Valoroso, Luisa

It is well known that in the geosciences (as in all STEM disciplines), the percentage of women in top positions decreases in favor of men, despite comparable academic careers and, sometimes, even better results for women. The authors of this contribution hold managerial roles in preparing and managing seismic and tsunami emergencies at INGV. It has been a long journey, but it is now a positive reality. But it has sometimes been different! Since its establishment in 1999, the INGV has undergone significant growth and transformation. De Lucia et al. in 2021 [1] analyzed gender diversity within the organization, revealing that the workforce comprised 38% female and 62% male. While these proportions have remained relatively stable over subsequent years, nuances emerge when examining gender distribution with higher representation of women in administrative roles and men in technical positions. What is slowly changing in recent years is the presence of women in research and managerial leadership positions. Notably, between 2016-2020, a woman served as General manager and, since 2017, one of the three Department Directors (Environment, Earthquakes and Volcanoes) is a woman. Currently, 4 out of the 10 Directors of the INGV Offices are women, reflecting a positive trend towards gender parity in leadership roles. Additionally, both the recently elected INGV members of the Scientific Council are women, underscoring the growing influence of female voices in shaping scientific discourse and decision-making. In the present day, an increasing number of women fulfill pivotal roles across research, technical, and administrative realms, actively contributing to coordination and leadership. Notable instances include women actively engaged in the preparation and execution of seismic, volcanic and tsunami emergency protocols. Their responsibilities encompass crucial tasks and providing support services for emergency response teams (including operational rooms for seismic, volcanic, and tsunami surveillance, network monitoring infrastructures, or emergency response teams). In this contribution, the authors recount their experiences.

The “Giornata ONT 2023” arises from the will to let know within INGV how many activities do people from the Osservatorio Nazionale Terremoti (ONT), and how strong is their contribution to the INGV missions: Research, Services, Education, Communication. In the nearly seven years of the current management the ONT has experienced a continuous evolutionary, sometimes complex, path. But it is always a straight path to pursue the objective of a continuous growth of the ONT. During these years the ONT has changed its name (from Centro Nazionale Terremoti – CNT, to ONT); it has experienced the coming out of some employees that moved to create the Irpinia new Section; it has lived the novelty of incoming people (example from the Centro Allerta Tsunami). It has also faced the need to overcome the limitations due to the worldwide pandemic emergency COVID19, either for the h24 services or for the research activities. Therefore in 2020 and 2021 we have only remotely attended the ONT days. The drive to be “in presenza” comes from this latter issue. We strongly want to meet, to talk face to face, to “Welcome” the young colleagues who are the injection of new ideas and perspectives, that are the necessary fuel to evolve the knowledge. As a matter of fact it emerges from the DNA of the ONT, i.e. the inclusiveness and the multidisciplinarity. This latter is widely testified by the ONT activities that are shared among the three Departments and their strategic objectives. The agenda of the “Giornata ONT 2023” has specifically emphasized the variety of the technical and scientific contents, that for sake of simplicity have been collected in the following themes: • Infrastructures, Data­Sharing and Laboratories • Analysis, Modelling, Interpretation of Geophysical Phenomena • National and International Projects (Research Results and Products from Completed Projects; Ongoing Projects) • Society ­ Communication, Dissemination, Emergency Management • Seismic Surveillance And Tsunami Warning Overall, the contributions have been 100, most of which are posters (77) and the remaining (23) in different exhibit formats. The wide interest about the proposed contents and the positive feedback from the attendance, pushed the decision to collect and publish the contributions in a Miscellanea INGV, where the documents can be easily found. And we are finally ready to make the Miscellanea available to the reader. I would warmly thank the Authors for their enthusiastic acceptance to contribute, the Conveners of the “Giornata ONT 2023” Sessions for their availability to organise and manage the submitted poster/exhibits, the Editorial Board members for their hidden work that led to this Miscellanea. In conclusion, let me spend a few words about my personal journey as Director of the ONT. After 2504 days it has come to an end and the “Giornata ONT 2023” and the Miscellanea are, somehow, the cherry on top. It is really difficult to say “Thanks” one by one to the people who helped me along this complex and long path. So, please, let me simply say Grazie a tutti voi! Salvatore Stramondo - Director ONT (2017-2023)

