Neglected basement ductile deformation in balanced-section restoration: An example from the Central Southern Alps (Northern Italy)

In the construction of balanced sections through thick-skinned belts, basement bodies are frequently assumed to be rigid and internally undeformed (with the exception of regional scale fault-bend-folding) and only backstripping of thrust faults is performed during their retrodeformation, possibly leading to underestimations of the regional shortening. This simplifying assumption is generally made because reliable information on internal strain in basement is lacking and the sedimentary cover of the internal parts of thrust belts has been removed by erosion.In a basement exposure in the eastern Orobic Alps, Alpine-age ductile structures (mainly chevron to sub-isoclinal folds rarely associated with cleavage formation) were recognized on the basis of overprinting criteria, folding style and fabric orientation and their areal distribution was determined by foliation trace mapping. Although unevenly distributed in different lithologies, ductile deformation is considerable (average shortening is 47%). Neglecting such internal strain during construction of balanced sections leads, for this area, to an underestimation of at least 10%, but could be more than 40% if the observed basement shortening is extrapolated to other basement-involved thrust bodies across the entire width of the deformed belt.It is concluded that detailed structural studies of the basement, for example those using a foliation trace mapping technique, are necessary to define the internal strain of basement bodies so that the shortening of thick-skinned belts can be more accurately calculated.     

Time-series analysis in cyclic stratigraphy: An example from the Cretaceous of the Southern Alps, Italy

The importance of time-series analysis in cyclic stratigraphy is evaluated by comparing three different methods (adaptive multiple taper spectral analysis, auto-/cross-correlation analysis, cova functions) applied to stratigraphic time series from the Early Cretaceous Cismon section in northern Italy. Carbonate content and magnetic susceptibility vary in a quasi-cyclic fashion in this pelagic limestone section and are almost perfectly negatively correlated. The spectral technique requires a high degree of preprocessing of the original data (interpolation and resampling at a regular interval, filtering, inversion) which introduces smoothing and rounding errors. The statistical correlation analysis also requires evenly and (for cross-correlation) correspondingly spaced series. The geostatistical cova functions (a generalization of the cross-variogram) prove to be the most versatile and robust of the methods compared. Cova functions can be calculated from unevenly and noncor-respondingly spaced time series without any preprocessing. This method also retains relatively more of the signal if noise and extreme outliers obscure the picture. The periodicities detected in the Cismon time series fall in the range of Milankovitch cycles. Cycle periods of 45 cm and 80 cm likely correspond to dominant precession and obliquity cycles. Due to the inaccuracy of the Cretaceous time scale periods cannot be matched exactly yet, but cycle ratios are close to expected ratios so that there is great potential for future cyclostratigraphic work to contribute to a substantial improvement of the geologic time scale.     

First documented deep submarine explosive eruptions at the Marsili Seamount (Tyrrhenian Sea,Italy): A case of historical volcanism in the Mediterranean Sea

The Marsili Seamount (MS) is an about 3200 m high volcanic complex measuring 70 × 30 km with the top at ~ 500 m b.s.l. MS is interpreted as the ridge of the 2 Ma old Marsili back-arc basin belonging to the Calabrian Arc–Ionian Sea subduction system (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Previous studies indicate that the MS activity developed between 1 and 0.1 Ma through effusions of lava flows. Here, new stratigraphic, textural, geochemical, and ¹⁴C geochronological data from a 95 cm long gravity core (COR02) recovered at 839 m bsl in the MS central sector are presented. COR02 contains mud and two tephras consisting of 98 to 100 area% of volcanic ash. The thickness of the upper tephra (TEPH01) is 15 cm, and that of the lower tephra (TEPH02) is 60 cm. The tephras have poor to moderate sorting, loose to partly welded levels, and erosive contacts, which imply a short distance source of the pyroclastics. ¹⁴C dating on fossils above and below TEPH01 gives an age of 3 ka BP. Calculations of the sedimentation rates from the mud sediments above and between the tephras suggest that a formation of TEPH02 at 5 ka BP MS ashes has a high-K calcalkaline affinity with 53 wt.% < SiO₂ < 68 wt.%, and their composition overlaps that of the MS lava flows. The trace element pattern is consistent with fractional crystallization from a common, OIB-like basalt. The source area of ashes is the central sector of MS and not a subaerial volcano of the Campanian and/or Aeolian Quaternary volcanic districts. Submarine, explosive eruptions occurred at MS in historical times: this is the first evidence of explosive volcanic activity at a significant (500–800 m bsl) water depth in the Mediterranean Sea. MS is still active, the monitoring and an evaluation of the different types of hazards are highly recommended.     

