Detection of local site effects through the estimation of building damages

After the Umbria Marche seismic sequence of September–October 1997, an extensive microzoning study was conducted, from October 1997 to May 1998, to detect the zones where the ground motion was amplified because of local geological and geomorphological settings. The goal of the investigation was to return amplification coefficients to local authorities for the post-seismic reconstruction and repairing of pre-existing buildings, by examining the seismic behaviour of the most damaged 60 villages. The analysis consisted in the application of well known computer codes and the results were arranged as reference table, used to assign the amplification coefficients to the rest of damaged localities.The present study has the aim of evaluating the accuracy of that methodology, following a completely different approach. The actual damages, detected by an aerial photo interpretation, are compared to the theoretical damages estimated through empirical curves, obtained from the analysis of recent Italian earthquakes. This approach was reliable enough to calibrate the results of the microzoning study and appropriate when an immediate assessment of the damage is required, to assign funds and estimate the amplification zones, that need to be investigated in finer detail.     

Spectral Amplification Effects at Sellano,Central Italy,for the 1997–98 Umbria Seismic Sequence

The seismic events recorded at two accelerographs installed at Sellano (central Italy) during the 1997–1998 Umbria seismic sequence, one on detritic material, at the historical centre, and the other one on rock, about 200 m distant, were analysed in terms of spectral amplification of the historical centre site. Epicentres were mainly concentrated in the north and south-east directions of Sellano area. The SH wave component average amplifications were evaluated from the smoothed Fourier spectral ratios of the recordings on soil and rock sites, along the two main epicentral lines. Similar amplifications resulted, with two main peaks in the frequency range of 3–5 Hz, corresponding to the eigenfrequencies of the damaged buildings. Shear velocities of the shallowest 30 m of soils were obtained by FTAN measurements along refraction seismic spreadings, and utilized to compute spectral amplification of soil station to rock station along the geological cross sections. A good agreement was found between observed Fourier spectral ratios and the computed 2D amplification modelling, which explains the damage level of the historical buildings beside the degraded conditions of brick masonry.     

Comparing landslide inventory maps

Landslide inventory maps are effective and easily understandable products for both experts, such as geomorphologists, and for non experts, including decision-makers, planners, and civil defense managers. Landslide inventories are essential to understand the evolution of landscapes, and to ascertain landslide susceptibility and hazard. Despite landslide maps being compiled every year in the word at different scales, limited efforts are made to critically compare landslide maps prepared using different techniques or by different investigators. Based on the experience gained in 20 years of landslide mapping in Italy, and on the limited literature on landslide inventory assessment, we propose a general framework for the quantitative comparison of landslide inventory maps. To test the proposed framework we exploit three inventory maps. The first map is a reconnaissance landslide inventory prepared for the Umbria region, in central Italy. The second map is a detailed geomorphological landslide map, also prepared for the Umbria region. The third map is a multi-temporal landslide inventory compiled for the Collazzone area, in central Umbria. Results of the experiment allow for establishing how well the individual inventories describe the location, type and abundance of landslides, to what extent the landslide maps can be used to determine the frequency-area statistics of the slope failures, and the significance of the inventory maps as predictors of landslide susceptibility. We further use the results obtained in the Collazzone area to estimate the quality and completeness of the two regional landslide inventory maps, and to outline general advantages and limitations of the techniques used to complete the inventories.     

Rock falls induced by earthquakes: a statistical approach

During September and October 1997 a seismic sequence of moderate magnitude struck the Umbria and Marche regions, central Italy. As a consequence of the main shocks several rock falls were triggered along the flanks of the Valnerina valley, an important canyon formed by the erosion of the Nera river on limestone formations. This landslide data set was used to explore the correlation existing among rock falls and several causal factors, like slope angle, geology and strong ground motion parameters. All the data have been digitised and georeferenced with the aid of a Geographic Information System in the form of digital thematic layers. The landslide inventory has been overlaid to the maps of causal factors, and the result arranged in order to create a data structure suitable to perform a multivariate statistics. A multiple regression allowed to formulate a predictive rule that can be used to produce a rock fall susceptibility map in case of an earthquake, in regions with similar geologic and geomorphologic characteristics.     

Hydrogeological Changes Related to the Umbria–Marche Earthquake of 26 September 1997 (Central Italy)

Evidences of variations of the hydrologic regime have been observed after the Umbria–Marche seismic sequence, started on September 26th 1997, at the boundary between Umbria and Marche regions, central Italy. In order to quantify the hydrological variations, several data regarding groundwater level, spring discharge and river flow rates, have been collected from local authorities and mineral water companies. They allowed to confine the area affected by anomalies and to quantify the hydrological variations by a comparison with the average yearly regime, estimated from the data referring to previous years. An attempt to identify precursor phenomena has also been carried out. The results of the analysis sustain the close connection of two water reservoirs, the Umbria–Marche ridge and the Valnerina unit, that have both been affected by changes of the hydrologic regime. Two of the river gauge stations registered anomalies several months before the crisis started, acting as earthquake precursors.