Geology topics

Research about Italy

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Italy.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

USGS2000

Debris flow monitoring in the Acquabona watershed on the Dolomites (Italian Alps)

In 1997 a field monitoring system was installed in Acquabona Creek in the Dolomites (Eastern Italian Alps) to observe the hydrologic conditions for debris flow occurrence and some dynamic properties of debris flow. The monitoring system consists of three remote stations: an upper one located at the head of a deeply-incised channel and two others located downstream. The system is equipped with sensors for measuring rainfall, pore pressures in the mobile channel bottom, ground vibrations, debris flow depth, total normal stress and fluid pore-pressure at the base of the flow. Two video cameras record events at the upper channel station and one video is installed at the lowermost station. During summer 1998, three debris flows (volumes from less than 1000 m 3 up to 9000 m 3 ) occurred at Acquabona. The following results were obtained from a preliminary analysis of the data: 1) All of the flows were triggered by rainfalls of less than 1 hour duration, with peak rainfall intensities ranging from 4.8 to 14.7 mm / 10 minute. 2) Debris flows initiated in several reaches of the channel, including the head of the talus slope. 3) The initial surges of the mature flows had a higher solid concentration and a lower velocity (up to 4 m/s) than succeeding, more dilute surges (more than 7 m/s). 4) Total normal stress and pore fluid pressures measured at the base of the flow. (mean depth about 1.1 m) were similar (about 15 kPa), indicating a completely liquefied flow. 5) Peak flows entrained debris at a rate of about 6 m 3/m of channel length and channel bed scouring was proportional to the local slope gradient and was still evident in the lower channel where the slope was 7°.

Acquabona Creek, Alps, Boite River, Dolomites↗

USGS1999

Understanding Vesuvius magmatic processes: Evidence from primitive silicate-melt inclusions in medieval scoria clinopyroxenes (Terzigno formation)

Microthermometric investigations of silicate-melt inclusions and electron microprobe analyses were conducted on experimentally homogenized silicate-melt inclusions and on the host clinopyroxenes from 4 scoria samples of different layers from the Mt. Somma-Vesuvius medieval eruption (Formazione di Terzigno, 893 A.D.). The temperature of homogenization, considered the minimum trapping temperature, ranges from 1190 to 1260 ± 5 °C for all clinopyroxene-hosted silicate melt inclusions. The major and minor-element compositional trends shown by Terzigno scoria and matrix glass chemical analysis are largely compatible with fractional crystallization of clinopyroxene and Fe-Ti oxides. Sulfur contents of the homogenized silicate-melt inclusions in clinopyroxene phenocrysts compared with that in the host scoria show that S has been significantly degassed in the erupted products; whereas, Cl has about the same abundance in the inclusions and in host scoria. Fluorine is low (infrequently up to 800 ppm) in the silicate-melt inclusions compared to 2400 ppm in the bulk scoria. Electron microprobe analyses of silicate-melt inclusions show that they have primitive magma compositions (Mg# = 75-91). The composition of the host clinopyroxene phenocrysts varies from typical plinian-related (Mg#≥85) to non plinian related (Mg#≤85). The mixed source of the host clinopyroxenes and primitive nature of the silicate-melt inclusions implies that these phenocrysts, in part, may be residual and/or have a polygenetic origin. The similar variation trends of major and minor-elements between homogenized silicate-melt inclusions from the Terzigno scoria, and silicate-melt inclusions in olivine and diopside phenocrysts from plinian eruptions ( Marianelli et al., 1995) suggest that the trapped inclusions represent melts similar to those that supplied the plinian and sub-plinian magma chambers. These geochemical characteristics suggest that the Vesuvius magmatic system retained a vestige of the most recent plinian event.

Mt. Somma-Vesuvius↗

USGS1999

Petroleum systems of the Po Basin Province of northern Italy and the northern Adriatic Sea; Porto Garibaldi (biogenic), Meride/Riva di Solto (thermal), and Marnoso Arenacea (thermal)

The Porto Garibaldi total petroleum system dominates the Po Basin Province of onshore northern Italy and offshore Italy and Croatia in the northern Adriatic Sea. Porto Garibaldi contains Pliocene (primarily) and Pleistocene (secondarily) biogenic gas ? approximately 16 TCF (2.66 BBOE) ultimately recoverable ? accumulated in co-eval siliciclastic reservoirs. This area was the northwestern edge of the Gondwanan (African) continental plate in pre-Hercynian time until the assembly of Pangea, a dominantly carbonate passive continental margin during the Mesozoic breakup of Pangea, and a Cenozoic collision zone with siliciclastic foredeep and foreland regions surrounded by thrust belts. At least two other petroleum systems, with Triassic (Meride / Riva di Solto) and Miocene (Marnoso Arenacea) source rocks, contribute oil and thermal gas reserves (nearly 1 BBOE) to the province. The major time of hydrocarbon expulsion of the thermal systems was Late Neogene during the Alpine and Apennine orogenies. Local Mesozoic oil expulsion from Triassic rocks also occurred, but those oils either were not trapped or were leaked from faulty traps through time.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1998

