High-P (P = 1.5–1.8 GPa) blueschist from Elba: Implications for underthrusting and exhumation of continental units in the Northern Apennines

The Acquadolce Subunit on the Island of Elba, Italy, records blueschist facies metamorphism related to the Oligocene–early Miocene stages of continental collision in the Northern Apennines. The blueschist facies metamorphism is represented by glaucophane- and lawsonite-bearing metabasite associated with marble and calcschist. These rock types occur as lenses in a schistose complex representing foredeep deposits of early Oligocene age. Detailed petrological analyses on metabasic and metapelitic protoliths, involving mineral and bulk-rock chemistry coupled with P–T and P–T–X(Fe₂O₃) pseudosection modelling using PERPLE_X, show that the Acquadolce Subunit recorded nearly isothermal exhumation from peak pressure–temperature conditions of 1.5–1.8 GPa and 320–370°C. During exhumation, peak lawsonite- and possibly carpholite- or stilpnomelane-bearing assemblages were overprinted and partially obliterated by epidote-blueschist and, subsequently, albite-greenschist facies metamorphic assemblages. This study sheds new light on the tectonic evolution of Adria-derived metamorphic units in the Northern Apennines, by showing (a) the deep underthrusting of continental crust during continental collision and (b) rapid exhumation along ‘cold’ and nearly isothermal paths, compatible with syn-orogenic extrusion.     

Review: Urban groundwater issues and resource management,and their roles in the resilience of cities

The relationships between cities and underlying groundwater are reviewed, with the aim to highlight the importance of urban groundwater resources in terms of city resilience value. Examples of more than 70 cities worldwide are cited along with details of their groundwater-related issues, specific experiences, and settings. The groundwater-related issues are summarized, and a first groundwater-city classification is proposed in order to facilitate a more effective city-to-city comparison with respect to, for example, the best practices and solutions that have been put in practice by similar cities in terms of local groundwater resources management. The interdependences between some groundwater services and the cascading effects on city life in cases of shock (e.g., drought, heavy rain, pollution, energy demand) and chronic stress (e.g., climate change) are analyzed, and the ideal groundwater-resilient-city characteristics are proposed. The paper concludes that groundwater is a crucial resource for planning sustainability in every city and for implementing city resilience strategies from the climate change perspective.

     

Nouvelles données sur le Messinien de Méditerranée occidentale : les gisements à Aphanius crassicaudus (Agassiz poissons téléostéens,cyprinodontiformes) des Marches (Italie)

Résumén

La découverte, dans le Nord des Marches (Italie), de nouveaux gisements de Poissons Cyprinodontidae appartenant à l’espèce Aphanius crassicaudus (AGASSIZ), conduit à réexaminer, à la lumière des données lithostratigraphiques, la signification géodynamique des ichthyofaunes messiniennes de ce secteur de l’Apennin. Après avoir précisé la position stratigraphique et la répartition paléogéographique des gisements étudiés, les auteurs montrent que le développement des faunes à Aphanius crassicaudus (AGASSIZ) dans les eaux saumâtres du domaine continental n’implique pas la disparition corrélative du milieu marin. En effet, certains genres marins sont parfois présents à côté de cette espèce, comme c’est le cas dans le gisement de Pésaro. Les auteurs contestent en outre l’interprétation selon laquelle le fait qu’aucune ichthyofaune marine ne soit connue dans le Messinien supérieur d’Italie puisse suffire à conclure que la Méditerranée était asséchée pendant le dépôt de la « Formation à colombacci »     

A micro-Mössbauer study of chromites included in diamond and other mantle-related rocks

