and the following 1 year of postseismic deformation. Modeling of the geodetic data together with the use of a catalog of 3-D relocated aftershocks allows us to constrain the rupture geometries and the coseismic and postseismic slip distributions for the two main events (Mw 6.1 and 6.0) of the sequence and to explore how these thrust events have interacted with each other. Dislocation modeling reveals that the first event ruptured a slip patch located in the center of the Middle Ferrara thrust with up to 1 m of reverse slip. The modeling of the second event, located about 15 km to the southwest, indicates a main patch with up to 60 cm of slip initiated in the deeper and flatter portion of the Mirandola thrust and progressively propagated postseismically toward the top section of the rupture plane, where most of the aftershocks and afterslip occurred. Our results also indicate that between the two main events, a third thrust segment was activated releasing a pulse of aseismic slip equivalent to a Mw 5.8 event. Coulomb stress changes suggest that the aseismic event was likely triggered by the preceding main shock and that the aseismic slip event probably brought the second fault closer to failure. Our findings show significant correlations between static stress changes and seismicity and suggest that stress interaction between earthquakes plays a significant role among continental en echelon thrusts.

Description: Published

Description: 4742–4766

Description: 1T. Deformazione crostale attiva

Description: 2T. Sorgente Sismica

Description: 3T. Storia Sismica

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Over fifty eruptive episodes with Strombolian activity, lava fountains, and lava flows occurred at Mt Etna volcano between 2006 and 2013. Namely, there were seven paroxysmal lava fountains at the South-East Crater in 2007-2008 and 46 at the New South-East Crater between 2011 and 2013. Lava emissions lasting months affected the upper eastern flank of the volcano in 2006 and 2008-2009. Effective monitoring and forecast of such volcanic phenomena are particularly relevant for their potential socio-economic impact in densely populated regions like Catania and its surroundings. For example, explosive activity has often formed thick ash clouds with widespread tephra fall able to disrupt the air traffic, as well as to cause severe problems at infrastructures, such as highways and roads. Timely information about changes in the state of the volcano and possible onset of dangerous eruptive phenomena requires efficacious surveillance methods. The analysis of the continuous background seismic signal, the so-called volcanic tremor, turned out of paramount importance to follow the evolution of volcanic activity [e.g., Alparone et al., 2003; Falsaperla et al., 2005]. Changes in the state of the volcano as well as in its eruptive style are usually concurrent with variations of the spectral characteristics (amplitude and frequency) of tremor. The huge amount of digital data continuously acquired by INGV’s broadband seismic stations every day makes a manual analysis difficult. In order to tackle this problem, techniques of automatic classification of the tremor signal are applied. In a comparative study, the robustness of different methods for the identification of regimes in volcanic activity were examined [Langer et al., 2009]. In particular, Langer et al. [2011] applied unsupervised classification techniques to the tremor data recorded at one station during seven paroxysmal episodes in 2007-2008. Their results revealed significant changes in the pattern classification well before the onset of the eruptive episodes. This evidence led to the development of specific software packages, such as the program KKAnalysis [Messina and Langer, 2011], a software that combines an unsupervised classification method (Kohonen Maps) with fuzzy cluster analysis. The operational characteristics of these tools - fail-safe, robustness with respect to noise and data outages, as well as computational efficiency - allowed on-line processing at the operative centre of the INGV-Osservatorio Etneo in 2010 and the identification of criteria for automatic alarm flagging. The system is hitherto one of the main automatic alerting tools to identify impending eruptive events at Etna. The software carries out the on-line processing of the new data stream coming from two seismic stations, merged with reference datasets of past eruptive episodes. In doing so, results obtained for new data are immediately compared to previous eruptive scenarios. Given the rich material collected in recent years, we are able to apply the alert system to eleven stations at different elevations (1200-3050 m) and distances (1-8 km) from the summit craters. Critical alert parameters were empirically defined to obtain an optimal tuning of the alert system for each station. To verify the robustness of this new, multistation alert system, a dataset encompassing about eight years of continuous seismic records (since 2006) was processed automatically using KKAnalysis and collateral software off-line. Then, we analyzed the performance of the classifier in terms of timing and spatial distribution of the stations. We also investigated the performance of the new alert system based on KKAnalysis in case of activation of whatever eruptive centre. Intriguing results were obtained in 2010 throughout periods characterized by the renewal of volcanic activity at Bocca Nuova-Voragine and North-East Crater, and in the absence of paroxysmal phenomena at South-East Crater and New South-East Crater. Despite the low-energy phenomena reported by volcanologists (i.e., degassing, low-to moderate explosions), the triggered alarms demonstrate the robustness of the classifier and its potential: i) to identify even subtle changes within the volcanic system using tremor, and ii) to highlight the activation of a single eruptive centre, even though different from the one for which the classifier was initially tested. It is worth noting that in case of activation of weak sources, the successful performance of the classifier depends upon the general level of signals originating from other sources in that specific time span.

Description: Published

Description: Nicolosi (Catania, Italy)

Description: 2V. Dinamiche di unrest e scenari pre-eruttivi

Description: open

Description: Different procedures were used to analyze a comprehensive time series of nighttime thermal infrared images acquired from October 2006 to June 2013 by a permanent station at Pisciarelli (Campi Flegrei, Italy). The methodologies were aimed at the detection and quantification of possible spatiotemporal changes in the ground-surface thermal features of an area affected by diffuse degassing. Long-term infrared time series images were processed without taking into account atmospheric conditions and emissivity estimations. The data obtained were compared with the trends of independent geophysical and geochemical parameters, which suggested that long-term temporal variations of the surface maximum temperatures were governed by the dynamics of the deeper hydrothermal system. Analogously, the dynamics of the shallow hydrothermal system are likely to control the short-period thermal oscillations that overlie the long-term thermal signals. The map of the yearly rates of temperature change shows temperature increases clustered in the thermal anomalous area of the infrared images, without evidence of modifications to the extension of the anomaly or of growth of new areas with significant thermal emission. This suggests that in the present state, the heat transfer is mainly due to hot gas emission through preexisting fractures and vents. Our data indicate that the comprehensive picture of the spatiotemporal evolution of the thermal features of the hydrothermal sites obtained by long-term infrared monitoring can provide useful information toward refining physical and conceptual models, as well as improving surveillance of active volcanoes.

Description: The TIR monitoring system was partially funded by the 2000–2006 National Operating Programme and by the Italian Civil Protection Department in the framework of the 2004–2006 agreement with the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia.

Description: Published

Description: 812–826

Description: 2V. Dinamiche di unrest e scenari pre-eruttivi

Description: 5V. Sorveglianza vulcanica ed emergenze

Description: JCR Journal

Description: restricted

Description: Mt. Etna is permanently active requiring a continuous data acquisition a multidisciplinary monitoring system where huge data masses accumulate and pose severe difficulties of interpretation. Therefore the INGV staff has developed a number of software tools for data mining, aiming at identifying structures in the data which can be related to the volcanic activity and furnish criteria for the definition of alert systems. We tackle the problem by applying methods of clustering and classification. We identify data groups by defining a measure of similarity or distance. Data groups may assume various shapes, once forming convex clouds once complex concave bodies. The tool “KKAanalysis” is a basket of clustering methods and forms the backbone of the tremor-based automatic alarm system of INGV-OE. It exploits both SOM and Fuzzy Clustering. Besides seismic data the concept has been applied to petrochemic data as well as in a combined analysis of gas-emission data and seismic data. The software “DBSCAN” focuses on density-based clustering that allows discovering clusters with arbitrary shape. Here, clusters are defined as dense regions of objects in the data space separated by regions of low density. In DBSCAN a cluster grows guaranteeing that the density within a group of objects exceeds some threshold. In the context of volcano monitoring the method is particularly promising in the recognition of ash particles as they have a rather irregular shape. The “MOTIF” software allows identifying typical wave forms in time series. It overcomes shortages of methods like cross- correlation, which entail a high computational effort. MOTIF on the other hand can recognize non-similarity of two patterns on a small number of data points without going through the whole length of the data vectors. The development includes modules for feature extraction and post-processing verifying the validity of the results obtained by the classifiers.

