Riggio, Anna

A periodic sampling of the groundwaters and dissolved and free gases in selected deep wells located in the area affected by the May-June 2012 southern Po Valley seismic sequence has provided insight into seismogenic-induced changes of the local aquifer systems. The results obtained show progressive changes in the fluid geochemistry, allowing it to be established that deep-seated fluids were mobilized during the seismic sequence and reached surface layers along faults and fractures, which generated significant geochemical anomalies. The May-June 2012 seismic swarm (mainshock on May 29, 2012, M 5.8; 7 shocks M >5, about 200 events 3 > M > 5) induced several modifications in the circulating fluids. This study reports the preliminary results obtained for the geochemical features of the waters and gases collected over the epicentral area from boreholes drilled at different depths, thus intercepting water and gases with different origins and circulation. The aim of the investigations was to improve our knowledge of the fluids circulating over the seismic area (e.g. origin, provenance, interactions, mixing of different components, temporal changes). This was achieved by collecting samples from both shallow and deep-drilled boreholes, and then, after the selection of the relevant sites, we looked for temporal changes with mid-to-long-term monitoring activity following a constant sampling rate. This allowed us to gain better insight into the relationships between the fluid circulation and the faulting activity. The sampling sites are listed in Table 1, along with the analytical results of the gas phase.

Anomalous geochemical signals inferred from elemental and isotopic analyses on spring waters and soil degassing are often detected in response to tectonic loading along faults. Recent results highlighted how the geochemical anomalies are closely related to episodes of crustal deformation. In the present study, the carbon dioxide and radon from soil degassing and the geochemical features of springs spatially related to fault zones in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region (north-eastern Italy), a seismic-prone area, have been coupled with crustal deformation analyses to better define the possible correlations between fluctuations of geochemical parameters and seismicity, with the aim of gaining new information about local geodynamic processes. The natural CO2 and Rn degassing was evaluated by a soil gas survey carried out by a grid of about 100 measuring sites located over the area that had been hit by strong earthquakes, in the past (Gemona – Idrija 1511, Raveo 1700, Tolmezzo 1788 and 1928, Gemona 1976). The results obtained show a significant amount of crustal-originated gases, especially CO2, possibly related to decarbonation reactions and stress accumulation occurring in deep-seated structures. The spring waters show, in some cases, anomalous geochemical transients, in particular concerning the chloride and Rn concentration, that are not related to seasonal changes and interpreted to reflect distinct fluid pressure regimes within the fault zone, yielding the leakage of pore fluids into the country-rock aquifers. In particular, the changes in the chloride content have been tentatively modeled in terms of pore-fluid expulsion from compacting clays during pressure gradients at shallow crustal levels. The flow regimes and chemical evolution have been related to the strain computed at the outlet sites through the Gutenberg–Richter relation parameters and the regional value of the strain rate. The information provided here may be used to start up a long-term geochemical monitoring of this seismically active area able to detect the modifications occurring in the circulating fluids to gain a better insight on the relationships between the geochemistry of the fluids and the activity of the local seismogenic faults.