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Abstract The Lunigiana basin is a NW trending tectonic depression located in the Northern Apennines of Italy. The basin is bounded by active normal faults, characterized by moderate to strong seismicity, with historical earthquakes... more
Abstract The Lunigiana basin is a NW trending tectonic depression located in the Northern Apennines of Italy. The basin is bounded by active normal faults, characterized by moderate to strong seismicity, with historical earthquakes reaching up to magnitude 6 (February 14, 1834) and instrumental events with magnitude up to 5.4 (June 21, 2013). Using the classical methodologies of active tectonic studies (i.e. remote sensing and digital topography analysis, field mapping, structural geology, and tectonic geomorphology), the main active faults have been mapped for their geometries, kinematics and evidence of activity. Both fault systems bounding the basin to the northeast and southwest have revealed clear evidence of fault capability, i.e., tectonic displacement of the latest Pleistocene-Holocene sediments and geomorphic markers. Then, the study focused on the southwestern Arzelato-Mulazzo-Tresana fault system (AMT), depicting its Late Quaternary tectono-sedimentary evolution and linkage relationship between important fault segments. The throw measurement of key geomorphic markers on the central fault of the AMT allowed to derive medium- (last 350-250 ka) and short-term (18-13 ka) vertical slip rates: 0.44-0.62 and 0.45-0.68 mm/yr, respectively. Lastly, an exploratory trench for paleoseismological analysis was dug across the fault scarp where geomorphic indicators of active surface faulting were most pronounced, just south of the village of Mulazzo. Its paleoseismological analysis revealed at least two events of surface faulting, with a cumulative throw in excess of 70 cm, occurred in historical times. Radiocarbon dating of the exposed alluvial and slope deposits allowed to bracket the surface rupture events to 14th to 19th century AD and after the 18th century AD. Typically, in the active extensional belt of the Apennines, the observed offsets correspond to earthquakes of magnitude >6.3, also confirmed by the empirical fault-scaling laws. This magnitude is, therefore, higher than that currently inferred for this seismic source (Mw 5.7÷6.0 in the DISS catalog) and is comparable to that experienced in the adjoining Garfagnana basin (Mw 6.5 on September 7, 1920). The findings of this research suggests a need to revise the seismic hazard of the Lunigiana basin, including greater consideration of the surface faulting hazard in the seismic microzonation studies. More generally, our findings provide new insight into the comprehension of a) the still unclear deep geometry (listric or not?) and the hierarchy of bounding faults, and b) provide new elements to decipher the puzzling seismotectonic relationships of Lunigiana with the adjoining basins on both its ends, characterized by quite different structural settings.
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Mycenae, one of the most important cities and sacred sites of antiquity in Greece, was built on a tectonic horst uplifted by active normal faults, and both faults show geologic evidence of recent coseismic slip. The Lion Gate fault,... more
Mycenae, one of the most important cities and sacred sites of antiquity in Greece, was built on a tectonic horst uplifted by active normal faults, and both faults show geologic evidence of recent coseismic slip. The Lion Gate fault, affecting the west slope of Mycenae, is described here through geological and archaeoseismological investigation. The tectonic offset since the Pliocene−Pleistocene sequence is 13−14 m. A 4−5-m-high scarp of the major splay of this fault, well preserved inside the Shaft Grave Circle A, exhibits tectonic geomorphological aspects typical of recent surface faulting. Mycenae experienced two earthquakes in ∼60 yr during its climax, one around 1250 B.C. and the other around 1190 B.C. Seismic damage at Shaft Grave Circle A was found to have occurred on more than one occasion. One event occurred with the earthquake of 1190 B.C., or more likely with a much later one, which cut the circular parapet. Heavy damages were also registered with the earthquake of 1250 B....
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We provide a database of the coseismic geological surface effects following the Mw 6.5 Norcia earthquake that hit central Italy on 30 October 2016. This was one of the strongest seismic events to occur in Europe in the past thirty years,... more
We provide a database of the coseismic geological surface effects following the Mw 6.5 Norcia earthquake that hit central Italy on 30 October 2016. This was one of the strongest seismic events to occur in Europe in the past thirty years, causing complex surface ruptures over an area of >400 km. The database originated from the collaboration of several European teams (Open EMERGEO Working Group; about 130 researchers) coordinated by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia. The observations were collected by performing detailed field surveys in the epicentral region in order to describe the geometry and kinematics of surface faulting, and subsequently of landslides and other secondary coseismic effects. The resulting database consists of homogeneous georeferenced records identifying 7323 observation points, each of which contains 18 numeric and string fields of relevant information. This database will impact future earthquake studies focused on modelling of the seismic p...