Description: Published

Description: Nicolosi (Catania, Italy)

Description: 2V. Dinamiche di unrest e scenari pre-eruttivi

Description: open

Description: Timely identification of changes in the state of volcanoes and onset of potentially dangerous eruptive phenomena requires efficacious surveillance methods. In the case of an active volcano like Mt Etna, the continuous background seismic signal called volcanic tremor is of paramount importance. The huge amount of continuously acquired digital data entails the necessity of data reduction and parameter extraction. For this purpose, techniques of automatic analysis of volcanic tremor were applied by INGV for the real time monitoring of this signal. We checked the possibility to identify regimes of volcanic activity based on pattern classification of volcanic tremor. A specific software named “KKAnalysis” was developed. It combines various unsupervised classification methods (Kohonen Maps and fuzzy cluster analysis) and forms the backbone of an automatic alert system at INGV-OE. Besides its near real time application, it can be operated off-line, allowing an efficient a-posteriori processing of data and tuning of the alarm criteria to match specific needs of sensitivity and robustness. An ongoing development of this tool will allow us to include a large number of seismic stations in a multistation-alarm system. The new system will be more robust in case of failure of single sensors, and will achieve a better coverage of the various eruptive craters. In an off-line test, we exploited a dataset covering eight years of seismic records, and analysed the performance of the new system in terms of “trigger timing” and spatial distribution of the stations. Intriguing results were obtained throughout periods of renewal of volcanic activity at Bocca Nuova-Voragine and North East Crater, and in the absence of paroxysmal phenomena at South East Crater and New South East Crater.

Description: Published

Description: Nicolosi (Catania, Italy)

Description: 2V. Dinamiche di unrest e scenari pre-eruttivi

Description: open

Description: La rivista non prevede l'Abstract e inizia direttamente dall'Introduzione, che viene sotto riportata. In ambiente vulcanico, al fine di monitorare e studiare l’azione delle sorgenti, è di fondamentale importanza riuscire a misurare con estrema precisione l’espansione/contrazione del mezzo. Questo è ottenibile attraverso l’utilizzo di strumenti noti come borehole strainmeters (o dilatometri da pozzo). Lo strumento di base e' da un punto di vista teorico abbastanza semplice. Consiste di un tubo cilindrico, al suo interno riempito di specifico fluido (solitamente olio di silicone), da installare in un foro appositamente trivellato ponendolo in contatto con le pareti rocciose del foro attraverso l’utilizzo di cementi ad espansione, che consentono un perfetto accoppiamento strumento-mezzo. La variazione di livello del fluido indotta dalla variazione dello strain nel mezzo circostante è quindi misurata con estrema precisione attraverso un apposito sensore. I dilatometri da pozzo sono gli strumenti più sensibili alle variazioni dello stato degli sforzi finora realizzati a fini geofisici (sensibilità nominale dV/V fino a 10-12). La tipologia di strumentazione utilizzata nelle installazioni all’Etna è quella nota come Sacks-Evertson borehole strainmeters (o dilatometers) [Sacks et al., 1971]. Le principali caratteristiche tecniche della strumentazione sono riportate in tabella 1. Gli strainmeters e l’elettronica di controllo sono prodotti dal Department Terrestrial Magnetism (DTM) del Carnegie Institution di Washington. I colleghi del DTM sono presenti alle fasi finali d’installazione e di avvio dell’operatività strumentale.

Description: Published

Description: 1-25

Description: 5V. Sorveglianza vulcanica ed emergenze

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: In questo lavoro viene descritta l’installazione di una rete mobile nell’area dei Monti Nebrodi in seguito all’evento del 23-06-2011 di Ml = 4.6 e come tale intervento ha contribuito al miglioramento della localizzazione delle sorgenti sismiche soprattutto nella determinazione della profondità degli eventi. Verranno anche presentati i risultati delle localizzazioni ottenute attraverso l’integrazione dei dati acquisiti durante questa campagna, con quelli della rete sismica permanente dell’INGV-Osservatorio Etneo ( INGV -OE).

Description: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia

Description: Published

Description: 1-24

Description: 4IT. Banche dati

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: Twenty-five lava fountains occurred on Mt. Etna from January 2011 to April 2012. In summer 2012 volcanic activity resumed in a milder form within the Bocca Nuova crater, before it came to an essential halt in August 2012. All these unrests offer rich material for testing automatic procedures of data processing and alert systems, running 24/7, in the context of volcano surveillance. We focus on the seismic background radiation – volcanic tremor – which plays a key role in the monitoring of Mt. Etna. Since 2006 a multistation alert system has been established in the INGV operative centre of Catania exploiting STA/LTA ratios. Besides, also the spectral characteristics of the signal, which change correspondingly to the type of volcanic activity, can be exploited for warning purposes. Here we apply Self Organizing Maps and Fuzzy Clustering which offer an efficient way to visualize signal characteristics and its development with time. All these techniques allow to identify early stages of eruptive events, and automatically flag a critical status before this becomes evident in conventional monitoring techniques. Changes of tremor characteristics are related to the position of the source of the signal. The location of the sources exploits the distribution of the amplitudes across the seismic network. The locations were extremely useful for warning, throughout both the flank eruption in 2008 as well as the 2011 lava fountains, during which a clear migration of tremor sources towards the eruptive centres could be noticed in advance. The location of the sources completes the picture of an imminent volcanic unrest, and corroborates early warnings flagged by the changes of signal characteristics. Real time data processing requires computational efficiency, robustness of the methods and stability of data acquisition. The amplitude based multi-station approach is not sensitive to the failure of single stations and therefore offers a good stability. The single station approach, exploiting unsupervised classification techniques, limits logistic efforts, as only one or few key stations are necessary. Both strategies have proven to be insensitive to disturbances (undesired transients like earthquakes, noise, short gaps in the continuous data flow). False alarms were not encountered so far. Stable data acquisition and processing come with a properly designed data storage solution. The reliability of data storage and its access is a critical issue. A cluster architecture has been realized for failover protection, including a Storage Area Network system, which allow easy data access following predefined user policies. We present concepts of the software architectures deployed at INGV Osservatorio Etneo in order to implement this tremor-based multi approach system. We envisage the integration of seismic data and those originating from other scientific fields (e. g., volcano imagery, geochemistry, deformation, gravity, magneto-telluric). This will facilitate cross-checking of evidences encountered from the single data streams, in particular allow their immediate verification with respect to ground truth.

Description: Published

Description: Nicolosi (Catania, Italy)

Description: 1.4. TTC - Sorveglianza sismologica delle aree vulcaniche attive

Description: 5.6. TTC - Attività di Sala Operativa

Description: open

Description: In questo lavoro si presentano i risultati di uno studio sulle caratteristiche del rumore sismico in prossimità del rilevatore di onde gravitazionali VIRGO (Cascina, Pisa), con particolare riferimento alle vibrazioni associate all’azione di un vicino parco eolico. La valutazione delle componenti spettrali del rumore verosimilmente indotte dagli aerogeneratori è stata effettuata mediante (i) Misure dirette alla base di una turbina, (ii) Correlazione fra le ampiezze spettrali del rumore e la velocità del vento; (iii) Determinazione delle proprietà direzionali da misure multicanale, (iv) Misura dell’attenuazione del segnale con la distanza dal parco eolico. Il disturbo provocato dagli aerogeneratori è particolarmente energetico alla frequenza di 1.7 Hz e, in particolari condizioni, è stato osservato fino a distanze di 11 km dal Parco Eolico. Il decadimento spaziale delle ampiezze ha un andamento complesso, che può essere interpretato in termini di una combinazione fra onde superficiali e onde di volume rifratte ad un’interfaccia profonda (~800 m) fra i sedimenti plio-pleistocenici ed i calcari Miocenici. La risposta locale nei dintorni dell’interferometro è stata investigata utilizzando la tecnica dei rapporti spettrali H/V. Si sono così evidenziate due bande di amplificazione imputabili ad effetti di risonanza legati alla geologia a scala locale: il primo intorno alla frequenza di 0.35 Hz, il secondo fra 0.7 e 2.0 Hz. Entrambi i picchi risultano essere essenzialmente omogenei in tutta l’area di studio, a conferma della sostanziale uniformità della struttura geologica.

Description: Published

Description: 1-30

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: In questo lavoro viene descritto il complesso sistema di acquisizione dati della RSM [vedi D’Alema et al., 2011 - in questo volume], costituita da 58 stazioni collegate in tempo reale e 13 stazioni dial-up. I dati delle stazioni in tempo reale sono acquisiti con il programma Seiscomp31; la detezione degli eventi sismici viene eseguita con il programma Earthworm ed infine l’analisi e l’interpretazione degli eventi viene effettuata attraverso il programma SacPicker di Daniele Spallarossa [vedi Spallarossa, 2011 - in questo volume]. La parte di rete dial-up è basata sul sistema Lennartz Mars882 ed è configurata in modo autonomo dalla rete in tempo reale. I dati delle due reti vengono successivamente uniti in un unico dataset ai fini di una interpretazione interattiva congiunta.

