Monaco, Carmelo

Microseism, the most continuous seismic signal on the Earth generated by the interaction between the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the solid Earth, is a useful tool for acquiring information about climate change. Indeed, several authors dealt with the relationship microseism-sea state and microseism-cyclonic activity, considering in particular tropical cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, and recently Medicanes (small-scale tropical cyclones that occur in the Mediterranean Sea). In this study, we analyze, from a seismic point of view, several meteorological events that occurred in the Mediterranean Sea during the period November 2011 - February 2023. In particular, we consider 9 Medicanes and 4 more common storms. Despite the marked differences between them, each of these events caused heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts, violent storm surges with significant wave heights usually greater than 3 meters, and damage along the exposed coast. Occasionally, these events caused deaths and injuries. In this work, we analyzed the seismic signal recorded by 104 seismic stations, installed along the Italian, Maltese, Greek, and France coastal areas, and 15 seismic stations, installed in the Etnean area used only to perform array analysis. We deal with the relationships between the considered meteorological events and the features of microseism in terms of spectral content, space-time variation of the amplitude, and source locations tracked using two different methods (a grid search approach based on seismic amplitude decay and array techniques). By comparing the positions of the microseism sources, obtained from our analysis, with the areas of significant storm surges, retrieved from hindcast data, we observe that the microseism locations are in agreement with the actual locations of the storm surges for 10 out of 12 events analyzed (two Medicanes present very low intensity in terms of meteorological parameters and the microseism amplitude does not show significant variations during these two events). In addition, we also carried out two analyses that allowed us to obtain both the seismic signature of these events, by using a method that exploits the coherence of continuous seismic noise, and their strength from a seismic point of view, called Microseism Reduced Amplitude. By integrating the results obtained from these two methods, we can "seismically" distinguish Medicanes and common storms. Consequently, we demonstrate the possibility of creating a novel monitoring system for Mediterranean meteorological events by incorporating microseism information alongside with other techniques (e.g. wave buoy, wave gauge, and High-Frequency coastal radar) commonly used for studying and monitoring meteorological phenomena. In addition, since the seismometers were among the first geophysical instruments installed, it is possible to digitize old seismograms and examine historical data shedding new light on extreme weather events in a climate change scenario.

In this work, we analyze 12 meteorological events that occurred in the Mediterranean Sea during the period November 2011-November 2021 from a seismic point of view. In particular, we consider 8 Medicanes and 4 more common storms. Each of these events, in spite of the marked differences between them, caused heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts and violent storm surge with significant wave heights usually >3 m. We deal with the relationships between these meteorological events and the features of microseism (the most continuous and widespread seismic signal on Earth) in terms of spectral content, space-time variation of the amplitude and source locations tracked employing two different methods (amplitude decay-based grid search and array techniques). By comparing the positions of the microseism sources with the areas of significant storm surges, we observe that the microseism locations align with the actual locations of the storm surges for 10 out of 12 events analyzed (two Medicanes present very low intensity in terms of meteorological parameters and the microseism amplitude does not show significant variations during these two events). We also perform two analyses that allowed us to obtain both the seismic signature of these events, by using a method that exploits the coherence of continuous seismic noise, and their strength from a seismic point of view, called Microseism Reduced Amplitude. In addition, by integrating the results obtained from these two methods, we are able to "seismically" distinguish Medicanes and common storms. Consequently, we demonstrate the possibility of creating a novel monitoring system for Mediterranean meteorological events by incorporating microseism information alongside with other commonly employed techniques for studying meteorological phenomena. The integration of microseism with the data provided by routinely used techniques in sea state monitoring (e.g., wave buoy and HF radar) has the potential to offer valuable insights into the examination of historical extreme weather events within the context of climate change.

QUIN database integrates and organizes structural-geological information from published and unpublished sources to constrain deformation in seismotectonic studies. The initial release, QUIN1.0, comprised 3,339 Fault Striation Pairs, mapped on 445 sites exposed along the Quaternary faults of central Italy. The present Data Descriptor introduces the QUIN 2.0 release, which includes 4,297 Fault Striation Pairs on 738 Structural Sites from southern Italy. The newly investigated faults span ~500 km along the Apennines chain, with strikes transitioning from ~SE to ~SW and comprehensively details Fault Striation Pairs' location, attitude, kinematics, and deformation axes. Additionally, it offers a shapefile of the fault traces hosting the data. The QUIN 2.0 release offers a significant geographic extension to the QUIN 1.0, with comprehensive description of local geometric-kinematic complexities of the regional pattern. The QUIN data may be especially relevant for constraining intra-Apennine potential seismogenic deformation patterns, where earthquake data only offer scattered or incomplete information. QUIN's data will support studies aimed at enhancing geological understanding, hazard assessment and comprehension of fault rupture propagation and barriers.