The incompleteness of earthquake catalogs is a well-known issue caused by our technical limitation in detecting the small-to very small-magnitude seismicity falling near or below the background seismic noise. The detection of small-magnitude events is fundamental for improving our knowledge of geometry and kinematics of seismogenic sources and the spatio-temporal characteristics of seismicity, thus leading to better models for seismic hazard. Template-matching (TM) is a powerful technique that, based on similarity measure (cross-correlation) of seismic waveforms, allows to detect hidden earthquakes that are similar to known events (called templates). The high computational effort often limits such technique to small areas and for short time frames (less than 1 year). In this work, we present the first application of template-matching at regional scale for the Italian Peninsula, focusing on the Southern Apennines. We use about 3,600 high-quality events as templates, scanning 6-year long continuous recordings (2009–2014), at more than 180 stations of the INGV network. About 20,000 new events are found, showing a comparable quality to the template catalog in terms of hypocentral solution, reaching a decrease of the magnitude of completeness of about one unit. To highlight the improved quality of the TM catalog, we report two main examples regarding the Sannio-Matese area, where TM allowed us to unravel relevant details on the spatio-temporal distribution of the local seismicity.

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.

Coseismic rupture and aftershock development on a fault plane are complex and heterogeneous processes. The Mw 6.1 L’Aquila 2009 normal faulting earthquake is a perfect case to explore how fault geometry and rheology influence the rupture process and aftershocks distribution. In this study, we use for the first time a dense set of earthquake data to obtain enhanced images of the causative normal fault structure to the kilometer scale. The hypocenter of the emergent onset of the mainshock took place within a low Vp/Vs volume, while the large coseismic slip occurred a few kilometers above, as the rupture propagated through a high Vp and high Vp/Vs fluid-filled rock volume. The increase of Vp/Vs in the fault hanging wall during the sequence suggests a strong dehydration in the earthquake asperity, with an upward fluid pressure migration along the fault toward the host rock volume. We propose that the localization of deformation on the fault plane is favored by high fluid pressure, while the spreading of aftershocks on a wide volume around the fault is driven by the depletion of fluids from the slipped portion of the fault plane and migration to small segments within the fault host rocks.

We present a detailed analysis of the small magnitude (ML < 3) Reservoir Induced Seismicity associated with the Pertusillo water reservoir located in the high seismic hazard zone of Val d'Agri (Southern Italy). We apply template-matching detection to a 13-month-long dense passive survey, obtaining a final high-precision double-difference catalog of 5,070 earthquakes (−0.7 < ML < 2.6, MC = 0.2). The new catalog allows precisely tracking the spatiotemporal distribution of the swarm-seismicity and to map the b-value of the Gutenberg-Richter law. We combine seismicity data with available subsurface geophysical data, fostering an improved interpretation of the induced seismicity. We identify four seismicity-clusters showing rapid changes in seismic rate which correlate to severe seasonal oscillations. Seismicity unravels new km-scale faults or better define faults partially-illuminated by template earthquakes. b-value shows a significant spatial variability, with very-high b-value (up to 2) within areas of distributed seismicity and lower (∼1.3) b-value for on-fault seismicity featuring larger magnitude events. Seismicity is confined within a brine-saturated fractured carbonate reservoir, while earthquake distribution and rate are controlled by the fault architecture and rock properties (e.g., inherited fluid pathways, rock fracturing, pore fluid pressure). In particular, most earthquakes reactivate, with extensional kinematics, pre-existing reverse/transpressional faults favorably oriented in the present-day extension. All observations suggest that a poroelastic stress transmission mechanism, due to the seasonal water level oscillation, can explain the Pertusillo lake seismicity. This study confirms the importance of investigating the complex interaction among stress changes caused by human activities, pre-existing faults and local stress field to correctly assess the hazard posed by induced seismicity.

The triggering of large earthquakes by anthropic activities is a challenging issue in seis- mology, invoked also for the M L 5.9 and 5.8 Emilia 2012 destructive earthquakes. The interaction between the two earthquakes that propagated along adjacent thrusts is still an open issue. In this study, we used waveform cross correlation and double-difference (DD) location methods to precisely relocate the aftershock sequence and get insights into fault geometry, structure, and rheology by means of DD seismic tomography. Accurate relocations highlight a complex fault system with small-length fault segments coalescing in the Mirandola and Ferrara thrusts. We observe a broad continuous high-V P = V S anomaly at seismogenic depth (about 6.0 km) that suggests a possible hydraulic connec- tion along the entire fault system. A close look at seismicity indicates a quasi-simultane- ous activation of the entire thrust system, with the two mainshocks and large aftershocks occurring within the high-V P = V S , high fluid pressure, and connecting volume.