Description: Published

Description: 124-127

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: Da alcuni anni l’INGV e la Regione Marche collaborano nell’azione di monitoraggio sismico del territorio regionale. Nella sede di Ancona del CNT sono acquisiti in tempo reale i segnali sismici di circa 80 stazioni dell’Italia centro-orientale. Si è reso pertanto necessario sviluppare applicativi utili al controllo degli apparati che compongono il sistema di monitoraggio. In particolare, vengono controllati: 1) lo stato di funzionamento delle trasmissioni radio ed ethernet; 2) lo stato dell’alimentazione delle stazioni e il numero di satelliti ricevuti dagli apparati GPS; 3) la quantità di segnale sismico archiviato e i gaps del segnale continuo; 4) i livelli di rumore di fondo e la qualità del segnale sismico.

Description: Published

Description: 104-107

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: A Pilot Project for CO2 injection and storage was proposed for a gas storage area located at Cortemaggiore (Piacenza), in northern Italy. This project is conducted both to verify the injection techniques and to analyze the potentiality of CO2 as a cushion gas. Starting from 2004, a series of analysis has been conducted to verify suitability and feasibility of this operation. The injection phase will be preceded by a passive seismic monitoring in order to measure the background seismicity of the area. Seismic monitoring will be carried out during the 3 years of the injection phase and will continue also for a control period of 2 years, following the working phase. The Milano - Pavia Department of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia is in charge of the surface seismic monitoring. To study the background seismicity a microseismic network composed by 7 seismic stations has been realized. On February 2010, a first test phase has been conducted for 3 sites. The network was completed with 4 more stations on May 2010. All stations are composed by a 24-bit digital recorder (Lennartz M24/NET) with GPS time signal. The study area is characterized by a very high anthropic and industrial noise. In order to improve the quality of the seismic signals, 4 stations have been installed in a 100 m deep borehole. The seismic sensors (Lennartz LE-3D/BH for the borehole and LE-3Dlite MKI for the installation at the surface) have similar technical characteristics with 1 Hz free period, cutoff frequency at 80 Hz and dynamic range of 136 dB. In this first stage we analyzed the microseismic noise level and evaluated the detection capability of the network. Using the RMS measurements the borehole stations indicate a reduction on the noise by a factor of 2.5. A more detailed analysis, performed using the density function distribution of the power spectra, evidences a 10 dB gain for the borehole stations in the frequency band 1 - 10 Hz. Noise measurements have been used also to determine the minimum magnitude for the events detection. Using a point source model to simulate seismic events, we verified the expected detection levels by comparing the estimates obtained with the simulation and the local events recorded by the seismic network.

Description: Published

Description: 12

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: Nell’ambito del progetto FIRB-Airplane [“Piattaforma di ricerca multidisciplinare su terremoti e vulcani”, fondi MIUR 2007-2011 responsabili: Cocco, Amato e Stucchi1] dalla seconda metà del 2009 è stata installata una rete densa di stazioni sismiche nell’area dell’Alta Val Tiberina (AVT, Figura 1), i cui dati in continuo vengono trasmessi alla sede di Ancona del CNT attraverso una dorsale Wi-Fi HYPERLAN [Monachesi e Cattaneo, 2010]. La rete è stata progettata cercando di rispettare alcuni criteri, tra cui: controllo continuo della funzionalità delle singole stazioni, flessibilità nella scelta dei siti, riduzione del rischio di fulminazioni, possibilità di abbinare stazioni sismiche e stazioni geodetiche. A tal fine sono stati adottati strumenti a basso consumo per quel che riguarda acquisitori e sistemi di trasmissione, accompagnati dall’utilizzo di sistemi di alimentazione autonomi e sistemi di telecontrollo

Description: Published

Description: 91-93

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: Attualmente presso la sede di Ancona del CNT sono acquisiti i dati relativi a 58 stazioni in realtime ed a 13 stazioni dial-up. In particolare la sede di Ancona ha la funzione di server nei confronti della sala sismica nazionale per 28 stazioni in realtime e client per le rimanenti 30. Le stazioni dial-up hanno una connessione con radio modem (8) o con modem GSM (5). Gli acquisitori gestiti sono: GAIA1 e GAIA2, Trident/Cygnus, HDR24 e Lennartz Mars88/MC/RC. I sensori sono: Trillium 40-120-240s; Lennartz LE3D- 5s/1s/lite/BH, Mark L4-3D, Episensor ES-T. Il sistema di acquisizione dati è basato su Seiscomp31, mentre la detezione degli eventi avviene tramite Earthworm

Description: Published

Description: 19-21

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: In this paper we investigate nature and properties of narrow-band, transient seismic signals observed by a temporary array deployed in the Val Tiberina area (central Apennines, Italy). These signals are characterized by spindle-shaped, harmonic waveforms with no clear S-wave arrivals. The first portion of the seismograms exhibits a main frequency peak centred at 4.5 Hz, while the spectrum of the slowly decaying coda is peaked at about 2 Hz. Events discrimination is performed using a matched-filtering technique, resulting in a set of 2466 detections spanning the 2010 January–March time interval. From a plane-wave-fitting procedure, we estimate the kinematic properties of signals pertaining to a cluster of similar events. The repetition of measurements over a large number of precisely aligned seismograms allows for obtaining a robust statistics of horizontal slownesses and propagation azimuths associated with the early portion of the waveforms. The P-wave arrival exhibits horizontal slownesses around 0.1 s km−1, thus suggesting waves impinging at the array almost vertically. Separately, we use traveltimes measured at a sparse network to derive independent constraints on epicentral location. Ray parameters and azimuths are calibrated using slowness measurements from a local, well-located earthquake. After this correction, the joint solution from traveltime inversion and array analysis indicates a source region spanning the 1–3 km depth interval. Considerations related to the source depth and energy, and the occurrence rate which is not related to the daily and weekly working cycles, play against a surface, artificial source. Instead, the close resemblance of these signals to those commonly observed in volcanic environments suggest a source mechanism related to the resonance of a fluid–filled fracture, likely associated with instabilities in the flux of pressurized CO2.

Description: Published

Description: 918-928

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: JCR Journal

Description: reserved

Description: In the northern Apennines, the Palaeozoic basement involved in the Late Oligocene–Middle Miocene nappe stack contains metamorphic units for which hypothetical ages have been assigned on the basis of lithological correlations with the Palaeozoic formations of the Variscan chain in Sardinia. This uncertainty concerning the age poses limitations to reconstructing the Palaeozoic stratigraphy, defining the Alpine and pre-Alpine histories and correlations with other domains of the Variscan chain. We present the UPb age of detrital zircon and the 40Ar39Ar age of metamorphic muscovite for the Calamita Schist and Ortano Porphyroid, two metamorphic units of undetermined Palaeozoic age cropping out in the eastern Elba Island. The radioisotopic data allows us to: (i) define the Early Carboniferous and Middle Ordovician ages for the Calamita Schist and Ortano Porphyroid, respectively, as well as their derivation (flysch deposit and magmatic rocks); (ii) pose some constraints concerning their alpine tectonic and metamorphic histories. These new data generate a more precise reconstruction of the Palaeozoic sequence in the northern Apennines, and they document that the Palaeozoic basement involved in the alpine deformation underwent internal stacking with an inversion of the original sequence. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Description: Published

Description: 288-310

Description: 3.2. Tettonica attiva

Description: 3.3. Geodinamica e struttura dell'interno della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: reserved

Description: L’utilizzo di sensori in pozzo ha l’obiettivo di migliorare il rapporto segnale-disturbo per poter registrare segnali di eventi sismici in zone dove le registrazioni in superficie sono corrotte dai disturbi. Infatti, le registrazioni superficiali sono affette dal noise sismico ambientale il quale è particolarmente elevato in zone industrializzate a frequenze generalmente superiori ad 1 Hz [McNamara and Buland, 2004]. La RSN dell’INGV, gestita dal CNT [vedi Delladio, 2011 - in questo volume], è dotata attualmente di 6 sensori in pozzo, ubicati nelle seguenti località: Castelleone (CR), Imola (BO), Bellaria (RN), Senigallia (AN), Sansepolcro (AR), Città di Castello (PG). Le prime 4 località si trovano in pianura padana (Castelleone e Imola) e sulla costa adriatica (Bellaria e Senigallia): in questi siti l’utilizzo di un sensore in pozzo ha lo scopo di ottenere registrazioni in cui i disturbi antropici possano essere significativamente abbattuti, in quanto le aree citate sono tra le più industrializzate e urbanizzate del territorio nazionale [Marzorati and Bindi, 2006]. I pozzi di Sansepolcro e Città di Castello rientrano nell’area di interesse della Faglia Alto Tiberina, in cui terremoti di piccolissima magnitudo vengono registrati solo in siti particolarmente silenziosi dal punto di vista del noise sismico ambientale; perciò i due sensori in pozzo hanno lo scopo di avere un punto di osservazione più vicino alla sorgente dei segnali che si vogliono registrare. Nei prossimi paragrafi sono mostrati alcuni esempi utili per poter valutare l’efficienza dei sensori in pozzo.

