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We investigate the seismic structure of the mantle wedge of the Apennines subduction zone (Central Mediterranean) using teleseismic receiver function (RF). We inverted RF for both isotropic and anisotropic properties of the mantle wedge, from below the overriding Moho to the “plate boundary”, i.e. the interface that separate the slab from the mantle wedge. Given the distribution of the seismic network, we are able to map out the change in the elastic properties at the transition between southern apennines and the Calabrian arc, given by the change in the subduction style (i.e from the subduction of continental materials to oceanic plate). We found that the anisotropy in the mantle wedge is similar between all seismic stations, generally highly anisotropic (> 10%), with a direction of the symmetry axis that rotates clockwise from North to South, following the Calabrian arc geometry and likely indicating the mantle flow driven by the slab retreat. The elastic properties of the subducted crust are more heterogeneous. To the North, the subducted crust shows a highly anisotropic (> 10%) behavior, and it occurs at larger depth (around 70 km depth), where to the South anisotropy is less intense (around 7%) and the subducted crust is shallower (around 60 km depth). These results point out a change in the subduction style that can be given by either a change in the metamorphic phase (more evolved blueschist facies stage to the North, initial greenschist facies stage to the South) or a different origin for the subducted materials (continental to the North and oceanic to the South). The differences in the anisotropic behavior of the subducted crust are reflected in the topography of the plate boundary, which becomes shallower from North to South, suggesting the existence of either a step in the slab topography or a more gentle ramp.

A comparative analysis of environmental conditions between Alpine and Apennine lakes/ponds which represent different faces of European mountain regions was conducted. The data set was created on the basis of previous works carried out by national and international institutions including biological, physical-chemical, geographic, and precipitation data from 27 lakes/ponds placed at altitudes ranging from 2334 +/- 294 m a.s.l. (in the Alps) and 1541 +/- 154 m a.s.l. (in the Apennines), with mean maximum depths of about 5.5 +/- 4.6 m. A specific focus was dedicated to chironomids as outstanding sentinels for local and global changes in habitat conditions. Species richness and Taxonomic Distinctness Indices were applied to lakes/ponds macroinvertebrates to highlight differences in the biodiversity of the two areas. Subsequently, associations between descriptors of the mountain region climate, lithology, water chemistry, lake morphology, geography, macroinvertebrate assemblage richness, and distinctness were examined through Principal Component Analysis, Analysis of Variance, and Non-metric Multi-dimensional Scaling. Results showed strong positive correlations between mean annual precipitation and temperature with lake macroinvertebrate biodiversity as a whole and with chironomid in particular. Thus, these shore habitats face a threat under climate change conditions (impacting thermal and precipitation regimes). These results are also central in showing that even small ecosystems are important sources of biodiversity for the lower altitudes, stressing the urgency of including them within targeted monitoring and action plans to preserve their peculiar habitat, flora, and fauna.

The frontal thrusts and folds of the northern Apennines - Italy - are mainly covered under the alluvial deposits of the Po Plain. Some of these structures show geological evidence of Late Quaternary activity, thus posing the need for an accurate seismic hazard assessment due to widespread housing settlements, industries, lifeline infrastructures, and large towns. We present new morphostructural, geophysical, and seismological data to discuss the recent activity of the Broni-Sarmato fault, an 18 km-long outcropping section of the north-verging Stradella thrust, located 50 km south of Milan, along the Pede-Apennine thrust front (PTF) in the rear of the Emilia Arc thrust system. The new geoelectrical surveys across the fault scarp show deformation of the shallow deposits. The outcropping deformations, with a fault scarp ranging up to 25.8 m, are investigated within the seismotectonic framework of the PTF and the Emilia Arc. The analysis of the associated seismicity and new focal mechanisms highlight two seismogenic contractional volumes dipping at low-angle southwest-ward, at upper (<12 km) and lower crustal depths (~20–30 km). The shallow seismicity partially illuminates the Stradella thrust and its along-strike southeastward prosecution along the extent of the Stradella-Salsomaggiore Arc. Subordinately, it also illuminates some of the Emilia Arc thrust planes. The deeper seismogenic volume shows large patches of the basal thrust of the Emilia Arc fault system. We interpret the above multi-scale data as evidence of ongoing tectonic activity of the outer fronts of the Emilia Arc under a regional NNE-oriented compressional stress field, with some evidence of thrust involvement along the Pede-Apennine front. In our 3D fault-model reconstruction, all the analyzed thrust structures appear as expressions of a thick-skinned deformation that controls earthquake release at different structural levels.

