JOURNAL OF MAPS 2020, VOL. 16, NO. 2, 488–499 https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2020.1780169 Science Geomorphology of the Anversa degli Abruzzi badlands area (Central Apennines, Italy) Jacopo D’Intino a, Marcello Buccolini a, Elena Di Nardoa, Gianluca Esposito a and Enrico Miccadei a,b aDepartment of Engineering and Geology, Laboratory of Tectonic Geomorphology and GIS, Università degli Studi ‘G. d’Annunzio’ Chieti-Pescara Chieti Scalo (CH), Italy; bIstituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) Roma, Italy ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY This work presents the geomorphology of the Anversa degli Abruzzi badlands (also called calanchi, Received 2 March 2020 a typical italian landform) area, located in the Abruzzo Region (Central Apennines, Italy). The map is Revised 24 May 2020 the result of morphometric and geomorphological analyses, performed at the badland scale, and Accepted 5 June 2020 incorporates three main sections including orography and hydrography, main geomorphological KEYWORDS map, and multi-temporal photogeological analysis. The aim of this work is to provide the basis fl fi Geomorphology; for the recognition of geomorphological features linked to the uvial environment. Speci cally, photogeology; badlands; the study is focused on the Anversa degli Abruzzi calanchi system and it contributes to gully erosion; Central Italy improving the understanding of this landscape evaluating the geomorphological processes that control its morphometric features and its spatial and temporal evolution. 1. Introduction This study provides a basis for the recognition of geo- morphological processes that control the morphometry An extensive geomorphological analysis of the Adriatic of a badlands system and it represent a significant tool hilly-piedmont area of the Central Apennines allowed to improve knowledge about this typical Italian land- researches focused on the geomorphological evolution, scape. It allows us to define the main phases of calanchi morphotectonic implications, and climatic characteriz- evolution, resulting from slope-gravity processes, water ation of badland systems, since the first half of the runoff. 1900s (Alexander, 1980; Castiglioni, 1933; Ciccacci et al., 2008; Coltorti et al., 1979; Demangeot, 1965; Farabollini et al., 1992; Magny et al., 2002; Moretti & 2. Study area Rodolfi, 2000; Nisio et al., 1996; Rodolfi & Frascati, 1979; Vittorini, 1971); more recent studies concentrate The Anversa degli Abruzzi badlands area (whose on morphometric analysis highlighting similarities toponym is il Caccavone) is located in the Central between badlands and fluvial systems (Buccolini & Apennines, an arc-shaped and asymmetric mountain Coco, 2010; Buccolini & Coco, 2013; Buccolini et al., range which is the result of the Neogene-Quaternary 2012; Caraballo-Arias et al., 2015; Caraballo-Arias & evolution of a chain-foreland-foredeep system gener- Ferro, 2017; Di Stefano & Ferro, 2019; Neugirg et al., ated through the westward subduction of the Adriatic 2016; Vergari et al., 2019). microplate (Carminati & Doglioni, 2012; Miccadei In this study, we present a 1:2500 scale geomorpholo- et al., 1998; Miccadei et al., 2017; Miccadei et al., gical map of the Anversa degli Abruzzi badlands area, 2018; Piacentini et al., 2015). The chain is made up located in the Central Abruzzo area (Marsica region; of thrust sheets resulting from the deformation of Figure 1). It has been implemented within a GIS environ- Meso-Cenozoic paleogeographic domains (carbonate ment by means of morphometric analysis of orography platforms and margins, slope and basin) consisting and hydrography; detailed geological and geomorpholo- of pre-orogenic thick limestone and marl-limestone gical field mapping, and finally of geomorphological evol- sequences (Miccadei et al., 2019 and references ution via a multi-temporal photogeological analysis. therein). The main map incorporates three principal sections: Orogenic compressional tectonics along NW–SE to N–S-oriented thrusts affected the Central Apen- (i) orography and hydrography; nines causing the complex superimposition of (ii) main geomorphological map (scale 1:2500); the tectonic units one over the other and over (iii) multi-temporal evolution scheme. syn-orogenic pelitic-arenaceous turbiditic sequences. CONTACT Enrico Miccadei [email protected] Department of Engineering and Geology, Laboratory of Tectonic Geomorphology and GIS, Università degli Studi ‘G. d’Annunzio’ Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 31, 66100 Chieti Scalo (CH), Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Sezione Roma 1, Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143 