Description: Published

Description: 72-75

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: In this paper the history of the Mobile Seismic Network of the Osservatorio Vesuviano (at present Department of Napoli of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia – INGV) is described. The instrumental development and the main research and monitoring activities since the early 1980’ are reported. Starting from the analog stations with magnetic tape recording to the first digital stations with trigger recording, until the modern multichannel 24bit devices, the technological development of the last 30 years has given a strong contribution to increase the knowledge in the seismology and seismotectonics fields. The Mobile Seismic Network has been engaged in active and passive seismic studies both on volcanic and tectonic areas. Particularly, the contribution of the Mobile Seismic Network for the monitoring of Neapolitan active volcanoes has been very important to improve the Permanent Network. During seismic crises high quality data have been gathered allowing detailed analyses of the seismic activity. Moreover, the time synchronization by means of GPS time code allowed the deployment of the Mobile Network abroad and the collaboration with the main international research institutes. At present, the Mobile Seismic Network of the Osservatorio Vesuviano is developing on multichannel acquisition systems, also in array configuration, to gathered simultaneously seismic signals with a large frequency band.

Description: Published

Description: 1-51

Description: 1.4. TTC - Sorveglianza sismologica delle aree vulcaniche attive

Description: 3.2. Tettonica attiva

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: In the past, variations in the chemical contents (SO4 2−, Cl−, cations) of crater lake water have not systematically demonstrated any relationships with eruptive activity. Intensive parameters (i.e., concentrations, temperature, pH, salinity) should be converted into extensive parameters (i.e., fluxes, changes with time of mass and solutes), taking into account all the internal and external chemical–physical factors that affect the crater lake system. This study presents a generalized box model approach that can be useful for geochemical monitoring of active crater lakes, as highly dynamic natural systems. The mass budget of a lake is based on observations of physical variations over a certain period of time: lake volume (level, surface area), lake water temperature, meteorological precipitation, air humidity, wind velocity, input of spring water, and overflow of the lake. This first approach leads to quantification of the input and output fluxes that contribute to the actual crater lake volume. Estimating the input flux of the "volcanic" fluid (Qf - kg/s) –– an unmeasurable subsurface parameter –– and tracing its variations with time is the major focus during crater lake monitoring. Through expanding the mass budget into an isotope and chemical budget of the lake, the box model helps to qualitatively characterize the fluids involved. The (calculated) Cl− content and dD ratio of the rising "volcanic" fluid defines its origin. With reference to continuous monitoring of crater lakes, the present study provides tips that allow better calculation of Qf in the future. At present, this study offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date literature review on active crater lakes.

Description: Published

Description: 161-173

Description: 1.2. TTC - Sorveglianza geochimica delle aree vulcaniche attive

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: We reply to a comment by Messina et al., who strongly criticized our paper on the San Pio Fault, by showing that in areas of complex geology such as the central Apennines, where the current tectonic setting results from the superposition of different tectonic regimes, the equation: “most visible active fault = major seismogenic fault” can be misleading.

Description: Published

Description: 421-423

Description: 3.2. Tettonica attiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: restricted

Description: Il Centro di Ricerche Sismologiche (CRS) dell’Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale - OGS è stato istituito con la legge n. 399 del 30 novembre 1989 col fine istituzionale di: “...svolgere, in autonomia scientifica e secondo specifici progetti: ricerche sulla sismicità e sulla sismogenesi dell’Italia nordorientale, gestendo e sviluppando inoltre la connessa rete di rilevamento sismico anche per fini di protezione civile. Nei campi di sua competenza il dipartimento svolge inoltre: attività applicativa; studi e ricerche sulle tecnologie di acquisizione, trasmissione e trattamento del segnale sismico; studi e ricerche per l’affinamento del modello sismotettonico dell’Italia nord-orientale.” Dal 2003, in seguito alla conferenza “Integrating the Seismic Monitoring in Central Europe” tenutasi a Udine e al Workshop “Beyond Frontiers: Seismic Networks in the Southern Alps” organizzato a Trieste, l’OGS ha partecipato al progetto europeo Interreg IIIa Italia/Austria “Reti sismologiche senza frontiere nelle Alpi sudorientali” 1. Il progetto nasce dalla stretta collaborazione esistente tra: • il CRS dell’OGS a Udine; • la Protezione Civile della Regione Friuli-Venezia Giulia (FVG); • l’allora Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra (DST) dell’Università di Trieste (adesso Dipartimento di Geoscienze); • lo Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik, Hauptabteilung Geophysik di Vienna in Austria (ZAMG); • l’Urad za seizmologijo, geologijo, Agencija Republike Slovenije za okolje, di Lubiana in Slovenia (ARSO). Il terremoto di Bovec, avvenuto in prossimità dei confini tra FVG, Carinzia e Slovenia nel 1998, ha evidenziato l’importanza di un’integrazione e potenziamento delle reti delle diverse nazioni. In particolare, in tale occasione si è evidenziato: l’eterogeneità della strumentazione esistente nelle diverse reti, la mancanza di connessione dedicata tra i centri sismologici anche all’interno della stessa nazione e la mancanza di un sistema di elaborazione ed archiviazione dei dati omogeneo. Lo scopo del progetto è stato quindi l’integrazione transfrontaliera delle reti sismologiche presenti nelle tre nazioni per far fronte alle necessità di protezione civile e per scopi di ricerca scientifica. La disponibilità in tempo reale di forme d’onda dei terremoti permette, infatti, l’analisi immediata dei dati in maniera automatica che fornisce informazioni rapide ed affidabili alle autorità di protezione civile. Gli obiettivi principali raggiunti durante il progetto sono: 1. la creazione di un centro di raccolta dati in tempo reale presso la Sala Operativa Regionale (SOR) di Palmanova della Protezione Civile del Friuli-Venezia Giulia e l’adattamento dei centri raccolta dati del DST, dell’OGS e di Vienna a questi scopi. La duplicazione dei centri di raccolta dati e delle connessioni tra questi garantisce il funzionamento del sistema anche nel caso che uno o più centri siano fuori uso per i danni subiti da un sisma distruttivo; 2. l’individuazione e la realizzazione di uno o più sistemi di connessione dati efficienti e sicuri tra le stazioni ed i centri di raccolta; 3. la ridefinizione della geometria attuale delle reti, in funzione della migliore copertura possibile delle aree potenzialmente pericolose a ridosso dei confini di stato; 4. la programmazione dei protocolli comuni d’intervento in caso di forti terremoti.

Description: Published

Description: 38-41

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: In the northern Apennines, the Palaeozoic basement involved in the Late Oligocene–Middle Miocene nappe stack contains metamorphic units for which hypothetical ages have been assigned on the basis of lithological correlations with the Palaeozoic formations of the Variscan chain in Sardinia. This uncertainty concerning the age poses limitations to reconstructing the Palaeozoic stratigraphy, defining the Alpine and pre-Alpine histories and correlations with other domains of the Variscan chain. We present the U-Pb age of detrital zircon and the 40Ar-39Ar age of metamorphic muscovite for the Calamita Schist and Ortano Porphyroid, two metamorphic units of undetermined Palaeozoic age cropping out in the eastern Elba Island. The radioisotopic data allows us to: (i) define the Early Carboniferous and Middle Ordovician ages for the Calamita Schist and Ortano Porphyroid, respectively, as well as their derivation (flysch deposit and magmatic rocks); (ii) pose some constraints concerning their alpine tectonic and metamorphic histories. These new data generate a more precise reconstruction of the Palaeozoic sequence in the northern Apennines, and they document that the Palaeozoic basement involved in the alpine deformation underwent internal stacking with an inversion of the original sequence.