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In the original version of the Data Descriptor the surname of author Anne Socquet was misspelled. This has now been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the Data Descriptor. Some authors were also not appropriately associated with... more
In the original version of the Data Descriptor the surname of author Anne Socquet was misspelled. This has now been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the Data Descriptor. Some authors were also not appropriately associated with their affiliations in the HTML version, due to formatting errors made by the publisher. This has now been corrected in the HTML version of the Data Descriptor, the affiliations in the PDF were correct from the time of publication.
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SUMMARY The Mw 6.4 26 November 2019, earthquake has been the strongest in the last decades in Albania, causing damages of intensity VIII to IX EMS in the epicentral region around Durres. The region north of Durres has experienced a... more
SUMMARY The Mw 6.4 26 November 2019, earthquake has been the strongest in the last decades in Albania, causing damages of intensity VIII to IX EMS in the epicentral region around Durres. The region north of Durres has experienced a maximum uplift of ca. 11 cm, based on SAR interferometry, which represents the main environmental effect induced by the earthquake. Other coseismic environmental effects were liquefaction mostly in the coastal area north and south of Durres, lateral spread in the Erzen river banks and possibly minor rock falls. As a whole, the observed effects are indicative of an intensity VIII to IX in the ESI scale. The rupture parameters that best fits the earthquake data (seismic moment, hypocentre depth, GPS data, deformation field from SAR interferometry), based on Coulomb modelling, show a reverse slip of 0.6 m on a NW–SE trending plane dipping 25° northeast, 20 km long and ca. 12 km wide, from 19.5 to ca. 15 km deep. The surface projection of the upper tip of the...
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This paper reports new data on biostratigraphy, stratigraphy and syn-sedimentary deformation of the so-called “Boeotian Flysch” cropping out in key areas in Central Greece (Levadhia, Parnassus, Iti). Because of its age, sedimentary... more
This paper reports new data on biostratigraphy, stratigraphy and syn-sedimentary deformation of the so-called “Boeotian Flysch” cropping out in key areas in Central Greece (Levadhia, Parnassus, Iti). Because of its age, sedimentary evolution and mechanisms of the syn-sedimentary deformation, the Boeotian Flysch represents a key element providing useful hints on the Cretaceous paleogeography reconstruction of the Dinaric-Hellenic Chain and in particular on the obduction at the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition in the eastern continental margin of the Adria plate. We provide here a new detailed study of different features of the Boeotian Flysch, with particular emphasis on reconstructing and dating its stratigraphy. In particular, we recognized two distinct turbiditic systems: the Lower Boeotian Flysch (Tithonian?-Aptian) and the Upper Boeotian Flysch (Cenomanian-Coniacian), which are separated by a main unconformity marking a sedimentary hiatus lasting from Aptian p.p. to Albian. By mea...
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We provide here a first-hand description of the coseismic surface effects caused by the Mw 6.4 Petrinja earthquake that hit central Croatia on 29 December 2020. This was one of the strongest seismic events that occurred in Croatia in the... more
We provide here a first-hand description of the coseismic surface effects caused by the Mw 6.4 Petrinja earthquake that hit central Croatia on 29 December 2020. This was one of the strongest seismic events that occurred in Croatia in the last two centuries. Field surveys in the epicentral area allowed us to observe and map primary coseismic effects, including geometry and kinematics of surface faulting, as well as secondary effects, such as liquefaction, sinkholes and landslides. The resulting dataset consists of homogeneous georeferenced records identifying 222 observation points, each of which contains a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 14 numeric and string fields of relevant information. The earthquake caused surface faulting defining a typical ‘conjugate’ fault pattern characterized by Y and X shears, tension cracks (T fractures), and compression structures (P shears) within a ca. 10 km wide (across strike), NW–SE striking right-lateral strike-slip shear zone (i.e., the Petrinja Fa...
