Influence of hydrostratigraphy and structural setting on the arsenic occurrence in groundwater of the Cimino-Vico volcanic area (central Italy)

Arsenic occurrence in groundwater near the Cimino-Vico volcanoes (central Italy) was analysed considering the hydrostratigraphy and structural setting and the shallow and deep flows interacting within the Quaternary volcanics. Groundwater is the local source of drinking water. As documented in the past, arsenic in the groundwater has become a problem, and the European maximum allowable contaminant level was recently lowered to 10 μg/L. Chemical analyses of groundwater were conducted, sampled over an area of about 900 km², from 65 wells and springs representative of the volcanic aquifer and thermal waters. Considering the type of aquifer, the nature of the aquifer formation and its substratum, the hydrochemical data highlight that the arsenic content of the groundwater is mainly connected with the hydrothermal processes in the volcanic area. Thermal waters (54–60°C) fed from deep-rising fluids show higher arsenic concentrations (176–371 μg/L). Cold waters sampled from the volcanic aquifer are characterized by a wide variability in their arsenic concentration (1.6–195 μg/L), and about 62% exceed the limit of 10 μg/L. Where the shallow volcanic aquifer is open to deep-rising thermal fluids, relatively high arsenic concentrations (20–100 μg/L) are found. This occurs close to areas of the more recent volcano-tectonic structures.     

Characterization of salt-water intrusion in the lower Esino Valley, Italy using a three-dimensional numerical model

A seawater-intrusion study was conducted at an oil-refinery site located on the coast in the lower Esino Valley, Italy. A steady-state density-dependent flow model was used in order to understand the position of the freshwater/salt-water interface, as influenced by the hydrogeologic structure and the presence of industrial activities and a river. Collected data and model results showed that in a large part of the area, the salt-water interface is steep and can penetrate only a few meters inland. On the other hand, close to the river mouth, seawater represents the main saline source for the aquifer. The river, in connection with the sea, can enhance seawater encroachment into the coastal aquifer; a long-term survey of river level and chloride concentrations in groundwater is recommended to further improve the physical model and to obtain a better calibration. At the refinery site, two “secondary” sources of saline water were identified and were demonstrated to have had a great influence on the presence of brackish waters in the unconfined aquifer: leakage from the fire-extinguishing system (network of pipes containing seawater) and rough sea events. This confirmed that groundwater contamination by chloride can result from means other than seawater intrusion.     

C-axis fabrics of quartz-ribbons during high-temperature deformation of syn-tectonic granitoids (Sila Massif, Calabria, Italy)

Late-Hercynian, high temperature (HT) shear deformation affected the zone straddling the contact between the Sila Massif batholith (above) and the host migmatitic paragneisses (below). A segment of the regional HT shear zone was investigated close to the town of Mesoraca, where a natural section allows one to analyse the solidus deformation of syn-tectonic granitoids. Shearing favoured the formation of polycrystalline quartz ribbons in deformed granodiorite and tonalite. Two main c-axis fabrics were found in the quartz-ribbons, different from each other by opening angles around Z between strong point maxima, in accordance with deformation under granulite to amphibolite facies conditions. These fabrics, along with microstructural observations, suggest that temperature of deformation played a key role and that ribboning was accompanied by the activation of (i) prism [c] slip and prism [c] + prism <a> slips, under granulite facies conditions, followed by (ii) basal <a> and prism <a> slips under amphibolite facies conditions.     

The Breccia Museo formation, Campi Flegrei, southern Italy: geochronology, chemostratigraphy and relationship with the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption

The Breccia Museo is one of the most debated volcanic formations of the Campi Flegrei volcanic district. The deposit, made up of six distinctive stratigraphic units, has been interpreted by some as the proximal facies of the major caldera-forming Campanian Ignimbrite eruption, and by others as the product of several, more recent, independent and localized events. New geochemical and chemostratigraphical data and Ar–Ar age determinations for several units of the Breccia Museo deposits (~39 ka), correlate well with the Campanian Ignimbrite-forming eruption. The chemical zoning of the Breccia Museo deposits is interpreted here to be a consequence of a three-stage event that tapped a vertically zoned trachytic magma chamber. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Sustainable Yield of a Hydrothermal Area: From Theoretical Concepts to the Practical Approach

Sustainable use of groundwater in the hydrothermal area of Viterbo (Central Italy) was analyzed. In this area, multipurposes utilization of groundwater coexists: several thermal springs and wells supply spas and public pools, cold and fresh water is used for irrigation and drinking-water. Starting from theoretical concepts, a management plan has been developed to ensure groundwater sustainability in response to the increased demand of withdrawal from thermal wells, by integrating previous hydrogeological studies, new investigations and a new finite-difference model. The most stringent constraints considered are: to maintain the quality of thermal and fresh waters, to limit the effects on the hydraulic equilibrium existing between overlapping aquifers, to ensure a significant flow to the natural thermal springs and the quality and flow rate of the spring used for drinking purposes. The practical approach included identification of the maximum pumping rate from the wells of the spas, analysis of the response time of the system under development and drafting of a safeguard and monitoring plan. The case examined takes into account the complexity of the task in defining practical measures for groundwater management on the basis of theoretical concepts of its sustainable use. A participative approach among the different water decision-makers and adaptive management in the use of groundwater resources with different quality represent the key points to overcome conflicts between different users, with the awareness of the ineludible uncertainties of the hydrogeological model.     