Oxygen fugacity ( $ f_{{{\text{O}}_{ 2} }} $ f O 2 ) is a fundamental but little known intensive variable in mantle processes. It influences the P/T position of a mantle solidus and the composition of mantle-derived melts and fluids and constrains mantle-core equilibria and a number of geophysical properties of the mantle. An important source of information on oxidation states is the ferric–ferrous iron ratio in mantle spinels. Since the magnetite component is low in mantle spinels, normal analytical errors translate into considerable $ f_{{{\text{O}}_{ 2} }} $ f O 2 uncertainties. In this study, we analyzed the Fe³⁺–Fe_tot ratio of chromites present as inclusions in diamond and other mantle-related occurrences by point-source Mössbauer spectroscopy using single-crystal absorbers as well as conventional Mössbauer spectroscopy using powder absorbers. The studied spinels have been previously analyzed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and electron microprobe. The ferric–ferrous ratios found are normally similar to the different techniques apart from some samples where a large number of grains have been used for the analyses (powder absorbers). The general agreement between the different techniques allows us to conclude that the studied chromites are stoichiometric. However, conventional Mössbauer spectroscopy on powder absorbers should be conducted with great care, since the method requires a relatively large amount of sample material. Spinel frequently occurs as small grains, and the large number of crystals required may possess different degrees of oxidation/alteration and, consequently, different ferric–ferrous ratio leading to possible errors in the interpretation of the results.     

Space/time tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Umbria-Romagna-Marche Miocene Basin (Northern Apennines, Italy): a foredeep model

The space/time evolution of the Umbria-Romagna-Marche domains of the northern Apennine Miocene foredeep is proposed. In this period, the turbidite siliciclastic sedimentation is represented mainly by the Miocene Marnoso-Arenacea Formation, which generally ends with mainly marly deposits. From the internal Apennine sectors (Umbria-Romagna domain) to the external Adriatic Margin (Marche domain) the siliciclastic succession overlies hemipelagic marly deposits (Schlier Formation). The whole depositional area can be considered as a single wide basin with depocenter or main sedimentation areas progressively migrating eastwards. This basin is characterized by some morphological highs which did not constitute real dams for the sedimentary flows (turbidity currents). Multiple feeding (arkose, litharenites, calcarenites) from different sources is related to palaeogeographical and palaeotectonic reorganization of the most internal, previously deformed, Apennine areas. The activation of the foredeep stage is marked by the beginning of the siliciclastic sedimentation (Late Burdigalian in the most internal sector). This sedimentation ends in the most external sector in the Early Messinian, pointing to a depositional cycle of about 9?C10?Ma. The diachronism of the base of the siliciclastic deposition proves to be almost 5?Ma. The syn-depositional compressional deformation, which shows a marked diachronism, affected the internal area of the foredeep in the Early-Middle Serravallian, and progressively migrated up to Late Miocene, involving more and more external sectors. The deformed siliciclastic sedimentary wedge constitutes an orogenic pile incorporated in the Apennine Chain, represented by different tectonic elements superimposed by means of NE-vergent thrusts. The main stratigraphic and tectonic events of the Toscana-Romagna-Marche Apennines are presented in a general framework, resulting also in a terminological revision.     

Macroseismic effects highlight site response in Rome and its geological signature

A detailed analysis of the earthquake effects on the urban area of Rome has been conducted for the L??Aquila sequence, which occurred in April 2009, by using an online macroseismic questionnaire. Intensity residuals calculated using the mainshock and four aftershocks are analyzed in light of a very accurate and original geological reconstruction of the subsoil of Rome based on a large amount of wells. The aim of this work is to highlight ground motion amplification areas and to find a correlation with the geological settings at a subregional scale, putting in evidence the extreme complexity of the phenomenon and the difficulty of making a simplified model. Correlations between amplification areas and both near-surface and deep geology were found. Moreover, the detailed scale of investigation has permitted us to find a correlation between seismic amplification in recent alluvial settings and subsiding zones, and between heard seismic sound and Tiber alluvial sediments.     

Weathering characterization for landslides modeling in granitoid rock masses of the Capo Vaticano promontory (Calabria,Italy)