Bayesian statistics applied to the location of the source of explosions at Stromboli Volcano, Italy

We present a method for determining the location and spatial extent of the source of explosions at Stromboli Volcano, Italy, based on a Bayesian inversion of the slowness vector derived from frequency-slowness analyses of array data. The method searches for source locations that minimize the error between the expected and observed slowness vectors. For a given set of model parameters, the conditional probability density function of slowness vectors is approximated by a Gaussian distribution of expected errors. The method is tested with synthetics using a five-layer velocity model derived for the north flank of Stromboli and a smoothed velocity model derived from a power-law approximation of the layered structure. Application to data from Stromboli allows for a detailed examination of uncertainties in source location due to experimental errors and incomplete knowledge of the Earth model. Although the solutions are not constrained in the radial direction, excellent resolution is achieved in both transverse and depth directions. Under the assumption that the horizontal extent of the source does not exceed the crater dimension, the 90% confidence region in the estimate of the explosive source location corresponds to a small volume extending from a depth of about 100 m to a maximum depth of about 300 m beneath the active vents, with a maximum likelihood source region located in the 120- to 180-m-depth interval.

Stromboli Volcano↗

USGS1998

Shallow velocity structure of Stromboli Volcano, Italy, derived from small-aperture array measurements of Strombolian tremor

The properties of the tremor wave field at Stromboli are analyzed using data from small-aperture arrays of short-period seismometers deployed on the north flank of the volcano. The seismometers are configured in two semi-circular arrays with radii of 60 and 150 m and a linear array with length of 600 m. The data are analyzed using a spatiotemporal correlation technique specifically designed for the study of the stationary stochastic wave field of Rayleigh and Love waves generated by volcanic activity and by scattering sources distributed within the island. The correlation coefficients derived as a function of frequency for the three components of motion clearly define the dispersion characteristics for both Rayleigh and Love waves. Love and Rayleigh waves contribute 70% and 30%, respectively, of the surface-wave power. The phase velocities of Rayleigh waves range from 1000 m/sec at 2 Hz to 350 m/sec at 9 Hz, and those for Love waves range from 800 to 400 m/sec over the same frequency band. These velocities are similar to those measured near Puu Oo on the east rift of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, although the dispersion characteristics of Rayleigh waves at Stromboli show a stronger dependence on frequency. Such low velocities are consistent with values expected for densely cracked solidified basalt. The dispersion curves are inverted for a velocity model beneath the arrays, assuming those dispersions represent the fundamental modes of Rayleigh and Love waves.

Stromboli volcano↗

USGS1998

Volcanism offshore of Vesuvius Volcano in Naples Bay

High-resolution seismic reflection data are used to identify structural features in Naples Bay near Vesuvius Volcano. Several buried seismic units with reflection-free interiors are probably volcanic deposits erupted during and since the formation of the breached crater of Monte Somma Volcano, which preceded the growth of Vesuvius. The presumed undersea volcanic deposits are limited in extent; thus, stratigraphie relationships cannot be established among them. Other features revealed by our data include (a) the warping of lowstand marine deposits by undersea cryptodomes located approximately 10 km from the summit of Vesuvius, (b) a succession of normal step faults that record seaward collapse of the volcano, and (c) a small undersea slump in the uppermost marine deposits of Naples Bay, which may be the result of nue??e ardentes that entered the sea during a major eruption of Vesuvius in 1631. Detection of these undersea features illustrates some capabilities of making detailed seismic reflection profiles across undersea volcanoes.