QUIN database integrates and organizes structural-geological information from published and unpublished sources to constrain deformation in seismotectonic studies. The initial release, QUIN1.0, comprised 3,339 Fault Striation Pairs, mapped on 445 sites exposed along the Quaternary faults of central Italy. The present Data Descriptor introduces the QUIN 2.0 release, which includes 4,297 Fault Striation Pairs on 738 Structural Sites from southern Italy. The newly investigated faults span ~500 km along the Apennines chain, with strikes transitioning from ~SE to ~SW and comprehensively details Fault Striation Pairs' location, attitude, kinematics, and deformation axes. Additionally, it offers a shapefile of the fault traces hosting the data. The QUIN 2.0 release offers a significant geographic extension to the QUIN 1.0, with comprehensive description of local geometric-kinematic complexities of the regional pattern. The QUIN data may be especially relevant for constraining intra-Apennine potential seismogenic deformation patterns, where earthquake data only offer scattered or incomplete information. QUIN's data will support studies aimed at enhancing geological understanding, hazard assessment and comprehension of fault rupture propagation and barriers.

The recently selected missions to Venus have opened a new era for the exploration of this planet. These missions will provide information about the chemistry of the atmosphere, the geomorphology, local-to-regional surface composition, and the rheology of the interior. One key scientific question to be addressed by these future missions is whether Venus remains volcanically active, and if so, how its volcanism is currently evolving. Hence, it is fundamental to analyze appropriate terrestrial analog sites for the study of possibly active volcanism on Venus. To this regard, we propose Mount Etna - one of the most active and monitored volcanoes on Earth - as a suitable terrestrial laboratory for remote and in-situ investigations to be performed by future missions to Venus. Being characterized by both effusive and explosive volcanic products, Mount Etna offers the opportunity to analyze multiple eruptive styles, both monitoring active volcanism and identifying the possible occurrence of pyroclastic activity on Venus. We directly compare Mount Etna with Idunn Mons, one of the most promising potentially active volcanoes of Venus. Despite the two structures show a different topography, they also show some interesting points of comparison, and in particular: a) comparable morpho-structural setting, since both volcanoes interact with a rift zone, and b) morphologically similar volcanic fields around both Mount Etna and Idunn Mons. Given its ease of access, we also propose Mount Etna as an analog site for laboratory spectroscopic studies to identify the signatures of unaltered volcanic deposits on Venus.

This study provides a lithospheric-scale model along the Ionian Subduction zone in Southern Italy, contributing to the seismotectonic investigation of a region which is affected by relevant historical seismicity. The study employs gravity forward modelling to build the geo-structural model along a composite, NWSE trending transect extending from the Ionian to the Tyrrhenian Sea, including the Aeolian arc and the Calabro-Peloritan onshore. Through a multidisciplinary approach, we propose new interpretations of three 2D deep-seismic reflection profiles across the study area. Such interpretative profiles are used as constraints to model the observed Bouguer gravity anomalies providing upper and lower crust geometries. Whilst a tomographic model provides constraints for the lithospheric and asthenospheric modelling. The entire workflow is constrained by literature data about Moho geometry, deep seismicity and tomographic images that are integrated to determine the subducting slab geometry. The proposed model of the entire subducting system reasonably fits the observed gravity field and is coherent with the first-order geological and geophysical constraints. The modelling results in updated Tyrrhenian and Ionian Moho depth, subducting slab geometry and location, and densities of the main units, providing valuable input about the composition and geometry of the Calabrian arc structures.

Active normal faulting and uplifting, consistent with a WNW-ESE-oriented regional extension, dominate the Quaternary tectonics of the southern Calabrian Arc. The main tectonic structures of this extensional domain are considered to be the source of numerous historical and recent strong earthquakes, among which the 1783 seismic sequence (M 6.5–7) was one of the most destructive earthquakes ever recorded in Southern Italy. Previous works on the seismotectonic of the Calabrian Arc indicate a disagreement on the attitude (E-dipping vs W-dipping) of the main seismogenic sources slicing across southern Calabria, whereby the seismotectonic framework is still debated. Following a multidisciplinary approach, based on morpho-structural and seismological data, the geometry at depth of the most reliable sources (i.e., Cittanova and Serre faults) was first modelled in a 3D environment to retrieve information about their seismic potential. The GNSS data from the permanent stations of RING/RDN and TopNETlive Italy networks have been processed in order to estimate the velocity field affecting this area. Then, data inversion allowed us to document a predominant WNW-ESE active extensional strain orthogonally to the modelled faults, consistent with the regional dynamics. The reliability of the model was tested using empirical relationships and fault response modelling simulation. Furthermore, slip tendency analysis revealed the propensity to slip of the modelled planes by applying a remote stress state derived from the kinematic-structural survey on fault planes.

