0000000000957506
AUTHOR
F. Cultrera
Geodetic, geological and geophysical evidence of active tectonics in south-western Sicily and offshore
tIntegrated geological, geodetic and marine geophysical data provide evidence of active deformation insouth-western Sicily, in an area spatially coincident with the macroseismic zone of the destructive 1968Belice earthquake sequence. Even though the sequence represents the strongest seismic event recordedin Western Sicily in historical times, focal solutions provided by different authors are inconclusive onpossible faulting mechanism, which ranges from thrusting to transpression, and the seismogenic sourceis still undefined. Interferometric (DInSAR) observations reveal a differential ground motion on a SW–NEalignment between Campobello di Mazara and Castelvetrano (CCA), located just west of…
The marine activities performed within the TOMO-ETNA experiment
<p>The TOMO-ETNA experiment was planned in order to obtain a detailed geological and structural model of the continental and oceanic crust beneath Mt. Etna volcano and northeastern Sicily up to the Aeolian Islands (southern Italy), by integrating data from active and passive refraction and reflection seismic methodologies, magnetic and gravity surveys. This paper focuses on the marine activities performed within the experiment, which have been carried out in the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas, during three multidisciplinary oceanographic cruises, involving three research vessels (“Sarmiento de Gamboa”, “Galatea” and “Aegaeo”) belonging to different countries and institutions. During the o…
Geodetic and geological evidence of active tectonics in south-western Sicily (Italy)
Abstract Integrated geological, geodetic and marine geophysical data provide evidence of active deformation in south-western Sicily, in an area spatially coincident with the macroseismic zone of the destructive 1968 Belice earthquake sequence. Even though the sequence represents the strongest seismic event recorded in Western Sicily in historical times, focal solutions provided by different authors are inconclusive on possible faulting mechanism, which ranges from thrusting to transpression, and the seismogenic source is still undefined. Interferometric (DInSAR) observations reveal a differential ground motion on a SW–NE alignment between Campobello di Mazara and Castelvetrano (CCA), locate…
Active faulting and continental slope instability in the Gulf of Patti (Tyrrhenian side of NE Sicily, Italy): a field, marine and seismological joint analysis
The Gulf of Patti and its onshore sector represent one of the most seismically active regions of the Italian Peninsula. Over the period 1984–2014, about 1800 earthquakes with small-to-moderate magnitude and a maximum hypocentral depth of 40 km occurred in this area. Historical catalogues reveal that the same area was affected by several strong earthquakes such as the Mw = 6.1 event in April 1978 and the Mw = 6.2 one in March 1786 which have caused severe damages in the surrounding localities. The main seismotectonic feature affecting this area is represented by a NNW–SSE trending right-lateral strike-slip fault system called ‘‘Aeolian–Tindari–Letojanni’’ (ATLFS) which has been interpreted a…
Geodetic and geological evidences of activetectonics in western Sicily (Italy): insights onthe seismogenic source of the 1968 Beliceearthquake sequence.
The night between the January 14th and 15th 1968, a wide area of western Sicily (Italy) was shaken by a strong earthquake, the main shock of a seismic crisis that hit the region until the January 25th. The disastrous event, that is the strongest seismic event recorded in Western Sicily in historical times, caused about 370 deaths and the destruction of many villages facing the Belice river valley, which was the epicentral area for this unexpected natural disaster. The seismic sequence consisted of a main shock with M=5.9 and a series of pre-shock and aftershocks that were clustered along a NE-SW alignment. Focal planes solutions provided by many authors in the last decades show controversia…
From land to sea: multi-scale and multi-resolution analysis of active deformation and seismogenic sources around the coasts of Southern Italy
During the last decade, we have blended our individual skills to form a research group devoted to investigating active crustal deformation in areas adjacent to the coast of Southern Italy, with the aim to bridge the gap between the onshore and offshore realms. Our research is based on a multi-scale and multi-resolution approach that includes high-resolution seismics, coastal morpho-tectonics and structural geology, complemented by seismicity, Global Positioning System and InSAR. Need and opportunities of such an endeavor arise from the basic observation that, although most population centers lie close to the coastal areas, very little is known about active structures at the sea. However, hi…