From the geological to the numerical model in the analysis of gravity-induced slope deformations: An example from the Central Apennines (Italy)

This paper presents the findings from a study on gravity-induced slope deformations along the northern slope of Mt. Nuria (Rieti-Italy). The slope extends from the village of Pendenza to the San Vittorino plain and hosts the Peschiera River springs, i.e. the most important springs of the Central Apennines (average discharge: about 18 m³/s).

Detailed geological-geomorphological and geomechanical surveys, supported by a site stress-strain monitoring system and laboratory tests, led us to define the main evolutionary features of the studied phenomena. Based on the collected data, a “geological-evolutionary model” was developed with a view to identifying a spatio-temporal correlation between relief forms, jointing of the rock mass and its stress conditions. The geological-evolutionary model was expected to improve numerical simulations and to test our assumptions.

The numerical model also allowed us to simulate changes in the stress-strain conditions of the rock mass and correlate them with jointing, seepage, as well as with site-detected and site-monitored forms and deformations. In particular, significant relations between seepage, tensile stresses within the rock mass, karst solution and collapse of cavities were identified.     

An example of flow differentiation: clinopyroxenite of the Predazzo igneous complex (north Italy)

Chemical, modal and mineralogic data and textural observations suggest that the small mafic-ultramafic body at Predazzo, consisting of olivine-bearing gabbro, clinopyroxenite and quartz-bearing gabbro, is the result of a flow differentiation mechanism acting on a mush formed of 60% solid plus 40% liquid. Such a mechanism was capable of producing the concentration of the early formed crystals ($\text{cpx}\text{+}\text{mt}$) towards the center of the body (clinopyroxenite) with segregation of two portions enriched in liquid toward the margins (olivine- and quartz-bearing gabbros).     

Different approaches to the seismic hazard of Sannio-Matese (Southern Italy)

The seismic hazard of Sannio-Matese is calculated using a new seismogenetic zoning of southern Italy of seven areas and different, azimuth-dependent, attenuation laws. Various approaches (Gumbel's first and third asymptotic distribution, Cornell) lead to similar results for the different exposure times considered (100 and 200 years) and probability levels (37 and 68%). The present seismic regulation proposed in 1980 by the Italian National Council for Researches, and based on a different approach, is, in general, confirmed by the results.     

Geochemistry of fluids discharged over the seismic area of the Southern Apennines (Calabria region,Southern Italy): Implications for Fluid-Fault relationships

The first comprehensive geochemical data-set of the fluids circulating over a 14,000 km²-wide seismic-prone area of the Southern Apennines, Calabria Region (Italy), is presented here. The geochemical investigations were carried out with the twofold aim of constraining the origin and interactions of the circulating fluids and to investigate possible relationships with local faults. Sixty samples of both thermal and cold waters were collected, from which the dissolved gases were extracted. The geochemical features of the water samples display different types and degrees of water–rock interactions, irrespective of the outlet temperature. The calculated equilibrium temperatures of the thermal waters (60–160 °C) and the low heat flow of the whole study area, are consistent with a heating process due to deep water circulation and rapid upflow through lithospheric structures. The composition of the dissolved gases reveals that crustal-originating gases (N₂ and CO₂-dominated) feed all the groundwaters. The ³He/⁴He ratios of the dissolved He, in the range of 0.03–0.22Ra_c for the thermal waters and 0.05–0.63Ra_c for the cold waters (Ra_c = He isotope ratio corrected for atmospheric contamination), are mainly the result of a two-component (radiogenic and atmospheric) mixing, although indications of mantle-derived He are found in some cold waters. As the study area had been hit by 18 of the most destructive earthquakes (magnitude ranging from 5.9 to 7.2) occurring over a 280-a time span (1626–1908) in the Southern Apennines, the reported results on the circulating fluids may represent the reference for a better inside knowledge of the fault-fluid relationships and for the development of long-term geochemical monitoring strategies for the area.     