Description: In press

Description: 3.2. Tettonica attiva

Description: 3.3. Geodinamica e struttura dell'interno della Terra

Description: JCR Journal

Description: reserved

Description: After an earthquake, rapid, real-time assessment of hazards such as ground shaking and tsunami potential is important for early warning and emergency response. Tsunami potential depends on sea floor displacement, which is related to the length, L, width, W, mean slip, D, and depth, z, of earthquake rupture. Currently, the primary discriminant for tsunami potential is the centroid-moment tensor magnitude, MwCMT, representing the seismic potency LWD, and estimated through an indirect, inversion procedure. The obtained MwCMT and the implied LWD value vary with the depth of faulting, assumed earth model and other factors, and is only available 30 min or more after an earthquake. The use of more direct procedures for hazard assessment, when available, could avoid these problems and aid in effective early warning. Here we present a direct procedure for rapid assessment of earthquake tsunami potential using two, simple measures on P-wave seismograms – the dominant period on the velocity records, Td, and the likelihood that the high-frequency, apparent rupture-duration, T0, exceeds 50-55 sec. T0 can be related to the critical parameters L and z, while Td may be related to W, D or z. For a set of recent, large earthquakes, we show that the period-duration product TdT0 gives more information on tsunami impact and size than MwCMT and other currently used discriminants. All discriminants have difficulty in assessing the tsunami potential for oceanic strike-slip and back-arc or upper-plate, intraplate earthquake types. Our analysis and results suggest that tsunami potential is not directly related to the potency LWD from the “seismic” faulting model, as is assumed with the use of the MwCMT discriminant. Instead, knowledge of rupture length, L, and depth, z, alone can constrain well the tsunami potential of an earthquake, with explicit determination of fault width, W, and slip, D, being of secondary importance. With available real-time seismogram data, rapid calculation of the direct, period- duration discriminant can be completed within 6-10 min after an earthquake occurs and thus can aid in effective and reliable tsunami early warning.

Description: In press

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: The aim of this study is the sharing of waveforms recorded by several Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) temporary stations (managed by the Milan-Pavia section; INGV MI-PV). These stations were installed after the April 6, 2009, Mw 6.3, L'Aquila earthquake (central Italy). The work synthesizes the activities conducted in the field by the INGV MI-PV working group over the three months following the mainshock. The field activities were developed in four different phases that were defined according to their time periods. Starting from April 7, 2009, for the first phase, the temporary stations were installed in correspondence with the more damaged areas. The scope was to record the strongest aftershocks in the days that followed the mainshock. In this phase, the stations were composed of a sixcomponent acquisition system that was coupled with both a weak-motion and a strong-motion sensor. After the first month, the last three phases of installation investigated the seismic responses of sites located in the epicentral area, involving villages within a radius of about 20 km from the epicenter of the April 6 mainshock. In this way, over four specific time-period phases, the stations were installed in sites with different lithological and geomorphological conditions. The instruments worked from April 7 to July 14, 2009; in this period, 9,155 aftershocks (134,262 accelerometric waveforms and 133,242 velocimetric waveforms), with ML ≤5.3 were recorded. This study describes the dataset of these earthquake waveforms recorded with both velocity and acceleration transducers. Selected waveforms are available through ftp://ftp.mi.ingv.it/download/RAIS-TS_rel01/, with their corresponding information concerning instrumental characteristics, installation sites, and earthquakes recorded.

Description: Published

Description: 101-113

Description: 1.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionale

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: A series of computer microtomography experiments are reported which were performed by using a third-generation synchrotron radiation source on volcanic rocks from various active hazardous volcanoes in Italy and other volcanic areas in the world. The applied technique allowed the internal structure of the investigated material to be accurately imaged at the micrometer scale and three-dimensional views of the investigated samples to be produced as well as three-dimensional quantitative measurements of textural features. Thegeometryof thevesicle (gas-filledvoid) network in volcanic products of both basaltic and trachytic compositions were particularly focused on, as vesicle textures are directly linked to the dynamics of volcano degassing. This investigation provided novel insights into modes of gas exsolution, transport and loss in magmas that were not recognized in previous studies using solely conventional two- dimensional imaging techniques. The results of this study are important to understanding the behaviour of volcanoes and can be combined with other geosciences disciplines to forecast their future activity.

Description: In press

Description: 2.3. TTC - Laboratori di chimica e fisica delle rocce

Description: JCR Journal

Description: reserved

Description: A seismic noise recording experiment has been carried out in the Campi Flegrei volcanic area from March 9 to 26, 2009 in the framework of the INGV-DPC 2007-2009 agreement (Project V1 – UNREST). The project aimed at the realization of an integrated method for the definition of the unrest phases at Campi Flegrei. 21 digital three-component seismic stations equipped with broad band seismometers have been added to the existing 11 digital stations already deployed in the area. The preliminary results show a correlation between the seismic noise level and the anthropic activity, whereas the meteorological conditions seem affecting the low frequency seismic noise. These results are important to define the detection thresholds of the seismic signals generated during a possible renewal phase of the volcanic activity.

Description: Published

Description: 1-21

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: Questa nota presenta una sintesi delle attività svolte durante il rilievomacrosismico del terremoto avvenuto tra le province di Parma e Reggio Emilia il 23 dicembre 2008. La scossa di Ml 5.2 è stata localizzata a sud di Parma ed è stata avvertita in tutta l’Italia settentrionale e in gran parte della Liguria e della Toscana. Il presente rapporto illustra lemodalità di intervento del teamQUEST, relative al rilievo degli effetti e alla valutazione in intensità MCS in particolare per le località della zona epicentrale. L’ampia documentazione fotografica illustra alcuni dettagli delle tipologie di danneggiamento rilevate e consente di comprendere meglio le valutazioni dell’intensità macrosismica. This paper presents an overview of the activities performed during the macroseismic field survey of the earthquake that occurred in the Parma and Reggio Emilia region on December 23, 2008. The mainshock (Ml=5.2), was located south of the city of Parma and was resolutely felt through Northern Italy. The report here presented shows the procedures carried out by QUEST (Quick Earthquake Survey Team), concerning the survey. QUEST has been engaged in gathering the damage information and in assessing the macroseismic intensity, in particular about the epicentral area. A copious photo collection shows details of the observed damage nature and allows to better illustrate the intensity

Description: Published

Description: 1-41

Description: 5.1. TTC - Banche dati e metodi macrosismici

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: Seismic monitoring in Italy has strongly improved since the 1997 Umbria-Marche earthquake sequence. This has made the National Seismic Network (RSN) a powerful tool both to rapidly locate and quantify thousands of earthquakes occurring in Italy every year, and to study the seismic activity in detail, accumulating an impressive high quality data set that will be exploited in the coming years to understand earthquake processes and to investigate the deep structure. This paper summarizes and compares the basic features of the seismicity recorded in 2000 and 2006, before and after the implementation of the new RSN, showing that the number of well located earthquakes has more than doubled and that the completeness magnitude has dropped from ~2.3 to ~1.7. In addition, we concentrate on the evaluation of the current automatic location and magnitudes versus the revised ones, published routinely in the INGV bulletins. We show that the rapid estimates of locations and magnitudes are robust and reliable for most regions in Italy: more than 75% of the earthquakes are located in real time within 10km from the «true» locations, whereas the rapid magnitudes ML are within ±0.4 from the revised values in 90% of cases. The comparison between real-time and revised locations shows that there are a few regions in Italy where a further network improvement is still desirable. These include all the off-shore regions, Calabria, western Sicily, the Alpine and Po Plain region, and some small areas along the peninsula.

Description: Published

Description: 417-431

Description: 5.2. TTC - Banche dati di sismologia strumentale

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: Questo lavoro presenta una utility per il GIS MapInfo™ sviluppata per l'archiviazione ed elaborazione dei dati macrosismici dalla fase di georeferenziazione fino al plottaggio finale su mappa. L'identificazione della località associata con un'osservazione macrosismica è un'operazione che talvolta può causare errori ed in seguito problemi nell'analisi ed interpretazione dei dati. La routine MacroMap fornisce uno strumento che in modo semplice e veloce aiuti nell'identificazione della corretta località a cui attribuire l'informazione macrosismica durante lo studio di un terremoto. L'utility è strutturata per utilizzare il formato della directory geografica DIR04 e le procedure adottate nella compilazione del DataBase Macrosismico Italiano DBMI04. MacroMap è stata sperimentata "sul campo" durante alcune indagini macrosismiche e tiene conto dell'esperienza e dei suggerimenti degli operatori del Gruppo QUEST (QUick Earthquake Survey Team). I campi di utilizzo di MacroMap vanno dalla realizzazione speditiva di mappe e tabelle per la produzione di report macrosismici per la Protezione Civile, alla revisione di terremoti storici, grazie all'avanzato sistema di query disponibile per la selezione dei toponimi del database geografico.

