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Analysis of Geological, Seismological and Gravimetric Data for the Identification of Active Faults in Abruzzo Area (Central Italy) P

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Analysis of Geological, Seismological and Gravimetric Data for the Identification of Active Faults in Abruzzo Area (Central Italy) P GNGTS 2015 SESSIONE 1.2 ANALYSIS OF GEOLOGICAL, SEISMOLOGICAL AND GRAVIMETRIC DATA FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF ACTIVE FAULTS IN ABRUZZO AREA (CENTRAL ITALY) P. Luiso1, V. Paoletti1, G. Gaudiosi2, R. Nappi2, F. Cella3, M. Fedi1 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi «Federico II», Napoli, Italy 2 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione OV, Napoli, Italy 3 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi della Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy Introduction. The aim of the study is to identify and better constrain the geometry of the seismogenic structures (active,active, outcroppingoutcroppingand andburied buriedfault faultsystemssystems)) ininin thethethe AbruzzoAbruzzoAbruzzo areaareaarea (central Italy), through an integratedintegrated analysis of geo-structural,geo-structural, seismicseismicseismic andandand gravimetricgravimetricgravimetric data.data.data. The studied area is one of the most active zones from a geodynamic point of view of the Italian Apennines, characterized by the occurrence of intense and widely spread seismic activity. The integrated analysis of structural, seismic and gravimetric data (Gaudiosi et al., 2012) of the areas was carried out through the use of Geographic Information System (GIS). 107 GNGTS 2015 SESSIONE 1.2 More specifically, the analysis consisted of the following main steps: (a) collection and acquisition of aerial photos, numeric cartography, Digital Terrain Model (DTM) data, geological and geophysical data; (b) generation of the vector cartographic database and alpha-numerical data; c) image processing and features classification; d) cartographic restitution and multi- layers representation. Three thematic data sets have been generated: “faults”, “earthquakes” and “gravimetric” data. The fault dataset was built by merging all Plio- Quaternary structural data extracted from the available structural and geological maps, and many geological studies (Boncio et al., 2004; Galadini et al., 2000, 2003; Falcucci et al., 2011; Moro et al., 2013). The earthquake data set consists of seismic data collected in the available historical and instrumental Catalogues (Gruppo di lavoro CPTI, 2004); CPTI11, Rovida et al., 2011; ISIDE, INGV database). Seismic data have been standardized in the same format and merged in a single data set. As regards the gravimetric data set, we performed a Multiscale Derivative Analysis (MDA) of the gravity field, based on the good resolution properties of the Enhanced Horizontal Derivative (EHD) signal (Fedi et al., 2005). The main results of our integrated analysis show a good correlation among faults, epicentral location of earthquakes and MDA lineaments from gravity data. Furthermore, 2D seismic hypocentral locations were correlated with the information yielded by the application of the DEXP method to gravity data (Fedi and Pilkington, 2012), to estimate strike, dip direction and dip angle of some faults of the areas. Seismotectonic framework of the area. The central Apennines consists of a Mio-Pliocene thrust-and-fold belt that developed as the result of the convergence between the Hercynian European plate and the westward subducted Paleozoic Adriatic lithosphere (Patacca and Scandone, 2004). The opening of the Tyrrhenian basin and the flexural retreat of the lithospheric plate dipping below the Italian peninsula (Malinverno and Ryan, 1986; Royden et al., 1987; Patacca et al., 1990; Doglioni, 1991; Doglioni et al., 1994) caused the E-W migration of the compressive front and, since the Mio-Pliocene, contemporary extentional tectonics affected the innermost portion of the Apennines chain previously controlled by compressive tectonics. The intra Apennine extension has also been characterized by a progressive northeastward migration determining an age of the extensional tectonic structures, progressively younger heading eastwards (Lavecchia et al.,1994; Bartole, 1995; Calamita et al., 1999; Galadini and Messina, 2004). Since Pliocene, and during the entire Quaternary NW–SE trending faults have been responsible for the formation of several half-graben structures that currently match intermountain basins in which Plio-Quaternary continental sediments (up to 1,200 m thick in the case of the Fucino Plain) (Galadini and Messina, 1994) have been deposited. �������������These include the Fucino, L’Aquila, Sulmona, Rieti, Leonessa and Norcia basins. Normal and normal-oblique faults generally bound these depressions to the northeast. Changes during the Quaternary, however, affected the kinematic evolution of the (Patacca et al., 1990; Cinque