Groundwater resource degradation in coastal plains: The example of the Cecina area (Tuscany – Central Italy)

The paper describes the degradation of the groundwater resources in the Cecina area, where seawater intrusion, B contamination and NO₃ pollution are all affecting the heavily exploited Pleistocene aquifer. Over-pumping has brought water levels to about 0 m.a.s.l. as far as about 7 km from the shore line, thereby promoting the seawater intrusion. The intrusion, which is characterized by cation exchange phenomena and Ca–Cl type waters, enters the plain mostly through the shallower horizons. The saline front, which advanced from 0.5 to 1 km in 4 a, has by now reached the foot of the hills to the east of the town, where it is also affecting wells of the local aqueduct. Boron contamination, linked to past discharge of industrial waste transported downstream by the river, reached concentrations as high as 3.5 mg/L in the mid-1980s. Although a decreasing trend is now under way, B content is still close to 1 mg/L. The presence of high NO₃, which, together with the seawater intrusion, represents a major issue for groundwater management in the area, is linked to the widespread utilization of fertilizers. Nitrate concentration, which reaches a maximum of about 300 mg/L in the shallow aquifer horizons and then decreases rather regularly with depth, is strongly influenced by precipitation. However, irrigation also contributes significantly to transporting the NO₃ contamination to depth, as clearly shown by δ¹⁸O data. The severe decline in the quality of the groundwater resource in the Cecina area is further compounded by an overall decrease in water availability in the region of Tuscany, as evidenced by long-term monitoring of precipitation and fluvial discharge.     

The volcanic rocks from the Mount Agnello area (Fiemme Valley,Italy): A contribution to the knowledge of the mid-Triassic magmatism of the Southern Alps

Summary Middle Triassic volcanic rock outcrops in the Mount Agnello area (Fiemme Valley, Italy) are examined in this study. Chemical analyses based on main and trace elements (Rb, Sr, Zr, Y, Nb) allow this volcanism to be defined as shoshonitic. The amphiboles, which occur with thick opacitic rims, were determined as ferroan pargasites. They were often found in volcanites of calcalkaline and/or shoshonitic associations. Consequently, this volcanism can be associated with a newly orogenized area undergoing stabilization. These data support the more recent studies on the mid-Triassic volcanism in the Southern Alps and underline the particular position of this magmatism in the tectonic evolution of this area.

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Les roches volcaniques de l'aire de Mont Agnello (Vallèe de Fiemme, Italie): Une contribution à la connaissance du volcanisme du trias moyen des Alpes Meridionales

Résumé Sont examinées les volcanites du Trias moyen affleurantes dans l'aire de Mont Agnello (Vallèe de Fiemme, Italie). Les déterminations du chimisme, en particulier celles regardant les éléments en traces (Rb, Sr, Zr, Y, Nb), revèlent pour ce volcanisme une affinité shoshonitique qui est bien associable à une aire de recente orogenèse en voie de stabilisation. On a aussi analysé l'amphibole, present dans ces roches, caracterisé par d'epais bords de réaction et on l'à reconnu comme une pargasite riche en fer. Ces amphiboles ont été retrouvé fréquemment dans des volcanites d'association calcoalcaline et/ou shoshonitique.

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With 4 Figures     

Metal response in plants to sulfide mineralization in the Longobucco area (Calabria, southern Italy)

The results of a multielemental biogeochemical orientation survey carried out in Calabria, southern Italy, are reported in this paper. Five plant species: three herbaceous species, Oenanthe pimpinelloides, Anthemis triumphetti, and a stonecrop (Sedum tenuifolium), a leguminous shrub, spanish broom (Spartium junceum) and laricio pine (Pinus nigra ssp laricio) were studied to determine which species is the most responsive to sulfide mineralization and which are the best indicator elements. Si, Fe, Ti, Mn, Zn, Mo, Cu, and Pb were determined in ashed material by X-ray fluorescence analysis. All the data were treated statistically and classified into geometrically increasing intervals, in order to discriminate anomalous from background values. In addition, an R-mode factor analysis and a correlation analysis were performed to find out whether any specific metal association that could characterize both the lithology and mineralization existed for each plant species. The herbaceous plants, particularly Oenanthe, were much more effective as indicators of mineralization compared with laricio pine. The elements that gave the best indication of sulfide mineralization were Zn and Pb, confirming the usefulness of biogeochemical methods as an additional prospecting tool in Calabria, where such exploration has never been attempted before. R-mode factor analysis was found to be extremely promising as a supplemental tool in the interpretation of results from this biogeochemical survey. Each plant species is always characterized by a metal association (predominantly Pb-Zn-Mn) whose high factor loading scores constantly show a close relationship with proven sulfide mineralization.     