Description: Published

Description: 1-21

Description: 5.1. TTC - Banche dati e metodi macrosismici

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: The modern digital seismic stations are provided with 24 bit A/D converters, high capacity recording systems and broad-band seismometers. Nevertheless, few tens year old seismic stations can be still able to give an useful contribution to seismic monitoring. Some out-of-date seismic stations, such as the Lennartz PCM 5800, are characterized by the data acquisition in trigger mode on magnetic tape, allowing a continuous recording time of about 90 minutes. We have checked the possibility to substitute the Uher tape recorder of the Lennartz PCM 5800 stations with modern digital recorder, in order to give a new life to these stations. Several type of digital recorders have been tried. According to the results of our trials, the Hi-MiniDisc (Hi-MD) recorder is resulted the most useful one. This apparatus records on 1GB magneto-optical disks with a continuous recording time up to about 8 hours. This time allows to record about 500 trigger windows of about 50-60 seconds on one disk, about 5 time the old magnetic tape. According with these results, the Lennartz PCM 5800 digital seismic stations can be useful during seismic experiments or as a support of the Permanent Seismic Networks at local and regional scale.

Description: Published

Description: 1-17

Description: 1.4. TTC - Sorveglianza sismologica delle aree vulcaniche attive

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: open

Description: One of the main objectives of the project “Development and application of remote sensing methods for the monitoring of active Italian volcanoes” is directed to an operational use of differential interferometry as a tool for volcano monitoring. A first step to achieve this goal is to test commercial software in order to evaluate the most suitable for the project purposes. For testing software, SAR images collected by ERS2 from May 98 to August 98, before and after the strong eruptive event occurred on 22 July 98 at Voragine crater of Etna, have been selected. The explosive event was classified sub-plinian producing a 12 km high eruptive column and lapilli fell on land as far as 70 km south-eastward along the dispersal axis. Pre, post and across event image pairs have been processed. In particular the pair 13 May 98-22 July 98, 22 July 98-26 August 98, 13 May 98-26 August 98 are used for testing respectively pre, post and across event. In first analysis, the fringes in the differential products show a positive elevation trend in the summit area of the volcano. In particular, an increased of about 1,5 fringes in the period pre-event, and a decrement of 1 fringe in the period post-event is observed. This result is agreement whit field of deformation expected in such kind of event, confirming that the interferometric processing tool used id suitable for the purpose of the project.

Description: Published

Description: 15-20

Description: open

Description: The inversion problem dealt with is the identification of the parameters of a magma-filled dike which causes observable changes in ground deformation data. It is supposed that ground deformation data are measured by using the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) Interferometry technique. The inversion approach, which is carried out by a systematic search technique based on the Simulated Annealing (SA) optimization algorithm, guarantees a high degree of accuracy. The results given in the paper are supported by experiments carried out using an interactive software tool developed ad hoc, which allows both direct and inverse modeling of SAR interferometric data related to the opening of a crack at the beginning and throughout a volcanic activity episode.

Description: Published

Description: 30-35

Description: open

Description: Seismic networks are worldwide diffuse to monitor both volcanic and tectonic seismogenetic areas. Some differences, such the basement on which the seismometer is located and the environmental conditions, characterize the installation of seismic stations in volcanic and tectonic areas. Nevertheless, some basic principles are common. To obtain good quality seismic data is very important to realize a high grade installation of all the instruments equipping a seismic station. Several procedure must be taken into account to optimize the instrument setting up. Electronic noise may be minimize using proper connecting line and adequate grounding. Effective lightning protections are essential to save instruments from both surges and strikes. Good seismometer ground coupling improves the signal quality and the signal-to-noise ratio. These procedures have been carried out at the Osservatorio Vesuviano to improve the existing seismic network as well as the installation of the new stations. As a result of this action an improvement of both the signal-to-noise ratio and the network reliability has been obtained.

Description: Published

Description: 1-20

Description: 1.4. TTC - Sorveglianza sismologica delle aree vulcaniche attive

Description: open

Description: Within the framework of the European MVRRS project (Mitigation of Volcanic Risk by Remote Sensing Techniques), in June 1997 an airborne campaign was organised on Mt. Etna to study different characteristics of the volcanic plume emitted by the summit craters in quiescent conditions. Digital images were collected with the Airborne Multispectral Imaging Spectrometer (MIVIS), together with ground-based measurements. MIVIS images were used to calculate the aerosol optical thickness of the volcanic plume. For this purpose, an inversion algorithm was developed based on radiative transfer equations and applied to the upwelling radiance data measured by the sensor. This article presents the preliminary results from this inversion method. One image was selected following the criteria of concomitant atmospheric ground-based measurements necessary to model the atmosphere, plume centrality in the scene to analyse the largest plume area and cloudless conditions. The selected image was calibrated in radiance and geometrically corrected. The 6S (Second Simulation of the Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum) radiative transfer model was used to invert the radiative transfer equation and derive the aerosol optical thickness. The inversion procedure takes into account both the spectral albedo of the surface under the plume and the topographic effects on the refl ected radiance, due to the surface orientation and elevation. The result of the inversion procedure is the spatial distribution of the plume optical depth. An average value of 0.1 in the wavelength range 454-474 nm was found for the selected measurement day.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: The broad-band teleseismics records of the earthquake of October 29,1989 in Algeria (MW = 6.0) allow a detailed study of the rupture process of this earthquake. The focal mechanism obtained by P and SH modeling corresponds to reverse faulting with a small amount of left-lateral movement along a fault striking 246° and dipping 56°. The rupture is found to be complex with two sub-events separated in time but occurring on the same plane. The lowfrequency records of an accelerometer located some 25 km to the west of the main shock are also better fi tted when the rupture is composed of a double pulse. In the two cases, there is strong evidence for the rupture to propagate from south-west towards north-east.The relocalisation of the main shock by using a master-event technique and the data from Italian and Spanish stations led to the same conclusions. Soon after the main event, a temporary seimic network was installed in the epicentral area. The aftershock clouds defi ne a SW-NE fault dipping to the NW compatible with the results of the modelisations of the teleseismic body-waves and the accelerogram. The focal mechanisms correspond mainly to reverse faulting. The maximum principal direction of the stress tensor obtained from the inversion is about N-S and the minimum is vertical, typical of a compressive regime. The Chenoua earthquake took place on a fault which was not recognized as active. Repeated comparable seismic events on this fault and on the fault that borders the massif to the south explain this intriguing topographic feature.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: We present an empirical model of sulphur solubility that allows us to calculate f S2 if P, T, fO2 and the melt composition, including H2O and S, are known. The model is calibrated against three main experimental data bases consisting in both dry and hydrous silicate melts. Its prime goal is to calculate the f S2 of hydrous basalts that currently lack experimental constraints of their sulphur solubility behaviour. Application of the model to Stromboli, Vesuvius, Vulcano and Etna eruptive products shows that the primitive magmas found at these volcanoes record f S2 in the range 0.1-1 bar. In contrast, at all volcanoes the magmatic evolution is marked by dramatic variations in f S2 that spreads over up to 9 orders of magnitude. The f S2 can either increase during differentiation or decrease during decompression to shallow reservoirs, and seems to be related to closed versus open conduit conditions, respectively. The calculated f S2 shows that the Italian magmas are undersaturated in a FeS melt, except during closed conduit conditions, in which case differentiation may eventually reach conditions of sulphide melt saturation. The knowledge of f S2, fO2 and fH2O allows us to calculate the fluid phase composition coexisting with magmas at depth in the C-O-H-S system. Calculated fluids show a wide range in composition, with CO2 mole fractions of up to 0.97. Except at shallow levels, the fluid phase is generally dominated by CO2 and H2O species, the mole fractions of SO2 and H2S rarely exceeding 0.05 each. The comparison between calculated fluid compositions and volcanic gases shows that such an approach should provide constraints on both the depth and mode of degassing, as well as on the amount of free fluid in magma reservoirs. Under the assumption of a single step separation of the gas phase in a closed-system condition, the application to Stromboli and Etna suggests that the main reservoirs feeding the eruptions and persistent volcanic plumes at these volcanoes might contain as much as 5 wt% of a free fluid phase. Consideration of the magma budget needed to balance the amounts of volatiles emitted in the light of these results shows that the amount of nonerupted magma could be overestimated by as much as one order of magnitude.