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Ancient earthquakes can leave their mark in the mythical practices and literary accounts of ancient peoples, the stratigraphy of their site histories, and the structural integrity of their constructions. The ancient Greek/Roman city of... more
Ancient earthquakes can leave their mark in the mythical practices and literary accounts of ancient peoples, the stratigraphy of their site histories, and the structural integrity of their constructions. The ancient Greek/Roman city of Cnidus in southwestern Turkey records all three. A spectacular exposed fault plane cliff bordering the northern edge of the city appears to have been an important revered site, bearing votive niches carved into the near-vertical slip plane and associated with a Sanctuary of Demeter that implies a ...
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Since May 16, 2012, a seismic sequence has affected a wide portion of the Emilia Region (northern Italy), chiefly for the Modena and Ferrara Provinces. The first mainshock (Ml 5.9; focal depth, ca. 6 km) occurred on May 20, 2012, with the... more
Since May 16, 2012, a seismic sequence has affected a wide portion of the Emilia Region (northern Italy), chiefly for the Modena and Ferrara Provinces. The first mainshock (Ml 5.9; focal depth, ca. 6 km) occurred on May 20, 2012, with the epicenter located a few kilometers north of Finale Emilia. A second main shock (Ml 5.8; focal depth, ca. 10 km) occurred on May 29, 2012, about 12 km west of the first earthquake, with the epicenter near Medolla (Figure 1). The seismic sequence has been characterized by five other Ml ≥5 events, and more than 2,300 aftershocks of lower magnitude, until the end July 2012. The distribution of the aftershocks identifies a WNW-ESE-trending zone ca. 40 km long that is characterized by NNE-SSW nearly pure compression, as indicated by the focal mechanisms [e.g., QRCMT 2012]. This report focuses on the many ground effects that were induced by this seismic sequence, as mainly cracks, liquefaction-type phenomena, and hydrological anomalies. The aim is to prov...
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The aim of this paper is to contribute to deciphering the evolutionary history of the Hellenides by the study of a large sector of the chain located between the front of the ophiolitic units and the external zones classically attributed... more
The aim of this paper is to contribute to deciphering the evolutionary history of the Hellenides by the study of a large sector of the chain located between the front of the ophiolitic units and the external zones classically attributed to the continental margin of Adria. In particular, the tectonic units located in Boeotia – a key area located in Central Greece at the boundary between the Internal and External Hellenides – were studied from structural, stratigraphic and biostratigraphic points of view. Addressing the main debated aspects concerning the origin of the ophiolite nappe(s), the tectonic evolution of the Hellenic orogen was revised with a particular emphasis on the period between obduction and continental collision. New findings were compared with consolidated data concerning the main metamorphic events recorded in the more Internal Hellenides, geochemistry and age of the ophiolites and main stratigraphic constraints obtained in other sectors of the belt. Finally, a new ...
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Abstract: The ruins of Cnidus, an important ancient city in southwestern Asia Minor, lie directly on an earthquake fault–the Cnidus Fault. Offset and deformed archaeological remains along the trace of the fault testify to its recent... more
Abstract: The ruins of Cnidus, an important ancient city in southwestern Asia Minor, lie directly on an earthquake fault–the Cnidus Fault. Offset and deformed archaeological remains along the trace of the fault testify to its recent activation. The ancient city's famous Round Temple of Aphrodite is vertically offset by 0.35 m across the fault. The fault also forms the back wall to the Sanctuary of Demeter where Roman-age walls are displaced and deformed by slip on the fault. Archaeological evidence suggests multiple episodes of ...
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Terrestrial laser scanner (lidar) systems have the capability to very accurately build 3D topographic models and detect millimetric-scale changes caused by tectonic movements. We have measured post-seismic deformation at 5 locations along... more
Terrestrial laser scanner (lidar) systems have the capability to very accurately build 3D topographic models and detect millimetric-scale changes caused by tectonic movements. We have measured post-seismic deformation at 5 locations along the 6th April L'Aquila earthquake surface rupture. Our first survey was undertaken 8 days after the earthquake, and the sites were subsequently re-occupied in May and August. Our survey has detected post-seismic motions at rates of millimetres per day, declining in the months ...
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This multidisciplinary field trip will focus especially on the influence (or lack of influence) of geology and geohazards on urban planning in some of the most renowned towns but also in less known but enticing spots of Italy. Therefore,... more
This multidisciplinary field trip will focus especially on the influence (or lack of influence) of geology and geohazards on urban planning in some of the most renowned towns but also in less known but enticing spots of Italy. Therefore, cultural interest is guaranteed. Italian towns display a great variety of geological-geomorphological settings, and have experienced with time many extreme natural events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, or relatively slow phenomena such as subsidence. All this has strongly affected the urban texture, occasionally determining the decay of towns, more often the search for appropriate technical solutions and the flourishing of architectural and urban planning masterpieces, especially during the richest artistic periods. The field trip will provide the participants a chance to visit several Italian art-filled towns, discovering not only their beauty but also the geological and geomorphological ground underneath and how this has influen...