Da venerdì 4 novembre a domenica 6 novembre 2022, si è tenuta una esercitazione nazionale denominata “Exe Sisma dello Stretto 2022” in un'area del territorio della Regione Calabria e della Regione Sicilia caratterizzata da una elevatissima pericolosità sismica. L’esercitazione è stata indetta e coordinata dal Dipartimento della Protezione Civile e aveva l’obiettivo di verificare la risposta operativa a un evento sismico significativo del Servizio Nazionale della Protezione Civile, di cui anche l’Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia fa parte. Durante le tre giornate, l’INGV ha avuto modo di testare tutte le procedure che l’Istituto ha codificato a partire da quelle del “Protocollo di Ente per le emergenze sismiche e da maremoto”. Dopo che INGV ha dato l’avvio all’intera esercitazione simulando il terremoto di magnitudo MW 6.2 (ML 6.0) alle ore 09:00 UTC in provincia di Reggio Calabria (5 km a SW dal comune di Laganadi), e ha, quindi, inviato il messaggio per il potenziale maremoto con un livello di allerta arancione; inoltre, il Presidente INGV ha prontamente convocato l’Unità di Crisi e attivato tutti Gruppi Operativi. Questi ultimi, nell’ambito dello scenario esercitativo, hanno verificato che i flussi di comunicazione interna e tutte le attività necessarie in emergenza sismica, presenti nei relativi protocolli operativi, risultassero rispettati. L’obiettivo primario dell’esercitazione è stato quindi quello di validare le attività previste e di aggiornare il personale afferente ai Gruppi Operativi stessi. Tra di essi, SISMIKO, che rappresenta il GO dedicato al coordinamento delle reti sismiche mobili INGV in emergenza, nelle settimane precedenti l’esercitazione ha predisposto tutte le attività che intendeva testare, descrivendole brevemente nel Documento d’impianto INGV e con maggior dettaglio in quello del Gruppo Operativo. A pochi giorni dalla chiusura dell’esercitazione, un terremoto di magnitudo ML 5.7 (MW 5.5) registrato alle ore 06:07 UTC del 09 novembre 2022 ha spostato l’attenzione dalla simulazione alla realtà.

An accurate survey of old and new datasets allowed us to probe the nature and role of fluids in the seismogenic processes of the Apennines mountain range in Italy. New datasets include the 1985–2021 instrumented seismicity catalog, the computed seismogenic thickness, and geodetic velocities and strains, whereas data from the literature comprise focal mechanism solutions, CO2 release, Moho depth, tomographic seismic velocities, heat flow and Bouguer gravity anomalies. Most of the inspected datasets highlight differences between the western and eastern domains of the Apennines, while the transition zone is marked by high geodetic strain, prevailing uplift at the surface and high seismic release, and spatially corresponds with the overlapping Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Mohos. Published tomographic models suggest the presence of a large hot asthenospheric mantle wedge which intrudes beneath the western side of the Apennines and disappears at the southern tip of the southern Apennines. This wedge modulates the thermal structure and rheology of the overlying crust as well as the melting of carbonate-rich sediments of the subducting Adriatic lithosphere. As a result, CO2-rich fluids of mantle-origin have been recognized in association with the occurrence of destructive seismic sequences in the Apennines. The stretched western domain of the Apennines is characterized by a broad pattern of emissions from CO2-rich fluids that vanishes beneath the axial belt of the chain, where fluids are instead trapped within crustal overpressurized reservoirs, favoring their involvement in the evolution of destructive seismic sequences in that region. In the Apennines, areas with high mantle He are associated with different degrees of metasomatism of the mantle wedge from north to south. Beneath the chain, the thickness and permeability of the crust control the formation of overpressurized fluid zones at depth and the seismicity is favored by extensional faults that act as high permeability pathways. This multidisciplinary study aims to contribute to our understanding of the fluid-related mechanisms of earthquake preparation, nucleation and evolution encouraging a multiparametric monitoring system of different geophysical and geochemical observables that could lead the creation of a data-constrained and reliable conceptual model of the role of fluids in the preparatory phase of earthquakes in the Apennines.