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Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: We have characterized the textures of pumice clasts from Phlegraean Fields to gain insights into the conduit flow-dynamics of alkaline explosive eruptions. Vesicularities, vesicle number densities, and vesicle sizes and shapes were measured to obtain the bulk and groundmass properties of the juvenile fraction of Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) and Agnano Monte Spina (AMS) eruptions. The results report the coexistence of three end-member pumice types in the deposits of both eruptions, 1) microvesicular, 2) tube and 3) expanded, which differ according to clast morphology and the macro- to microscopic vesicle texture. Vesicularities (0.85-0.94 for CI, 0.51-0.91 for AMS) and vesicle number densities (2-4×105 cm-2 in CI, 3×105-106 cm-2 in AMS) span quite a wide range in all the three pumice types. Overall, tube pumices exhibit the highest bulk (0.89) and groundmass (CI 0.85, AMS 0.82) average vesicle volume fractions but the lowest average vesicle number densities (CI 2×105, AMS 4×105 cm-2). Comparison with textures of calc-alkaline pumices has revealed many similarities and points to a common origin and distribution of the products from both magma compositions within the volcanic conduit. In addition, the results of the textural analysis were interpreted in the light of the conduit flow modeling of Phlegraean Fields eruptions. The comparison of textural observations with results from simulations of conduit magma ascent has exhibited a good agreement between measured and numerically calculated vesicularities for both compositions, helping to constrain the overall dynamics of alkaline versus calc-alkaline eruptions.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: An overview of novel laser techniques suitable for volcanic monitoring, based on different kinds of infrared laser sources, is presented. Their main advantages and drawbacks are discussed focusing on the achievable sensitivity and precision levels in analysis of gaseous species. Some of the most recent experimental results obtained in laboratory development as well as in field tests of home-built laser spectrometers are reported. New perspectives in optical devices aimed at geochemical and geophysical applications are also considered.

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Description: JCR Journal

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Description: The El Camp Fault (Catalan Coastal Ranges, NE Iberian Peninsula) is a slow slipping normal fault whose seismic potential has only recently been recognised. New geomorphic and trench investigations were carried out during a training course across the El Camp Fault at the La Porquerola alluvial fan site. A new trench (trench 8) was dug close to a trench made previously at this site (trench 4). With the aid of two long topographic profiles across the fault scarp we obtained a vertical slip rate ranging between 0.05 and 0.08 mm/yr. At the trench site, two main faults, which can be correlated between trenches 8 and 4, make up the fault zone. Using trench analysis three paleoseismic events were identified, two between 34.000 and 125.000 years BP (events 3 and 2) and another event younger than 13 500 years BP (event 1), which can be correlated, respectively, with events X (50.000- 125.000 years BP), Y (35.000-50.000 years BP) and Z (3000-25.000 years BP). The last seismic event at the La Porquerola alluvial fan site is described for the first time, but with some uncertainties.

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Description: JCR Journal

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Description: On 17th and 18th July 2001, several fractures opened on Mt. Etna southern flank generating different lava flows spreading both in Valle del Bove and towards Nicolosi. On 29th July the image spectrometer MIVIS was flown over Mt. Etna to acquire high-resolution images of the eruption. The MIVIS airborne campaign was planned simultaneously with TERRA, EO-1 and Landsat 7 satellite acquisitions, in order to compare hyperspectral and multispectral data referred to active lavas. This work focuses on the thermal mapping of lava flows, taking advantage of MIVIS sensor high technical performances. The MIVIS high spatial resolution allows a detailed analysis of the lava flow topographic distribution. Its 12 bit dynamic range consents an estimate of the temperature even for the «hottest» pixels. The main target of this work is the evaluation of the energy flux by means of remote-sensing techniques. Surface temperature analysis was performed on distinct lava flows using the dualband technique. These quantities were compared with the integrated temperatures retrieved using the MIVIS thermal infrared bands. The influence of topography was also considered in the flux calculation using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of Mt. Etna.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: Recent seismological studies contribute to better understand the first order characteristics of earthquake occurrence in Italy, identifying the potential sites for moderate to large size earthquakes. Ad hoc passive seismic experiments performed in these areas provide information to focus on the location and geometry of the active faults more closely. This information is relevant for assessing seismic hazard and for accurately constraining possible ground shaking scenarios. The area around the Città di Castello Basin, in the Northern Apennines (Central Italy), is characterized by the absence of instrumental seismicity (M 〉 2.5), it is adjacent to faults ruptured by recent and historical earthquakes. To better understand the tectonics of the area, we installed a dense network of seismic stations equipped with broadband and short period seismometers collecting data continuously for 8 months (October 2000-May 2001). The processing of ~ 900 Gbyte of data revealed a consistent background seismicity consisting of very low magnitude earthquakes (ML 〈 3.2). Preliminary locations of about 2200 local earthquakes show that the area can be divided into two regions with different seismic behaviour: an area to the NW, in between Sansepolcro and Città di Castello, where seismicity is not present. An area toward the SE, in between Città di Castello, Umbertide and Gubbio, where we detected a high microseismicity activity. These findings suggest a probable different mechanical behaviour of the two regions. In the latter area, the seismicity is confined between 0 and 8 km of depth revealing a rather well defined east-dipping, low angle fault 35 km wide that cuts through the entire upper crust down to 12-15 km depth. Beside an apparent structural complexity, fault plane solutions of background seismicity reveal a homogeneous pattern of deformation with a clear NE-SW extension.

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Description: JCR Journal

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Description: Under strong motion earthquakes, structures receive various types of damage. The most fatal damage is the loss of lateral strengths of a structure. The loss of lateral resistance causes a total collapse of the structure due to the P-d effect associated with the lateral displacements and the gravity loading. To eliminate such a collapse mode, to introduce into the ordinary stiff structure a flexible element which remains elastic is very effective. The flexible-stiff mixed structure can behave preferably in many aspects under strong earthquakes.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: A site response experiment was performed in the basin of Città di Castello (a small town in Central Italy) in May 2001. This study is part of a project on the evaluation of seismic hazard in seismogenic areas funded by the Gruppo Nazionale Difesa dai Terremoti (GNDT). The experiment consisted of a dense fixed transect configuration with most of the stations recording in continuous mode, and several ambient noise measurements both in single station and in array configuration spread over the investigated area. The dense transect was composed of 26 seismic stations in a crosswise configuration with a maximum inter-station distance of 250 m. The stations were deployed in the southern part of the basin, from the eastern bedrock outcrop to the western edge, across the town. About 70 earthquakes were recorded during 10 days of deployment, generally low magnitude or regional events. We located 23 earthquakes and 17 of them were located using the waveform similarity approach at 4 stations outside the target area. These 4 stations were part of a dense temporary seismic network involved in a previous experiment of the same project, aimed at performing a high-resolution picture of the local seismicity. Delay analysis on the recorded waveforms allowed us to infer the basin geometry at depth and estimate the S-wave velocity of sediments. Moreover, we evaluated relative site response along the E-W transect by performing a standard spectral ratio. Amplification factors up to 9 are found inside the basin; at frequencies above 5 Hz stations closer to the edges show higher amplification, whereas stations located in the middle of the basin, where the alluvial sediments are thicker (CD11-CD14), show higher amplification below 5 Hz. We considered the average amplification in two frequency bands (1-5 Hz and 5-10 Hz), representative of the resonance frequency for 2-3 storey buildings and 1 storey houses,respectively. Our results suggest that the potential hazard for 2-3 storey buildings is higher in the center of the basin (amplification factor up to 6), and for 1 storey houses is higher at the edges (amplification factor up to 5).

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: To verify the results of seismic microzoning and to improve techniques, the damage data of past destructive earthquakes is an important key reference. The damage data of the 1923 Kanto, Japan, earthquake in the epicentral region are collected and compiled to produce the most reliable and detailed damage map. The damage map is compared with the results from the existing damage assessment and is used to discuss revision of the site amplification evaluation.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: An analytical approach to estimate the relative contribution of the fluid pressure and tectonic stress in hydrothermal/ volcanic areas is proposed assuming a Coulomb criterion of failure. The analytical procedure requires the coefficient of internal friction, cohesion, rock density, and thickness of overburden to be known from geological data. In addition, the orientation of the principal stress axes and the stress ratio must be determined from the inversion of fault-slip or seismic data (focal mechanisms). At first, the stress magnitude is calculated assuming that faulting occurs in 'dry' conditions (fluid pressure=0). In a second step, the fluid pressure is introduced performing a grid search over the orientation of 1) fault planes that slip by shear failure or 2) cracks that open under different values of fluid pressure and calculating the consistency with the observed fault planes (i.e. strike and dip of faults, cracks, nodal planes from focal mechanisms). The analytical method is applied using fault-slip data from the Solfatara volcano (Campi Flegrei, Italy) and seismic data (focal mechanisms) from the Vesuvius volcano (Italy). In these areas, the fluid pressure required to activate faults (shear fractures) and cracks (open fractures) is calculated. At Solfatara, the ratio between the fluid pressure and the vertical stress ?is very low for faults ( ?=0.16) and relatively high for cracks ( ?=0.5). At Vesuvius, ?=0.6. Limits and uncertainties of the method are also discussed.