Adjustments in channel morphology due to land‐use changes and check dam installation in mountain torrents of Calabria (southern Italy)

In Mediterranean semi‐arid conditions, the availability of studies monitoring channel adjustments as a response to reforestation and check dams over representative observation periods, could help develop new management strategies. This investigation is an integrated approach assessing the adjustments of channel morphology in a typical torrent of southern Italy after land‐use changes and check dam construction across a period of about 60 years. A statistical analysis of historical rainfall records, an analysis of land‐use changes in the catchment area and a geomorphological mapping of channel adjustments were carried out and combined with field surveys of bed surface grain‐size over a 5‐km reach including 14 check dams. The analysis of the historical rainfall records showed a slight decrease in the amount and erosivity of precipitation. Mapping of land‐use changes highlighted a general increase of vegetal coverage on the slopes adjacent to the monitored reaches. Together with the check dam network installation, this increase could have induced a reduction in water and sediment supply. The different erosional and depositional forms and adjustments showed a general narrowing between consecutive check dams together with local modifications detected upstream (bed aggradation and cross‐section expansion together with low‐flow realignments) and downstream (local incision) of the installed check dams. Changes in the torrent bends were also detected as a response to erosional and depositional processes with different intensities. The study highlighted: the efficiency of check dams against the disrupting power of intense floods by stabilizing the active channel and the influence of reforestation in increasing hillslope protection from erosion and disconnectivity of water and sediment flows towards the active channel. Only slight management interventions (for instance, the conversion of the existing check dams into open structures) are suggested, in order to mobilize the residual sediment avoiding further generalized incision of the active channel and coast line erosion. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of water management strategies in southern Mesopotamia during the fourth and third millennium B.C.E.

The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management in southern Mesopotamia. Thanks to many geoarchaeological research projects conducted throughout the central and southern Iraqi floodplains, a general understanding of the macrophases of anthropogenic manipulation of this vast hydraulic landscape has been achieved. However, current narratives mostly rely on studies at a regional scale and are based on excessively long chronological phases (often spanning a whole millennium). A finer-tuned analysis at a submillennial scale is needed to better appreciate the dynamics that led to the development of artificial canals and irrigation systems and the creation of harbours in cities and other navigation-related facilities. The Iraqi-Italian QADIS project is addressing this issue through a systematic geoarchaeological investigation in the south-eastern area of the Qadisiyah province. We aim to update the current narrative by analysing case studies involving specific periods of occupation. We performed 17 boreholes to propose a date on the functioning period of the hydraulic works in five selected archaeological sites of this region. This approach allowed us to understand changes in water management strategies in both the short and the medium term (i.e., on a scale of centuries). In this paper, we present the results for the fourth and third millennia B.C.E. This period witnessed a crucial passage from the basic exploitation of natural watercourses for irrigation and occasional navigation to the emergence of the first system of artificial canals and intraurban harbours.     

New fission-track age determinations on impact glasses

Abstract— Four samples from Libyan Desert glass, one sample from Muong-Nong-type tektite, labelled Guang-Dong, and one sample from Czech Moldavite were analysed using the fission-track dating method. The Moldavite was unaffected by partial thermal track annealing, whereas the ages of Libyan Desert glass and Guang-Dong tektite appear to have been thermally lowered. Fission-track ages of the latter impact glasses were corrected using the plateau method. Apparent ages of Libyan Desert glass (between 26.0 ± 1.8 Ma and 29.0 ± 1.8 Ma) and Guang-Dong tektite (0.61 ± 0.05 Ma), as well as plateau ages (weighted mean: 28.5 ± 0.8 Ma for Libyan Desert glass and 0.77 ± 0.08 Ma for Guang-Dong) resulted in close agreement with previous determinations published in the late 1970s by Storzer and Wagner (1977). The age of the Moldavite (15.2 ± 0.08 Ma) also resulted in agreement with previous fission track and K-Ar determinations.     

Photoelectric photometry of asteroids 37, 80, 97, 216, 270, 313, and 471

Photoelectric observations of several minor planets were made from 1975 to 1977 at the Astronomical Observatory of Torino. Lightcurves and period information are given for 7 objects: 37 Fides, 80 Sappho, 97 Klotho, 216 Kleopatra, 270 Anahita, 313 Chaldaea, and 471 Papagena.     

A new version of the USLE‐MM for predicting bare plot soil loss at the Sparacia (South Italy) experimental site

Improving empirical prediction of plot soil erosion at the event temporal scale has both scientific and practical importance. In this investigation, 492 runoff and soil loss data from plots of different lengths, λ (11 ≤ λ ≤ 44 m), and steepness, s (14.9 ≤ s ≤ 26.0%), established at the Sparacia experimental station, in Sicily, South Italy, were used to derive a new version of Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE)‐MM model, by only assuming a value of one for the topographic length, L, and steepness, S, factors for λ = 22 m and s = 9%, respectively. An erosivity index equal to (Q_REI₃₀)^b1, Q_R and EI₃₀ being the runoff coefficient and the event rainfall erosivity index, respectively, with b₁ > 1 was found to be an appropriate choice for the Sparacia area. The specifically developed functions for L and S did not differ appreciably from other, more widely accepted relationships (maximum differences by a factor of 1.22 for L and 1.09 for S). The new version of the USLE‐MM performed particularly well for highly erosive events, because predicted soil loss differed by not more than a factor of 1.19 from the measured soil loss for measured values of more than 100 Mg ha^?1. The choice of the relationships to predict topographic effects on plot soil loss should not represent a point of particular concern in the application of the USLE‐MM in other environments. However, tests of the empirical approach should be carried out in other experimental areas in an attempt to develop analytical tools, usable at the event temporal scale, reasonably simple and of wide validity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.