et al., 1993; Pantosti et al., 1993) central Apennines and are represented by the end of the activity of some normal faults, and by evidence of oblique-slip kinematics on faults previously characterised by normal movements (Galadini, 1999).To the west and northwest the boundary of the Abruzzi Apennines is represented by the contact between units overlain onto the Latium-Abruzzi carbonate and those belonging to the Umbro-Marchean Apennines; the surface trace of such contact is marked by the Olevano-Antrodoco- Sibillini Line (Patacca et al., 1990; Bigi et al., 1991a; Galadini, 1999; Pizzi and Scisciani, 2000; Centamore and Rossi, 2009; Pizzi and Galadini, 2009; Calamita et al., 2011). East and SE of the Abruzzi Apennines, Oligo-Miocene flysch units of the Molise domain are separated from Latium-Abruzzi units by the Ortona-Roccamonfina Line, (Locardi, 1988; Di Bucci and Tozzi, 1991; Centamore and Rossi, 2009; Pizzi and Galadini, 2009). The persistence of the extensional activity during the Late Pleistocene–Holocene is demonstrated by the present seismicity with earthquakes of magnitudes up to 7.0 in past centuries (Working Group CPTI 2004) and by the numerous studies dealing with active tectonics and paleoseismology. The present tectonic regime shows that the 108 GNGTS 2015 SESSIONE 1.2 Fig. 1 – Map of the faults extracted from literature. Purple: from the CARG project (ISPRA); blue: from Neotectonic Map of Italy 1:500,000 (Ambrosetti et al., 1987); yellow: from Galadini et al. (2003); red: from ITHACA project (ISPRA). Abruzzi Apennines are affected by almost two sets of NW-SE to N-S trending normal faults,. Focal mechanisms, geodetic data and borehole breakouts (Chiaraluce et al., 2003; D’Agostino et al., 2001; Mariucci et al., 1999) characterize the present stress field as NE-SW extension, related to the persistence of the back-arc extension. Such extension, mainly concentrated along the axial belt, generates NW–SE trending, mainly SW-dipping, seismically active normal faults, bounding graben and half-graben basins. Paleoseismological and historical data suggest that almost all the faults of the western fault set activated during historical time while there is no evidence of recent activation for most of the faults related to the eastern set (Galadini and Galli, 2000). For this reason, these structures have been defined as silent and are considered as probable seismic gaps (Galadini and Galli, 2000). The Abruzzi region was affected in the western active sector by large earthquakes in 1349 (Me 6.5), (Me 6.5), 1456 (Me 7.0), 1461 (Me 6.4), 1654 (Me 6.1), 1703 (Me 6.7), 1706 (Me 6.7), 1762 (Me 6.0) and 1915 (Mw 7.0). The January 13, 1915 earthquake is one of the strongest seismic events in Italy, caused 30,000 victims within a large area surrounding the Fucino basin. The last seismic event occurred in the area on the April 6, 2009 (Mw6.3) killing 309 people. This earthquake struck the town of L’Aquila, after several months of seismic activity focused in the Aquila basin. Thousands of aftershocks have been recorded. The relative hypocenters are located within the upper 10-20 km of the crust (Chiararaluce et al., 2011). Seismic activity in this region had been scarce during past few decades, with only three seismic swarms in 1985 (Mw4.5), 1992 (Mw3.9) and 1994 (Mw=4.4). The 7 May 1984 (Mw 5.9) earthquake and its strong 11 May aftershock occurred near the southern end of the study region. In historical times, the faults of the more external extensional alignment also remained blocked and silent (Galadini and Galli, 2000),with the only exception of the September 5, 1950 event (Mw 5.7) occurred near the city of Teramo. Further to the SE, two relatively large earthquakes occurred on the eastern flank of the Maiella Mt. on November 3, 1706 (Mw 6.6) and on September 26, 1933 (Mw 5.7). According to Lavecchia et al. (2010), these earthquakes have both been caused by E-verging reverse faulting underneath the Maiella Mt. Data analysis. The analysis of the available geo-structural, seismic and gravimetric data of the studied area has been carried out under a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment (ArcGis 10.1). The “fault” data set consists�������������������������������������������������������������������� of a merge of the Plio-Quaternary structures extracted from the available geological������������������������������������������������������������������� and structural maps and from scientific papers (Fig. 1). The geological and structural maps of reference for our analysis have been the following: ITHACA catalogue 109 GNGTS 2015 SESSIONE 1.2 Fig. 2 – Map of earthquakes distribution: from ISIDE catalogue (in red), from CPT111 (in yellow). (Italy Hazard from Capable Faults, ISPRA project), the “Neotectonic Map of Italy”, 1:500,000 (Ambrosetti et al., 1987), the geological sheets n.349, Gran Sasso, n.359, L’Aquila, n.368, Avezzano; n.369, Sulmona, 1:50.000 (ISPRA, CARG project); the
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