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Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: A 2D finite elements study was carried out to analyse the effects caused by dike intrusion inside a heterogeneous medium and with a realistic topography of Mt. Etna volcano. Firstly, the method (dimension domain, elements type) was calibrated using plane strain models in elastic half-spaces; the results were compared with those obtained from analytical dislocation models. Then the effects caused both by the topographic variations and the presence of multi-layered medium on the surface, were studied. In particular, an application was then considered to Mt. Etna by taking into account the real topography and the stratification deduced from seismic tomography. In these conditions, the effects expected by the dike, employed to model the 2001 eruption under simple elastic half-space medium conditions, were computed, showing that topography is extremely important, at least in the near field.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: Vesuvius, dominating the densely-populated Neapolitan area, is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the World. Its destructive power derives from energetic subplinian and plinian eruptions, such as the one which occurred in 79 A.D. Generally such large-scale events follow a long period of quiescence; a behaviour interpreted as the gradual build-up of magma volumes between periods of major activity. After the 1631 subplinian eruption until the last 1944 A.D. eruption, it experienced an almost continuous and less energetic explosive/effusive activity. The erupted magmas are characterized by undersaturated potassic to ultrapotassic nature, and compositional and Sr-isotopic variability. Furthermore geobarometric studies indicate two different crystallization depths located at 4 and 〉11 km, respectively. According to most of the recent literature, the eruptions were triggered by the injection in a shallower magma chamber, of isotopically distinct magma batches derived from heterogeneous mantle source(s) and/or contamination processes occurred within the deep reservoir. In our review of petrochemical data, we consider the period between the 3550 years BP plinian eruption and the 472 A.D. sub-plinian eruption, which includes 79 A.D. event, and the most recent period of activity which started in 1631 A.D. and lasted up to the 1944 A.D. eruption, characterized by a near continuous effusive/explosive activity. For both periods we identify a correlation between Sr-isotopical features of magmas and their crystallization depth. In particular, we show that pyroxenes have Sr-isotopic ratios lower than 0.7074 and an equilibrium crystallization depth of 22-11 km. Moreover feldspars have higher 87Sr/86Sr values (0.7075-7) and an equilibrium crystallization depth of about 4 km. Therefore the most radiogenic magmas did not derive from a deeper reservoir but their higher Sr-isotopic ratios have been acquired at a shallower depth likely by crustal contamination during magma evolution. In contrast, the lower Sr-isotope compositions characterise the less contaminated magmas coming from deeper crustal levels. On the basis of this evidence, the temporal Sr-isotopical variation of magma which erupted in the 1631-1944 A.D. period probably derives from the progressive withdrawal of the shallow magma chamber, which was completely empty before the 1805-1944 A.D. period of volcanism. Therefore the effusive and explosive events of the most recent 1805-1944 A.D. period were fed directly by the deep reservoir located at a depth exceding 11 km.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: This study presents results of ambient noise measurements from temporary single station and small-scale array deployments in the northeast of Basle. H/V spectral ratios were determined along various profiles crossing the eastern masterfault of the Rhine Rift Valley and the adjacent sedimentary rift fills. The fundamental H/V peak frequencies are decreasing along the profile towards the eastern direction being consistent with the dip of the tertiary sediments within the rift. Using existing empirical relationships between H/V frequency peaks and the depth of the dominant seismic contrast, derived on basis of the ?/4-resonance hypothesis and a power law depth dependence of the S-wave velocity, we obtain thicknesses of the rift fill from about 155 m in the west to 280 m in the east. This is in agreement with previous studies. The array analysis of the ambient noise wavefield yielded a stable dispersion relation consistent with Rayleigh wave propagation velocities. We conclude that a significant amount of surface waves is contained in the observed wavefield. The computed ellipticity for fundamental mode Rayleigh waves for the velocity depth models used for the estimation of the sediment thicknesses is in agreement with the observed H/V spectra over a large frequency band.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

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Description: Newly acquired high-resolution, low-altitude aeromagnetic data over Vulcano Island and Southwestern Lipari in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea resolve the major volcanic features in the area associated with the past and present activity. The magnetic character changes in amplitude and frequency from south-east to north-west. The Primordial Vulcano, the Lentia Complex, the Piano Caldera units, the Fossa Caldera deposits, and the currently active La Fossa cone and Vulcanello represent the main volcanic phases on Vulcano Island. They show a distinct magnetic anomaly pattern, whereas prior to this survey, no magnetic signatures of these features were found.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: The seismic period which occurred in a portion of Guidonia Montecelio and Tivoli territory, two towns situated about twenty kilometres NE of Rome, affected four areas with a high density of population: Guidonia, Collefiorito, Villalba and Bagni di Tivoli. Even though the events had a very low magnitude (less than 3.0), local phenomena, like rumbles and strong vibrations of the ground, frightened inhabitants also because some months before (January 26, 2001) in a village named Marcellina situated a few kilometres away from Guidonia, a large sinkhole (600 m) had appeared without fore signals. The «Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia» (INGV) installed some digital stations that monitored the seismic phenomena. This paper has the aim to process all the information acquired during the period, both from the micro and macro seismic point of view, in order to explain the phenomenology that involved the area. The synergy of the two methodologies lead us to the conclusion that two different seismotectonic structures originated the events, one in an anti-apenninic direction, the other in a N-S direction.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open

Description: In order to evaluate the detection and localisation improvement of a small aperture array in the Northern Apennines, we installed an irregularly spaced test configuration in the vicinity of Città di Castello (CDC) for a period of two weeks. The experimental array consisted of nine 3-component stations with inter-station distances between 150 m and 2200 m. Seismic data were digitised at 125 Hz and telemetered to a mobile acquisition, processing and storage centre. The data could only be recorded in trigger mode. The peculiarity of the test array installation was the exclusive use of 3-component sensors at all array sites, which also allowed beamforming for S-phases on the horizontal components. Since the altitudes of the single array sites differed considerably among each other, for f-k analysis and beamforming an elevation correction was included. During the two weeks of operation about 20 local earthquakes with magnitudes ML〈2.6, 1 regional, and several teleseismic events were recorded. In addition to these events, the array occasionally triggered on coherent noise-signals generated by local industrial activity. The data analysis was performed by means of f-k analysis and beamforming, providing wavenumber characteristics of the incident plane wave. Typical apparent velocities were determined to be 4.8 km/s and 6 km/s for Pg-phases and ~10 km/s for Pn-phases. We observed local seismic events, which occurred just beneath the array. In these cases wavefronts with unusual high apparent velocities, similar to those found for the Pn-phase, were observed. Since no continuously recorded array data were available, we extrapolated the lower detection magnitude threshold as a result of the SNR improvement due to array beamforming. Compared to the actual detection threshold of MT ~1.6 reached by the national seismic network in this area, a nine element array would improve this value up to MT ~ 0.8.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

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Description: Several satellite techniques have been proposed to monitor events related to seismic and volcanic activity. A selfadaptive approach (RAT, Robust AVHRR Techniques) has recently been proposed which seems able to recognise space-time anomalies, differently related to such events, also in the presence of highly variable contributions from atmospheric (transmittance), surface (emissivity and morphology) and observational (time/season, but also solar and satellite zenithal angles) conditions. On the basis of NOAA-AVHRR data, the RAT aprroach has already been applied to Mount Etna volcanic ash cloud monitoring in daytime, and to seismic area monitoring in Southern Italy. This paper presents the theoretical basis for the extension of RAT approach also to nighttime volcanic ash cloud detection, together with its possible implementation to lava flow monitoring. One example of successful forecasting (few days before) of a new lava vent opening during the Mount Etna eruption of July 2001 will be discussed in some detail. Progress on the use of the same approach on seismically active area monitoring will be discussed by comparison with previous results achieved on the Irpinia-Basilicata earthquake (MS = 6.9), which occurred on November 23rd 1980 in Southern Italy.

Description: Published

Description: JCR Journal

Description: open