Geochemical response to varying tectonic settings: an example from southern Sulawesi (Indonesia)

The South arm of Sulawesi was an active continental margin from approximately 60 to 10 Ma, when it collided with the microcontinental fragment of Buton. Pre-collisional samples analyzed for this study are characterized by a geochemical signature typical of arc volcanics: high LILE/HFSE ratios; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr slightly higher than MORB; ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios similar to MORB. Syn-collisional samples have more enriched isotopic signatures, and are relatively potassium rich. This is interpreted to reflect a larger contribution from subducted sediments, added to the mantle wedge as a silicic melt. Melting of subducted sediments is interpreted to result from a decrease in subduction rate and an increase of temperature in the slab. Magmatism that postdates the collisional event by 10 Ma is characterized by higher Nb/Y ratios than the pre- or syn-collisional samples, and Sr and Nd isotopic signatures intermediate between these two groups. This is likely to reflect melting of a subduction-modified mantle, with a significant contribution from the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. Comparison with post-collisional magmatism from other areas of the world suggests that trace element signatures are similar, but isotopic characteristics are variable. The latter are likely to reflect both the age of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle and the time lag between cessation of subduction and formation of the post-collisional magmas.     

Poly-orogenic multi-stage metamorphic evolution inferred via P–T pseudosections: An example from Aspromonte Massif basement rocks (Southern Calabria, Italy)

The metamorphic evolution of a key sector of the western Mediterranean internal Alpine orogenic belt (southern Calabrian Peloritani Orogen) is identified and described by means of P–T pseudosections calculated for selected metapelite specimens, showing evidence of multi-stage metamorphism.Attention focused on the two lowermost basement nappes of the Aspromonte Massif (southern Calabria), which were differently affected by poly-orogenic multi-stage evolution. After a complete Variscan orogenic cycle, the upper unit (Aspromonte Peloritani Unit) was involved in a late-Alpine shearing event. In contrast, the several underlying metapelite slices, here grouped together as Lower Metapelite Group, show exclusive evidence of a complete Alpine orogenic cycle.In order to obtain reliable P–T constraints, an integrated approach was employed, based on: a) garnet isopleth thermobarometry; and b) theoretical predictions of the P–T stability fields of representative equilibrium assemblages. This approach, which takes into account the role of the local equilibrium volumes in controlling textural developments, yielded reliable information about P–T conditions from early to peak metamorphic stages, as well as estimates of the retrograde trajectory in the pseudosection P–T space.According to inferred detailed P–T paths, the evolution of the Aspromonte Peloritani Unit is characterised by a multi-stage Variscan cycle, subdivided into an early crustal thickening stage with P–T conditions ranging from 0.56 ± 0.05 GPa at 570 ± 10 °C to 0.63–0.93 GPa at 650–710 °C (peak conditions) and evolving to a later crustal thinning episode in lower P–T conditions (0.25 GPa at 540 °C), as documented by the retrograde trajectory.Conversely, the prograde evolution of the rocks of the Lower Metapelite Group shows evidence of a HP-LT early Alpine multi-stage cycle, with P–T evolving from 0.75–0.90 GPa at 510–530 °C towards peak conditions, with pressure increasing northwards from 1.12 ± 0.02 GPa to 1.24 ± 0.02 GPa, and temperatures of 540–570 °C.A late-Alpine mylonitic overprint affected the rocks of both the Aspromonte Peloritani Unit and the Lower Metapelite Group. This overprint was characterised by an initial retrograde decompression trajectory (0.75 ± 0.05 GPa at 570–600 °C), followed by a joint cooling history, ranging from 0.38 ± 0.14 at temperature from 450 to 520 °C.These inferred results were then used: a) to interpret the Lower Metapelite Group as a single crystalline basement unit exclusively affected by a complete Alpine orogenic cycle, according to the very similar features of P–T paths, comparable petrography and analogous structural characteristics; b) as a tool for more reliable correlations between the Aspromonte Massif, the other Calabrian terranes and the north African Orogenic Complexes. They may therefore consider a contribution to the geodynamic modelling of the western Mediterranean.     

Parametrical landslide modeling for the hydrogeological susceptibility assessment: from the Crati Valley to the Cavallerizzo landslide (Southern Italy)

The article deals with a tool for landslides susceptibility assessment as a function of the hydrogeological setting at different scales. The study has been applied to a test area located in Southern Italy. First, a 3D groundwater flow model was implemented for a large-scale area. The simulation of several groundwater conditions compared with the landslide activity map allows drawing a hydrogeological susceptibility map. Then, a slope scale analysis was carried out for the Cavallerizzo landslide. For this purpose, a 2D groundwater parametrical modeling was coupled with a slope stability analysis; the simulation was carried out by changing the values of the main hydrogeological parameters (recharge, groundwater supply level, etc.). The results enabled to connect the slope instability to some hydrogeological characteristics that are easy to survey and to monitor (e.g., rainfall, piezometrical level, and spring discharge), pointing out the hazard thresholds with regards to different triggering phenomena.     