Vesuvius Volcano↗

USGS1997

Crustal structure, evolution, and volcanic unrest of the Alban Hills, Central Italy

The Alban Hills, a Quaternary volcanic center lying west of the central Apennines, 15-25 km southeast of Rome, last erupted 19ka and has produced approximately 290 km3 of eruptive deposits since the inception of volcanism at 580 ka. Earthquakes of moderate intensity have been generated there at least since the Roman age. Modern observations show that intermittent periods of swarm activity originate primarily beneath the youngest features, the phreatomagmatic craters on the west side of the volcano. Results from seismic tomography allow identification of a low-velocity region, perhaps still hot or partially molten, more than 6 km beneath the youngest craters and a high-velocity region, probably a solidified magma body, beneath the older central volcanic construct. Thirty centimeters of uplift measured by releveling supports the contention that high levels of seismicity during the 1980s and 1990s resulted from accumulation of magma beneath these craters. The volume of magma accumulation and the amount of maximum uplift was probably at least 40 ?? 106 m3 and 40 cm, respectively. Comparison of newer levelings with those completed in 1891 and 1927 suggests earlier episodes of uplift. The magma chamber beneath the western Alban Hills is probably responsible for much of the past 200 ka of eruptive activity, is still receiving intermittent batches of magma, and is, therefore, continuing to generate modest levels of volcanic unrest. Bending of overburden is the most likely cause of the persistent earthquakes, which generally have hypocenters above the 6-km-deep top of the magma reservoir. In this view, the most recent uplift and seismicity are probably characteristic and not precursors of more intense activity.

Alban Hills↗

USGS1997

Sulphur and oxygen sequestration of n-C37 and n-C38 unsaturated ketones in an immature kerogen and the release of their carbon skeletons during early stages of thermal maturation

Sedimentary rock from the Gessoso-solfifera Formation (Messinian) in the Vena del Gesso Basin (northern Italy) containing immature ( R o = 0.25%) S-rich organic matter was artificially matured by hydrous pyrolysis at temperatures from 160 to 330°C for 72 h to study the diagenetic fate of n -C 37 and n -C 38 di- and tri-unsaturated methyl and ethyl ketones (alkenones) biosynthesised by several prymnesiophyte algae. During early diagenesis, the alkenones are incorporated into the kerogen by both sulphur and oxygen cross-linking as indicated by chemical degradation experiments with the kerogen of the unheated sample. Heating at temperatures between 160 and 260°C, which still represents early stages of thermal maturation, produces large amounts (up to 1 mg/g TOC) of S-bound, O-bound, and both S- and O-bound n -C 37 and n -C 38 skeletons, saturated n -C 37 and n -C38 methyl, ethyl, and mid-chain ketones, C 37 and C 38 mid-chain 2,5-di- n -alkylthiophenes, C 37 and C 38 1,2-di- n -alkylbenzenes, and C 37 and C 38 n -alkanes. With increasing thermal maturation, three forms of the n -C 37 and n -C 38 skeletons are relatively stable (saturated hydrocarbons, 1,2-di- n -alkylbenzenes and saturated ketones), whereas the S- and O-bound skeletons are relatively labile. These results suggest that in natural situations saturated ketones with an n -C 37 and n -C 38 skeleton can be expected as well as the corresponding hydrocarbons.

Vena del Gesso Basin↗

USGS1996

Integration of orthophotographic and sidescan sonar imagery: an example from Lake Garda, Italy

Digital orthophotos of Lake Garda basin area are available at the scale of up to 1:10,000 from a 1994 high altitude (average scale of 1:75,000) air photo coverage of Italy collected with an RC30 camera and Panatomic film. In October 1994 the lake bed was surveyed by USGS and CISIG personnel using a SIS 1000 Sea-Floor Mapping System. Subsystems of the SIS-1000 include high resolution sidescan sonar and sub-bottom profiler. The sidescan imagery was collected in ranges up to 1500m, while preserving a 50cm pixel resolution. The system was navigated using differential GPS. The extended operational range of the sidescan sonar permitted surveying the 370km lake area in 11 days. Data were compiled into a digital image with a pixel resolution of about 2m and stored as 12 gigabytes in exabyte 8mm tape and converted from WGS84 coordinate system to the European Datum (ED50) and integrated with bathymetric data digitized from maps.The digital bathymetric model was generated by interpolation using commercial software and was merged with the land elevation model to obtain a digital elevation model of the Lake Garda basin.The sidescan image data was also projected in the same coordinate system and seamed with the digital orthophoto of the land to produce a continuous image of the basin as if the water were removed. Some perspective scenes were generated by combining elevation and bathymetric data with basin and lake floor images. In deep water the lake's thermal structure created problems with the imagery indicating that winter or spring is best survey period. In shallow waters, ≤ 10 m, where data are missing, the bottom data gap can be filled with available images from the first few channels of the Daedalus built MIVIS, a 102 channel hyperspectral scanner with 20 channel bands of 0.020 μm width, operating in the visible part of the spectrum. By integrating orthophotos with sidescan imagery we can see how the basin morphology extends across the lake, the paths taken by the lake inlet along the lake bed and the areal distribution of sediments. An extensive exposure of debris aprons were noted on the western side of the lake. Various anthropogenic objects were recognized: pipelines, sites of waste disposal on the lake's bed, and relicts of Venitian and Austrian(?) boats.

