Combining 3-D Deep Electrical Resistivity Tomography With Magnetic Surveys to Investigate Complex Tectonic Basins: A Case Study From the Central Apennines Seismic Belt (Italy) V. Sapia, F. Villani, L. Improta, F. Fischanger, P. M. De Martini, et al. Tectonics, 2025 We use an innovative geophysical approach to reconstruct the deep structure of Campo Felice, an important extensional basin in the central Apennines (Italy) where active crustal extension is accommodated by normal faults capable of generating earthquakes of magnitude MW 6+. To this end, we combine 3‐D Deep Electrical Resistivity Tomography with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle aeromagnetic survey. Before this study, the knowledge of the subsurface was limited to a small sector of the basin investigated by two seismic reflection profiles and shallow scientific drillings. Our resistivity model unravels for the first time a complex subsurface structure, due to two SW‐dipping and left‐stepping normal faults (Mt Cefalone‐Serralunga and Mt Orsello), with antithetic and relay faults. Altogether, they favored the generation of two distinct sub‐basins ∼400–450 and ∼250–300 m‐deep, filled with alluvial, lacustrine and glacial deposits. Aeromagnetic data further constrain the extent and thickness of fine‐grained infill sediments, while previous drillings and seismic reflection profiles are useful to constrain geological interpretation. We provide a model of basin evolution covering approximately the last million years, improving the knowledge of the Quaternary kinematics and structure of this sector of the chain. Furthermore, this cost‐effective approach can be safely exported to similar tectonic contexts elsewhere.
Multi-Temporal Relative Sea Level Rise Scenarios up to 2150 for the Venice Lagoon (Italy) Marco Anzidei, Cristiano Tolomei, Daniele Trippanera, Tommaso Alberti, Alessandro Bosman, et al. Remote Sensing, 2025 The historical City of Venice, with its lagoon, has been severely exposed to repeated marine flooding since historical times due to the combined effects of sea level rise (SLR) and land subsidence (LS) by natural and anthropogenic causes. Although the sea level change in this area has been studied for several years, no detailed flooding scenarios have yet been realized to predict the effects of the expected SLR in the coming decades on the coasts and islands of the lagoon due to global warming. From the analysis of geodetic data and climatic projections for the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP1-2.6; SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5) released in the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we estimated the rates of LS, the projected local relative sea level rise (RSLR), and the expected extent of flooded surfaces for 11 selected areas of the Venice Lagoon for the years 2050, 2100, and 2150 AD. Vertical Land Movements (VLM) were obtained from the integrated analysis of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data in the time spans of 1996–2023 and 2017–2023, respectively. The spatial distribution of VLM at 1–3 mm/yr, with maximum values up to 7 mm/yr, is driving the observed variable trend in the RSLR across the lagoon, as also shown by the analysis of the tide gauge data. This is leading to different expected flooding scenarios in the emerging sectors of the investigated area. Scenarios were projected on accurate high-resolution Digital Surface Models (DSMs) derived from LiDAR data. By 2150, over 112 km2 is at risk of flooding for the SSP1-2.6 low-emission scenario, with critical values of 139 km2 for the SSP5-8.5 high-emission scenario. In the case of extreme events of high water levels caused by the joint effects of astronomical tides, seiches, and atmospheric forcing, the RSLR in 2150 may temporarily increase up to 3.47 m above the reference level of the Punta della Salute tide gauge station. This results in up to 65% of land flooding. This extreme scenario poses the question of the future durability and effectiveness of the MoSE (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), an artificial barrier that protects the lagoon from high tides, SLR, flooding, and storm surges up to 3 m, which could be submerged by the sea around 2100 AD as a consequence of global warming. Finally, the expected scenarios highlight the need for the local communities to improve the flood resiliency plans to mitigate the consequences of the expected RSLR by 2150 in the UNESCO site of Venice and the unique environmental area of its lagoon.
Spatiotemporal Evolution of Ground Subsidence and Extensional Basin Bedrock Organization: An Application of Multitemporal Multi-Satellite SAR Interferometry Carlo Alberto Brunori, Federica Murgia Geosciences Switzerland, 2023 Since the early 1990s, the European (ESA) and Italian (ASI) space agencies have managed and distributed a huge amount of satellite-recorded SAR data to the research community and private industries. Moreover, the availability of advanced cloud computing services implementing different multi-temporal SAR interferometry techniques allows the generation of deformation time series from massive SAR images. We exploit the information provided by a large PS dataset to determine the temporal trend of ground deformation and the relative deformation rate with millimetric accuracy to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of land subsidence induced by water pumping from a deep confined aquifer in the Northern Valle Umbra Basin (Central Italy), exploiting 24 years of Permanent Scatterers—interferometric SAR data archives. The SAR images were acquired between 1992 and 2016 by satellites ERS1/2 and ENVISAT, the Sentinel 1 ESA missions and the COSMO-SkyMed ASI mission. We observed ground velocities and deformation geometries between 1992 and 2016, with displacements of more than 70 cm and velocities of up to 55 mm/yr. The results suggest that the shape and position of the surface ground displacement are controlled by the fault activity hidden under the valley deposits.
Mapping and chronological classification of marine terraces along the southern side of the Sibari Plain (northern Calabria, Italy) by means of digital and analogue tools Laura Alfonsi, Carlo Alberto Brunori, Luigi Cucci Journal of Maps, 2023 We study the marine terraces of the southern side of the Sibari Plain in Northern Calabria (Italy) through the use of traditional and quantitative analyses of the Digital Terrain Model (DTM). The main aim of the present work consists in the extensive use of GIS tools that were never used before in the area, and in checking the applicability of this procedure. The terraced surfaces identified using photo interpretation and those recognized semi-automatically through the GIS tools were compared to finally produce a consensus map. In the final map, we identified 272 terraced surfaces and 62 morphological features associated with inner margins (i.e. paleoshorelines). The main map shows a well-developed flight of seven orders of marine terraces with elevation ranging from 45 to 360 m asl and age ranging from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a to 11.
The liquefaction features in the area of the May-June 2012 Emilia seismic sequence: An investigation approach coupling Electric Resistivity Tomography (ERT) with coring Rendiconti Online Societa Geologica Italiana, 2013
The March 11th, 2011, M 9.0 earthquake offshore Honshu island (Japan): A synthesis of the Tohoku-Oki INGV Team research activities Quaderni Di Geofisica, 2013
Towards a geological information system: The CARGeo system and the regione lombardia geological database Rendiconti Della Societa Geologica Italiana, 2007