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We present some preliminary results on the mapping of coseismically-induced ground ruptures following the Aug. 24, 2016, Central Italy earthquake (Mw 6.0). The seismogenic source, as highlighted by InSAR and seismological data, ruptured... more
We present some preliminary results on the mapping of coseismically-induced ground ruptures following the Aug. 24, 2016, Central Italy earthquake (Mw 6.0). The seismogenic source, as highlighted by InSAR and seismological data, ruptured across two adjacent structures: the Vettore and Laga faults. We collected field data on ground breaks along the whole deformed area and two different scenarios of on-fault coseismic displacement arise from these observations. To the north, along the Vettore fault, surface faulting can be mapped quite continuously along a well-defined fault strand while such features are almost absent to the south, along the Laga fault, where flysch-like marly units are present. A major lithological control, affects the surface expression of faulting, resulting in a complex deformation pattern.
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Abstract In this study we analyse the main potential seismic sources in some axial and frontal sectors of the Northern Apennines, in Italy. This region was hit by a peculiar series of earthquakes that started in 1916 on the external... more
Abstract In this study we analyse the main potential seismic sources in some axial and frontal sectors of the Northern Apennines, in Italy. This region was hit by a peculiar series of earthquakes that started in 1916 on the external thrust fronts near Rimini. Later, in 1917–1921, seismicity (up to Mw ≈ 6.5) shifted into the axial zone and clearly migrated north-westward, along the belt of active normal faults. The collection of fault-slip data focused on the active normal faults potentially involved in this earthquake series. The acquired data allowed us to better characterize the geometry and kinematics of the faults. In a few instances, the installation of local seismic networks during recent seismic sequences allowed the identification of the causative faults that are hinted to be also responsible for past earthquakes, particularly in the Romagna region and north-eastern Mugello. The Coulomb stress changes produced by the historical earthquakes generally brought closer to failure all the faults that supposedly caused the main seismic events of 1916–1921. However, the stress change magnitude is generally small and thus the static stress interaction among the main seismic sources is not supported by a significant seismic correlation. Significant stress change loading may be instead inferred for the triggering of a number of seismic events on neighbouring normal faults by the Garfagnana 1920 earthquake. In addition, the computation of the seismic stress changes suggests that seismic events with magnitude ≥ 6 may transmit stresses from the axial normal faults to specific external thrusts and vice versa. It is possible that a correlation may be made between loading applied by the major 1917–1920 extensional ruptures and the increased seismicity on the distal external thrusts.
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Beyond the study of historical surface faulting events, this work investigates the possibility, in specific cases, of identifying pre-historical events whose memory survives in myths and legends. The myths of many famous sacred places of... more
Beyond the study of historical surface faulting events, this work investigates the possibility, in specific cases, of identifying pre-historical events whose memory survives in myths and legends. The myths of many famous sacred places of the ancient world contain relevant telluric references: "sacred" earthquakes, openings to the Underworld and/or chthonic dragons. Given the strong correspondence with local geological evidence, these myths may be considered as describing natural phenomena. It has been possible in this way to shed light on the geologic origin of famous myths (Piccardi, 1999, 2000 and 2001). Interdisciplinary researches reveal that the origin of several ancient sanctuaries may be linked in particular to peculiar geological phenomena observed on local active faults (like ground shaking and coseismic surface ruptures, gas and flames emissions, strong underground rumours). In many of these sanctuaries the sacred area is laid directly above the active fault. In ...
... Page 10. THE ADRIA MICROPLATE 104 is in the range of 0.8-0.9 mm/yr (Piccardi, 1998; Borre et al., 2003). The right-lateral slip along the Mattinata fault is due to a stress state condition characterized by a σң oriented roughly NW-SE... more
... Page 10. THE ADRIA MICROPLATE 104 is in the range of 0.8-0.9 mm/yr (Piccardi, 1998; Borre et al., 2003). The right-lateral slip along the Mattinata fault is due to a stress state condition characterized by a σң oriented roughly NW-SE and a σ3 oriented about NE-SW (Figure 5). ...