Roma, Italy © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of Journal of Maps This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. JOURNAL OF MAPS 489 Figure 1. Location map of: (a) Abruzzo in Italy; (b) location of the schematic geomorphological profile inside the study area (see Figure 7); (c) Study area (black circle) in the physiographic setting of the Abruzzo Region. The compressional tectonics was followed by strike-slip some morphogenetic phases, resulting in the reorgan- tectonics along mostly NW–SE to NNW–SSE-oriented ization of the landscape to the present-day setting faults, largely masked by younger extensional tectonics, (Miccadei et al., 2017 and references therein). contributing to define a more complex tectonic setting. The study area (Figure 2) is located in the chain Since the Lower Pleistocene, the orogen underwent area of the Abruzzo Region and is set in the Sagittario regional uplifting (Carminati & Doglioni, 2012; Micca- River basin which incorporates a 48-km-long main dei et al., 2017). Post-orogenic tectonics is characterized river. It is called Tasso Stream, in the southern by extensional kinematics which affects the chain still stretch, and flows with an S-N direction into the today, as highlighted by recent major earthquakes (up Scanno Lake, from where it flows through and incises to M7.0; Fucino, January, 1915; L’Aquila, April, 2009; the Sagittario gorges in a SE-NW direction. Near Central Italy, August–till today, 2016–2017; Rovida Anversa degli Abruzzi village, it describes a 90° et al., 2019; ISIDe Working Group, 2016), with NW– sharp bend to NE and flows towards Sulmona Basin SE-oriented extensional fault systems and which caused making a wide incision transversal to the main ridges the formation of intermontane basins, such as Fucino of the area (Montagna Grande, Mt. Genzana) (Micca- Plain and Sulmona Basin (Ascione et al., 2008; Capelli dei et al., 2019). et al., 1997; Ciccacci et al., 1999; Corrado et al., 1996; From a geological standpoint, the area is made up Ghisetti & Vezzani, 1993; Mattei & Miccadei, 2001; Mic- of three main paleogeographic domains: (i) the Meso- cadei, 1993; Miccadei et al., 2014; Miccadei et al., 2018; zoic-Cenozoic Lazio-Abruzzi carbonate platform with Piacentini & Miccadei, 2014; Vezzani et al., 2010). its proximal slope, (ii) the Cenozoic carbonate ramp, The geomorphological evolution began with the and (iii) the turbiditic succession referred to the Mes- emersion of the orogen at least from Miocene (in the sinian evaporitic foredeep (Carabella et al., 2019; Mic- chain area) and it is closely connected with a complex cadei et al., 2017). The oldest units (Upper Triassic- combination of endogenous (morphotectonics) and Lower Jurassic) outcrops on the La Difesa ridge, exogenous processes (slope, fluvial, karst and glacial while the proximal slope unit (Upper Jurassic-Paleo- processes). The combination of these factors with Qua- gene) and the carbonate ramp domain (Eocene-Mes- ternary climate fluctuations led to the succeeding of sinian pre-evaporitic) are spread between Anversa 490 J. D’INTINO ET AL. Figure 2. Panoramic view of the Anversa degli Abruzzi badlands area. degli Abruzzi and Castrovalva towns on the west side were extracted from 1 m LiDAR data provided by Min- of the study area. These units consist of dolomitic istero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del limestones and limestones sequences and constitute Mare (http://www.minambiente.it). The analysis was the pre-orogenic succession. The syn-orogenic succes- focused on the investigation of the main orographic sion consists of an evaporitic siliciclastic unit and it features, such as slope analysis and aspect analysis represents the substratum of the badlands area. (Strahler, 1957), and on the detailed definition of the Post-orogenic continental deposits are related to var- badland drainage system through the calculation of ious morphogenetic environments, such as slope morphometric parameters such as badlands area fl (slope and landslide deposits) and uvial dynamics (A2D); length (L); perimeter (P); L/P (a ratio of the (Beneo, 1938; Calista et al., 2016; Cassetti, 1900; Cor- stream pattern geometry) and basin slope (S); drainage rado et al., 1996; Miccadei et al., 2014; Miccadei et al., frequency (F) and density (D), Melton ratio (F/D2; 2019). From a climatic point of view, the study area is Melton, 1957); hierarchical order which is a numerical characterized by a Mediterranean climate with cold measure of the branching of a stream (O; Strahler, winters and heavy snowfalls, dry summers with 1957); bifurcation ratio, which is a ratio of the number some afternoon rainfalls and dry springs (Di