Lake Garda↗

USGS1995

When did Sardinia stop rotating? New palaeomagnetic results

Previous palaeomagnetic results from Tertiary volcanic rocks of Sardinia suggest that the island underwent a quick counterclockwise rotation between 20.5 and 19 Ma. In order to test this hypothesis, a new palaeomagnetic study was carried out on sediments and volcanic rocks with well-controlled biostratigraphic or radiometric ages younger than the suggested age for the end of the rotation. Unrotated palaeomagnetic directions obtained from the Upper Ignimbrites (radiometric age: 18.5–19.7 Myr) and the Aquitanian tuffs collected in the Anglona region (N Sardinia) would suggest that the rotation ended earlier than 20.5 Myr. The directions found in the volcanics are perhaps the result of secular variation, rather than differential rotation of the Anglona region with respect to surrounding regions. Two sites belonging to the upper ignimbritic unit (SI 2 ) in the Monte Traessu-Monte Rispisu area (Logudoro region) exhibited a large amount of rotation ( D =320.4°, I =60°) which may be age related (radiometric age: 19.9 Myr). Four dikes (radiometric age: 18.3–16.7 Myr) in the Arcuentu volcanic complex (Arburese region) yield results ( D =348.4°, I =33.8°) that indicate a further amount of rotation after their emplacement. Stable end-point directions were successfully isolated from three Upper Burdigalian/Langhian sedimentary sites (biostratigraphic age: 18–15Ma) from the Marmilla and Logudoro regions. Consistent paleomagnetic directions obtained from these sites ( D =352°, I =49°) indicate that a small amount of rotation was still to be completed in the Langhian time. This result is consistent with the history of Sardinian volcanism, which did not end until 13 Ma.

Sardinia↗

USGS1994

Geochemistry of thermal fluids on the volcanic isle of Pantelleria, southern Italy

Chemical analyses of thermal springs and gas emissions on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, southern Italy, suggest the presence, at depth, of a Na Cl thermal aquifer near 100°C; 80–90% of the water in this aquifer is fed by rainfall and the remainder of the mixture is seawater. Chemical analyses of the gas emissions reveal that below this shallow aquifer, a deeper hydrothermal degassing system (150°C) may exist. Rising CO 2 causes alterations of the upper aquifer host rocks (mostly pantellerites), favors formation of Na HCO 3 type waters, and causes eventual rpecipitation of CaCO 3 and coprecipitation of MgCO 3 and silica. Comparison of the present chemical data with older data from the literature suggests that the shallow Pantelleria thermal aquifer has increased in salinity and decreased in temperature during the last 25 a. Both effects were apparently caused by increased flow of recent seawater into the system because of increased ground water abstraction in the northern part of the island.

Isle of Pantelleria↗

USGS1990

Historical activity at Campi Flegrei caldera, southern Italy

According to the biography of the 6th century Italian lawyer Antonion Castaldo, the swarm of earthquakes that had bothered the inhabitants of Pozzuoli and Naples all summer long ended abruptly on the eve of St. Michael (September 29) in the year 1538. Castaldo recalled that the end of this swarm was heralded by a very large earthquake followed immediately by loud thunder, sounding like bombardment from heavy guns. This was the beginning of a week-long eruption in Campi Flegrei, a volcanic caldera located along the west coast of southern Italy near Naples. This event has been the only eruption of Campi Flegrei in almost 4,000 years. It was preceded by a few decades of sporadic earthquakes swarms and noticeable uplift of the shoreline and was followed by 430 years of quiescence. Signs of renewed activity was first recognized in late 1969. Since then, the caldera center rose as much as 3 meters, and several hundred earthquakes were felt from 1983 to 1984 by people living in Campi Flegrei. These earthquakes extensively damaged buildings in Pozzuoli, located in the center of Campi Flegrei, and prompted the evacuation of 40,000 people. The uplift and the earthquakes stopped in December 1984, and no significant activity has occurred since. We cannot forecast whether the activity since 968 will culminate in another eruption or whether Campi Flegrei will remain quiet for several hundred more years. This article summarizes the historical recorded of activity in Campi Flegrei, which, with varying degrees of reliability, spans 2,000 years, and emphasizes that further scientific studies of this caldera will improve our understanding of the behavior of longquiescent volcanic system.

