0000000000194051
AUTHOR
F. Cafiso
Hydrogeological and geotechnical modeling of the foundation soils of Maredolce Lake in Palermo, aided by geophysical surveys
The cultural heritage of Maredolce (Palermo) includes an Arab-Norman castle that originally stood on the shores of an artificial lake carved out of a basin dug out of the calcarenite and filled with water thanks to the channeling of the springs of San Ciro upstream. Subsequently, the lowering of the water table and the high hydraulic permeability of the outcropping rocks caused the lake to dry up. Recently, a project of enhancement of the cultural heritage required the restoration of the lake. The geophysical study presented here, including the integrated use of different techniques such as electrical and seismic tomography, Multichannel Analysis of the Surface Waves and ambient vibration r…
Safeguarding historic towns on hilltops threatened by land sliding: The case of San Fratello in Sicily
The paper presents the case history of San Fratello, a small town in the Nebrodi Mountains in Sicily rich in history and having very peculiar environmental and cultural characteristics. Both slopes of the narrow ridge where San Fratello lies were affected in 1754, 1922, 1986 and 2010 by very large landslides. The landslide of February 2010 is largely the reactivation of that of 1754. It destroyed many infrastructures and seriously damaged more than 200 buildings and caused the evacuation of 25% of the population. Emergency actions to block regression of uphill movements and secure the buildings and their inhabitants as quickly as possible, were carried out. The sliding slope down to the tow…
Safeguarding the historic town of San Fratello, Sicily
The paper presents the case history of San Fratello, a small town on the Nebrodi Mountains in Sicily rich in history and with very peculiar environmental and cultural characteristics. Both slopes of the narrow ridge where San Fratello is seated had been affected in 1754, 1922, 1986 and 2010 by very large landslides which caused the failure of a lot of buildings and historical monuments in the town. The paper illustrates the analyses carried out in the 2010 landslide and the design of stabilization works still in progress. Some problematic aspects related to the decision to safeguard San Fratello are discussed.
Rockfall hazard assessment of the Monte Gallo Oriented Nature Reserve area (Southern Italy)
Abstract The Monte Gallo area is a carbonate relief that develops a significant nature reserve and highly attracts tourism to the urbanized area of the City of Palermo (Southern Italy). The slopes are affected by several rockfall events, which have also caused death, injuries, material damage, and a strong social and economic impact. Here, a detailed geological and geotechnical study to assess the rockfall hazard relating to two sectors of the mount has been carried out. The hazard assessment at the slope scale was performed based on geological, geomorphological, geomechanical, and seismic analysis. Using both analytical and empirical methods and by means of different software, the reconstr…