This work focuses on developing multidisciplinary researches concerning weathering profiles related to landscape evolution of the Capo Vaticano promontory on the Calabria Tyrrhenian side (southern Italy). In this area, the tectonic uplift, occurred at least since Pleistocene, together with the Mediterranean climatic conditions, is the main cause of deep weathering and denudation processes. The latter occurred on the outcropping rocks of the crystalline-metamorphic basement, made up of weathered granitoids, in turn belonging to the Monte Poro granitoid complex (intermediate to felsic plutonic rocks covered by Cenozoic sedimentary successions). Field observations coupled to borehole explorations, geophysical surveys, and minero-petrographical analyses allowed the characterization of the granitoid outcrops typical of the studied area in terms of kind and degree of slope instability. This characterization was based on suitable correlations verified between several factors as weathering degree, elastic properties of rocks, and discontinuity features. Weathering profiles are mainly composed by rock masses varying from completely weathered rock with corestones of highly weathered rock (classes IV–V) to slightly weathered rocks (class II). The weathered rocks are involved in several landslide typologies such as debris flow (frequency 48.5%), translational slide (frequency 33.3%), and minor rock fall and rotational slide (frequency 9%). The achieved data allowed the establishment of a general correlation between weathering degree and type of slope instability. Debris flow-type instabilities are predominant on the steeper slopes, involving very poor rock masses ascribed to the shallowest portions of the weathering class IV. Translational slides are less widespread than the previous ones and often involve a mixture of soil and highly weathered rocks. Rotational slides are more frequently close to the top of the slopes, where the thicknesses of more weathered rocks increase, and involve mainly rock masses belonging to the weathering classes IV and V. Rock falls mostly occur on the vertical escarpments of the road cuts and are controlled by the characteristics of the main discontinuities. The assessment of rock mass rating and slope mass rating, based on the application of the discontinuity data, allowed respectively an evaluation of the quality of rock masses and of the susceptibility of rock slopes to failure. The comparison between the last one and the real stability conditions along the cut slopes shows a good correspondence. Finally, the geological strength index system was also applied for the estimation of rock mass properties. The achieved results give a worthy support for a better understanding of the relationship between the distribution of landslides and the geological features related to different weathering degrees. Therefore, they can provide a reliable tool to evaluate the potential stability conditions of the rock slopes in the studied area and a general reference framework for the study of weathering processes in other regions with similar geological features.     

Calcio-carbonatite melts and metasomatism in the mantle beneath Mt. Vulture (Southern Italy)

At Mt. Vulture volcano (Basilicata, Italy) calcite globules (5–150 μm) are hosted by silicate glass pools or veins cross-cutting amphibole-bearing, or more common spinel-bearing mantle xenoliths and xenocrysts. The carbonate globules are rounded or elongated and are composed of a mosaic of 2–20 μm crystals, with varying optical orientation. These features are consistent with formation from a quenched calciocarbonatite melt. Where in contact with carbonate amphibole has reacted to form fassaitic pyroxene. Some of these globules contain liquid/gaseous CO₂ bubbles and sulphide inclusions, and are pierced by quench microphenocrysts of silicate phases. The carbonate composition varies from calcite to Mg-calcite (3.8–5.0 wt.% MgO) both within the carbonate globules and from globule to globule. Trace element contents of the carbonate, determined by LAICPMS, are similar to those of carbonatites worldwide including ΣREE up to 123 ppm. The Sr–Nd isotope ratios of the xenolith carbonate are similar to the extrusive carbonatite and silicate rocks of Mt. Vulture testifying to derivation from the same mantle source. Formation of immiscibile silicate–carbonatite liquids within mantle xenoliths occurred via disequilibrium immiscibility during their exhumation.     

Rainfall induced debris flows in pyroclastic deposits, Campania (southern Italy)

A combination of empirical and physically based hydrological models has been used to analyze historical data on rainfall and debris-flow occurrence in western Campania, to examine the correlation between rainfall and debris-flow events.

Rainfall data from major storms recorded in recent decades in western Campania were compiled, including daily series from several rain gauges located inside landslide areas, supplemented by hourly rainfall data from some of the principal storms.

A two-phase approach is proposed. During phase 1, soil moisture levels have been modelled as the hydrological balance between precipitation and evapotranspiration, on a daily scale, using the method of Thornthwaite [Geograph. Rev. 38 (1948) 55].

Phase 2 is related to the accumulation of surplus moisture from intense rainfall, leading to the development of positive pore pressures. These interactions take place on an hourly time scale by the “leaky barrel” (LB) model described by Wilson and Wiezoreck [Env. Eng. Geoscience, 1 (1995) 11]. In combination with hourly rainfall records, the LB model has been used to compare hydrological effects of different storms. The critical level of retained rain water has been fixed by the timing of debris-flow activity, related to recorded storm events.

New rainfall intensity–duration thresholds for debris-flow initiation in western Campania are proposed. These thresholds are related to individual rain gauge and assume a previously satisfied field capacity condition. The new thresholds are somewhat higher than those plotted by previous authors, but are thought to be more accurate and thus need less conservatism.