Monitoring of Anthropogenic Seismicity in Italy: State of the Art

Abstract

In Italy the discussion about anthropogenic seismicity started after the deadly M6 Emilia earthquakes in 2012. Occurring these events in an area of gas and oil production, the question raised, whether exploitation induced crustal stress variations that could have influenced the generation of these events. In 2014 the Government published monitoring guidelines (MGL) describing regulations regarding hydrocarbon extraction, waste-water injection and CO2 storage. The MGL prescribe the monitoring of pore pressure, microseismicity and ground deformation near sites of industrial activity and direct the application of a four-stage traffic light protocol. INGV has been charged to apply the MGL in three test areas and to provide indications about the applicability of these guidelines. We give a general overview about the state of the art, trying to emphasize critical situations as e.g. problems in magnitude calculation or traffic light thresholds, especially in areas with multiple mining rights.