The role of rainfall in the landslide hazard: the case of the Avigliano urban area (Southern Apennines, Italy)

Mass movements varying in type and size, some of which are periodically reactivated, affect the urban area of Avigliano. The disturbed and remoulded masses consist of sandy–silty or silty–clayey plastic material interbedded with stone fragments and conglomerate blocks. Five landslides that were markedly liable to rainfall-associated instability phenomena were selected.

The relationships between landslides and rainfall were investigated using a hydrological and statistical model based on long-term series of daily rainfall data. The model was used to determine the return period of cumulative daily rainfall over 1–180 days. The resulting hydrological and statistical findings are discussed with the aim of identifying the rainfall duration most critical to landslides.

The concept of a precipitation threshold was generalized by defining some probability classes of cumulative rainfall. These classes indicate the thresholds beyond which reactivation is likely to occur. The probability classes are defined according to the return period of the cumulative rainfall concomitant with landslide reactivation.     

An integrated approach to environmental quality assessment in a coastal setting in Campania (Southern Italy)

The coastal region of Southern Italy’s Caserta province, known as the Litorale Domitio (Domitia coast) has been subjected to increasing pressure from unsustainably fast economic and urban growth in the last century, that resulted in a induced serious land degradation. To obtain a comprehensive picture of the ecological status of the Domitia coastal zone (Campania, Southern Italy), a holistic methodology has been applied. Sedimentological, geochemical, and biological analyses of the surface sediments and water samples were performed along the submerged beach. The data were integrated using a geographical information system, together with information on past and present land use and human activities along the coast and in inland regions. Heavy metal concentrations in sediments plus As and Se (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) and their enrichment factors, which are important for identifying polluted areas in countries like Italy (where environmental legislation has not yet established intervention limits), indicate excesses Cd, Cr, Pb, and V of probable anthropogenic origin. A microbiological contamination of marine waters has been detected by the Regional Environmental Protection Agency of Campania. The Bacteriological Quality Index map shows that bathing areas must be classified as “contaminated” and “highly contaminated”. High levels of chemical and biological contamination are particularly common in both bathing seawater and sediments along the coastal zone south of the Volturno River, where the existing wastewater treatment plant is not properly working, to date. Factory farming, which is widespread in the area, is likely to be an additional important source of contamination. In accordance with these conclusions, analyses of the benthic diatom community revealed dominance of eutrophic species.     

Geostatistical techniques application to dissolved radon hazard mapping: An example from the western sector of the Sabatini Volcanic District and the Tolfa Mountains (central Italy)

Dissolved Rn was determined in 192 samples collected from cold shallow volcanic and sedimentary aquifers, deep thermal aquifers and from waters associated with bubbling gases in the western sector of the Sabatini Volcanic District and the Tolfa Mountains (central Italy). Shallow aquifers hosted in the Quaternary volcanic complexes show values ranging from 1.0 to 352 Bq/L (median value 55 and inter-quartile distance 62 Bq/L), while waters circulating within the permeable horizons of the sandy-to-clayey sediments of the Tolfa flysch have values from 1.0 to 44 Bq/L (median value 6.9 and inter-quartile distance 8.1 Bq/L). Thermal waters are hosted in the Mesozoic carbonate formations and move towards the surface along faults. Here, dissolved Rn values range from 0 to 37 Bq/L (median value 3.0 and inter-quartile distance 9.5 Bq/L). Waters associated with bubbling gases show dissolved Rn contents ranging from 2.0 to 48 Bq/L (median value 6.2 and inter-quartile distance 23 Bq/L). Those results suggest that lithology is the main factor affecting the Rn contents in shallow aquifers, due to the high levels of Rn progenitors U and Ra in the volcanic rocks relative to sedimentary units. The influence of other factors such as the presence of a fracture network, seasonal flow variations, type of discharge (from well or spring) was also investigated. Radon contents of thermal waters result from mixing with shallow waters (from both volcanic and sedimentary rock aquifers) and decrease of Rn solubility with temperature, while for bubbling pools the effects of strong degassing were also considered.In terms of health hazard from direct ingestion of Rn-rich waters, 20.8% of those circulating within the volcanic aquifer show values higher than the recommended value of 100 Bq/L, while none of those circulating within the sedimentary aquifers exceed the threshold value. Geostatistical techniques were used for the elaboration of contour maps by using variogram models and kriging estimation aimed at defining the areas where a potential health hazard due to the direct ingestion of Rn-rich waters and to inhalation of air following degassing of Rn from waters may be expected.     