Tectono-stratigraphic analysis coupled with digital 3D surface modelling derived from high-resolution seismic profiles is performed along a narrow turbidite basin offshore E-Sicily in order to increase understanding on the processes that contributed to the shaping of the Western Ionian Basin. Seismic-reflector patterns of the identified Pliocene-Quaternary sequence point to syn-depositional deformation during the Pliocene associated with the simultaneous activity of regional faults and underlying ductile units. Long-wavelength sediment fanning results from the extensional activity of the Malta Escarpment faults. Conversely, internal reflector architecture and lateral terminations indicate localized subsidence associated with the growth of uprising structures in the easternmost part of the basin. Lateral shifting of basin depocenters is in line with withdrawal effects observed in basins floored by ductile units (salt or shale). 3D modelling of time-reference surfaces highlights sub-circular depressions associated with nearby structural culminations. This pattern is similar to salt-withdrawal mini- basins commonly reported in evaporite-floored basins. Accordingly, salt migration/flow triggered by sediment loading, locally enhanced by fault activity, is proposed as the process controlling basin evolution during the Pliocene in the Western Ionian Domain. Nevertheless, the possibility of shale/mud tectonics as the ductile source of deformation cannot be discounted

The Calabrian Arc represents one of the most active sectors of the upper plate of the Tyrrhenian-Ionian subduction system. This research aims to reconstruct the evolution of the Squillace Basin (Ionian offshore of the Calabrian Arc) from the Late Miocene to Recent times and recognise active shallow and deep structures using a multiscale approach. The latter is based on interpreting high-penetration and high-resolution seismic reflection profiles, calibrated with well-log data coupled with bathymetric data and the distribution of instrumental earthquakes. Data highlight three steps in the evolution of the Squillace Basin. A Late Miocene extensional event led to the formation of WNW-ESE oriented horst and half-graben structures. During the Pliocene, deformation was localised in the central and northern sectors of the basin and expressed by a WNW-ESE oriented strike-slip fault and NW-SE normal to trastensional faults, respectively. A transpressional event started in the Early Pleistocene, causing the positive inversion of deep (> 3 km) extensional faults and the formation of NW-SE to WNW-ESE oriented transpressional/reverse faults and related anticlines. The kinematics of these faults agree with the NW-SE oriented left-lateral Albi-Cosenza, Lamezia-Catanzaro and Petilia-Sosti crustal fault zones developed in north Calabria. The results of this work suggest that the transpressional structures in the northwestern sector of the basin likely represent the offshore prolongation of the Albi-Cosenza fault zone. NW-SE to WNW-ESE trending, shallow (<2 km) high-angle normal faults offset the younger deposits. Their depth and direction indicate that these faults are secondary structures formed in the extrados of the anticlines associated with the transpressional faults. The distribution of earthquakes shows events with M > 3 and depth <15 km located in the hanging wall of transpressional faults. The integrated data suggest that these structures are active and probably responsible for the major earthquakes that affected the Ionian offshore.

The survey and structural analysis of surface coseismic ruptures are essential tools for characterizing seismogenic structures. In this work, a procedure to survey coseismic ruptures using satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data, directing the survey using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), is proposed together with a field validation of the results. The Sentinel-1 A/B Interferometric Wide (IW) Swath TOPSAR mode offers the possibility of acquiring images with a short revisit time. This huge amount of open data is extremely useful for geohazards monitoring, such as for earthquakes. Interferograms show the deformation field associated with earthquakes. Phase discontinuities appearing on wrapped interferograms or loss-of-coherence areas could represent small ground displacements associated with the fault’s ruptures. Low-altitude flight platforms such as UAV permit the acquisition of high resolution images and generate 3D spatial geolocalized clouds of data with centimeter-level accuracy. The generated topography maps and orthomosaic images are the direct products of this technology, allowing the possibility of analyzing geological structures from many viewpoints. We present two case studies. The first one is relative to the 2016 central Italian earthquakes, astride which the InSAR outcomes highlighted quite accurately the field displacement of extensional faults in the Mt. Vettore–M. Bove area. Here, the geological effect of the earthquake is represented by more than 35 km of ground ruptures with a complex pattern composed by subparallel and overlapping synthetic and antithetic fault splays. The second case is relative to the Mt. Etna earthquake of 26 December 2018, following which several ground ruptures were detected. The analysis of the unwrapped phase and the application of edge detector filtering and other discontinuity enhancers allowed the identification of a complex pattern of ground ruptures. In the Pennisi and Fiandaca areas different generation of ruptures can be distinguished, while previously unknown ruptures pertaining to the Acireale and Ragalna faults can be identify and analyzed.