On a new robust workflow for the statistical and spatial analysis of fracture data collected with scanlines (or the importance of stationarity)

Abstract. We present an innovative workflow for the statistical analysis of fracture data collected along scanlines, composed of two major stages, each one with alternative options. A prerequisite in our analysis is the assessment of stationarity of the dataset, which is motivated by statistical and geological considerations. Calculating statistics on non-stationary data can be statistically meaningless, and moreover the normalization and/or sub-setting approach that we discuss here can greatly improve our understanding of geological deformation processes. Our methodology is based on performing non-parametric statistical tests, which allow detecting important features of the spatial distrib…

Hydraulic properties of fault zones in porous carbonates, examples from central and southern Italy

We present the results of in situ permeability measurements performed, using a portable field permeameter, on normal and strike-slip fault zones that crosscut high-porosity carbonate grainstones. The measurement sites expose in the Cretaceous Orfento Formation of the Majella Mountain (Abruzzo, Italy), and the Lower Pleistocene deposits of the Favignana Island (Sicily, Italy). Nine small-displacement, compactive shear banding-based fault zones have been tested in the field. The fault offset ranges between 10 and 200 centimeters. The acquired permeability data indicate a two orders of magnitude decrease of porosity and permeability from the host rock to the cataclastic fault cores. A clear de…

<i>Editorial Note</i>A case of plagiarism: "Modelling of the wave fields by the modification of the matrix method in anisotropic media" published in Solid Earth Discuss., 6, 1–19, 2014

Coseismic extension recorded within the damage zone of the Vado di Ferruccio Thrust Fault, Central Apennines, Italy

Recent high resolution hypocentral localisation along active fault systems in the Central Apennines illuminates the activation of seismogenic volumes dipping at low angle (<30°) in extensional settings overprinting contractional deformations affecting the continental crust of the Adria microplate. Individuation of the geological structures and of the fault processes associated with these seismic patterns will contribute to the interpretation of seismic sequence evolution, and seismic hazard studies.Here we report field and microstructural evidence of seismogenic extensional faults localized within pre-existing thrust fault zones. The Vado di Ferruccio Thrust Fault (VFTF) is a narrow …