Nephelines from the Somma-Vesuvius volcanic complex (Southern Italy): crystal-chemical,structural and genetic investigations

Sixteen nephelines from different geological occurrences were sampled at the type-locality, the Somma-Vesuvius volcanic complex (southern Italy), and investigated for their chemistry and crystal structure obtained by both single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. Nepheline-bearing samples are metamorphic or from magmatic ejecta and pumice deposits. The lower K contents characterize the pumice- and some metamorphic-derived nephelines, whereas the higher ones are found in some samples from magmatic nodules. The amount of the anorthite molecule, quite low on average, can be more variable in the metamorphic nephelines. The crystal-structure investigations on Somma-Vesuvius samples compare well with previous studies of natural nephelines. All 16 nepheline samples adopt space group P6₃. The observed lattice parameters vary between 9.9768–9.9946 Å (for a) and 8.3614–8.3777 Å (for c), respectively. Furthermore, chemical analysis revealed that all specimens exhibit an excess of Si relative the ideal Si:Al ratio of 1:1. The analysis of the T-O distances in our samples clearly indicates a distinct ordering process of aluminium and silicon on the tetrahedral sites which is an agreement with Loewenstein’s rule. A linear correlation between the distance of symmetry equivalent split atoms O(1)-O(1)’ and the T(1)-O(1)-T(2) tilt angle was observed. The average <B-O> (B = Na) distances of all crystals are very similar which is consistent with the outcome of the site population refinement indicating full occupancy with sodium. Oriented precession-type sections of reciprocal space indicated the presence of at least the most intense family of satellite peaks, demonstrating that this group of satellite reflections can occur not only in nephelines from pegmatites and ijolites but also in rocks from completely different petrological settings.     

Analysis of seismic hazard in landslide-prone regions: criteria and example for an area of Daunia (southern Italy)

In relation to the assessment of earthquake-induced landslide hazard, this paper discusses general principles and describes implementation criteria for seismic hazard estimates in landslide-prone regions. These criteria were worked out during the preparation of a hazard map belonging to the official Italian geological cartography and they are proposed as guidelines for future compilation of similar maps. In the presented case study, we used a procedure for the assessment of seismic hazard impact on slope stability adopting Arias intensity Ia as seismic shaking parameter and critical acceleration a _c as parameter representing slope strength to failures induced by seismic shaking. According to this procedure, after a preliminary comparison of estimated historical maximum values of Ia with values proposed in literature as landslide-triggering thresholds, a probabilistic approach, based on the Newmark’s model, is adopted: it allows to estimate the minimum critical acceleration a _c required for a slope to keep under a prefixed value, the probability of failures induced by seismic shakings expected in a given time interval. In this way, one can prepare seismic hazard maps where seismic shaking is expressed in an indirect way through a parameter (the critical acceleration) representing the “strength” that seismic shakings mobilise in slope materials (strength demand) with a prefixed exceedance probability. This approach was applied to an area of Daunia (Apulia—southern Italy) affected by frequent landslide phenomena. The obtained results indicate that shakings with a significant slope destabilisation potential can be expected particularly in the north-western part of the area, which is exposed to the seismic activity of Apennine tectonic structures.     

Analysis of the Maierato landslide (Calabria,Southern Italy)

On 15 February 2010, a landslide of great dimensions occurred at Maierato (Calabria, Southern Italy) after a long rainy period. Although the zone was continuously affected by ground movements especially during the wet seasons, no monitoring system was installed before the occurrence of the landslide. However, many photos and two videos were taken during the failure process of the slope. In the present study, the available images are used to reconstruct the kinematics of the landslide. In addition, a finite element analysis is performed to define the main factors of triggering and to interpret the failure mechanism of the slope. This analysis is also based on the data from a site investigation carried out after the landslide to characterise the involved soils from a geotechnical viewpoint. The analysis also accounts for the strain-softening behaviour of some soils. The results have shown that the Maierato landslide was the reactivation of a pre-existing landslide body, which was caused by a significant increase in groundwater level.