Earthquakes & Volcanoes (USGS)↗

USGS1989

Stratigraphy and depositional history of the Pliocene Bianco section, Calabria, southern Italy

An integrated micropaleontological and geochemical study was carried out on the Pliocene-age Bianco section located in Calabria, southern Italy. This section is somewhat unique for the Pliocene of the Mediterranean region in that it contains abundant calcareous and siliceous microfossils. Based on the biostratigraphic findings, it ranges in age from approximately 3.7-3.0 Ma. The Bianco section is composed of marly mudstones intercalated with diatomites, with the diatomites being particularly common in the upper 50 m of the section (above 3.1 Ma). The diatomites contain an abundant benthic foraminiferal assemblage and have a low organic carbon content indicating that bottom waters were fairly well-oxygenated during their deposition. Faunal and floral indicators suggest a cooling of surface waters in this region at 3.1 Ma. The diatom assemblages within the Bianco diatomites are very similar to those living in the Gulf of California, suggesting an upwelling origin for these silica-rich units. A model is proposed which attributes diatomite formation to upwelling induced by climatically controlled changes in local hydrography.

Pliocene Bianco section, Calabria↗

USGS1987

A visit to Stromboli, lighthouse of the Mediterranean

About daybreak of the next morning, the perfect cone-shaped outline of Stromboli appeared on the horizon. No "red" glare could be seen, but a prominent column of white vapor was rising from the crater, and at infrequent emitted. As the boat steamed around the edge of Stromboli, the big "scar' on the slope, known as Sciara del Fuoco, stood out prominently. This remarkable feature, with a slope of 35 degrees and a width of about three-quarters of a mile, is like a tremendous talus slope and extends from the crater to the sea, a distance of about 4,000 feet. Much of the erupted material, including lava flows ejected from the crater, lands on the Sciara del Fuoco and rolls directly into the sea. The origin of the Sciara del Fuoco is uncertain, but it appears to represent a great depression formed by an eruption which destroyed one side of the cone. The accumulation of debris in the depression has built up the present talus-like slope. The crater of Stromboli is on a terrace at the top of the Sciara del Fuoco, about 600 feet below the summit peak.

Stromboli↗

USGS1985

Diversion of lava during the 1983 eruption of Mount Etna

Mankind's first known attempt to divert a lava flow was in 1669, when a flow from Mount Etna volcano threatened the Sicilian city of Catania. This attempt was largely unsuccessful, in part due to opposition by citizens of another town, Paterno. Attempts to divert lava flows from Mauna Loa Volcano on the island of Hawaii by aerial bombing were made in 1935 and 1942, with no signifcant effects. Earthen bariers were hurriedly constructed in attempts to divert flows from Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii in 1955 and 1960, again with little success. The first successful lava diversion took place in 1973, when a thick lava flow was impeded and a harbor saved in Iceland by pumping massive quantities of seawater over advancing aa lava. Nonetheless, methods that could be applied to areas far from sources of water remained unproven. During the 1983 eruption of Etna, Italian scientists managed, for the first time, to convince government authorities that direct intervention in natural volcanic processes was warranted. Both explosives and earthen barriers were used to divert major flows. These efforts were fairly successful, although at the time the historic importance of the operations was not fully recognized.

Mount Etna, Sicily↗

USGS1982

Age constraints on the proposed Plio-Pleistocene boundary stratotype at Vrica, Italy

Estimates 1–4 of the age of the stratotype Plio–Pleistocene boundary in Italy range from 1.65 to 2.5 Myr. We aim here to clarify this dating confusion, and we present new radiometric data on ashes from the proposed stratotype section, Vrica, Italy which indicate that the Plio–Pleistocene boundary must be less than 2 Myr old. Biostratigraphical criteria—the first appearance datums (FADs) and last appearance datums (LADs) of plank-tonic foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton tied to the magnetic reversal chronology—suggest that this boundary may be nearer to 1.7 Myr. Attempts to make the boundary far older than this are without basis.

Vrica↗

USGS1981

Cooperative tectonic studies from seismic network in central Italy

The purpose of the subject contract work was to explore the possibility of tectonic research-work based on seismic data from a local network carried out as a cooperative effort between the Institute Nazionale di Geofisica (ING), Rome, and Columbia University (L-DGO), New York. This effort has been rather successful, and we hope to be able to continue this collaboration in the future.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1981

Preliminary observations on the Campania-Basilicata, Italy, earthquake of November 23, 1980

The authors comprised a field study team sent by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institue (EERI) and the National Research Council (NRC) of the United States to make a reconnaissance study of the earthquake in southern Italy. The team members were selected for their experience and expertise and served the EERI and the NRC as individuals, into as representatives of employers or agencies with which they are affiliated. The team's preliminary obersvations are given below. A report of the study will be published jointly by EERI and NRC.

Campania-Basilicata↗