The topography of orogenic belts responds to several contributions operating at short and long temporal and spatial (i.e., wavelengths) scales, from the surface to the deep mantle. Here, we aim to investigate the connection between morphometric characteristics, exhumation, and crustal deformation along and across the Italian Apennines, by comparing superficial with deeper data. Specifically, we present four sets of observations that are constructed by gathering previous data and adding new analyses and inferences, that include: (a) a new geomorphological set of analyses; (b) a database of available low temperature thermochronological cooling ages; (c) a reconstruction of drainage divide evolution in time and space based on the age of the youngest lacustrine deposits within each extensional basin; (d) Moho depth from receiver functions, gathering previous estimates and 13 new ones. From these sets of data, it emerges that across the main drainage divide of the Apennines, the morphological characteristics, the style of deformation and the spatial distribution of exhumation correlate with the geometries of the Moho and are associated with a strong asymmetry in the Northern-Apennines and a clear symmetry in the Central-Apennines. We interpret these results as evidence of a strong coupling between shallower and deeper geometries, that are most likely related to complex along-strike variations in the Apennines geodynamic setting.

The contribution aims to analyse the problematic relationship between material culture and ‘ethnic identity’, taking as a case study the pre-romans Italic peoples, with reference to those of central Apennine Italy. On a general methodological level, in fact, this relationship appears to be one of the most debated and problematised notions in archaeology, but also, at the same time, one of the most fundamental and common in the discipline itself. To overcome this contradiction, it has become increasingly common to circumvent a theoretical stance on the issue, thereby creating a large lacuna on a methodological level. The paper, on the contrary, wants to address this issue to fuel the debate, using as a case study a context, the preroman central Apennine Italy, in which a broad (material) cultural koiné corresponds, if we follow the Roman sources, to a rich mosaic of different peoples. The aim of the paper is therefore specifically to attempt, aware of the various stances in this long-running debate, to understand, motivate and qualify historically this cultural koiné, its partitions and the relationship it establishes with the peoples who express it.

[Question]: Vegetation around the alpine–treeline ecotone faces changes in both climate and land use (i.e. grazing abandonment). Broad-scale shrub encroachment is considered an effect of these changes, but it remains unclear how this process is mediated by local-scale environmental heterogeneity. Our goal is to determine which local-scale environmental factors shape the spatial distribution and temporal trends of alpine dwarf shrub vegetation dominated by Juniperus communis in Mediterranean mountains. [Location]: Three sites in the Central Apennine Mountain Range (Italy): Mt. Terminillo, Mt. Duchessa and Mt. Ernici. [Methods]: Combining a set of environmental variables obtained at a fine scale (25-m resolution) from multi-year remote sensing imagery and field-collected vegetation data, we modelled the occurrence and cover of Juniperus communis-dominated dwarf shrubland, as well as its change over time, as a function of local climate, topography and land use, using linear and generalized mixed effects models. [Results]: Over a period of almost 60 years (1954–2012) shrubland occurrence increased by 12% and shrubland cover by 10% in our study sites. Its current distribution and change over time appear to be strongly shaped by the joint influences of fine-scale topography, above-ground biomass, land use and microclimate. Shrublands have been favoured locally in areas with harsher alpine environmental constraints and stronger resource limitations. [Conclusions]: Our study shows that in the Mediterranean high-mountain environment J. communis dwarf shrubland acts as a stress-tolerant pioneer vegetation, occurring in areas that are otherwise sparsely vegetated. Contrary to our expectations, at fine scales, warmer temperatures and the regional decline in grazing did not favour shrub encroachment. Despite increasing overall, J. communis shrubs have little competitive ability to successfully encroach grasslands, and remain restricted to less-productive areas. Our results confi

We announce the formation of the “GLORIA ITALIA NETWORK” and present an overview of the Italian alpine plant communities changes that have occurred in the last 20 years. This network will provide coordination between Italian GLORIA sites and enhance public awareness of changes in alpine plant diversity under climate change.

Brown bears Ursus arctos were historically persecuted and almost eradicated from southern Europe in the twentieth century as a result of hunting and direct persecution. The effects of human-induced mortality were exacerbated by other threats, such as habitat loss and fragmentation, due to the expansion of human populations. As a result, nowadays there are only small fragmented populations of bears in southern Europe. Brown bears in the Cantabrian (north-western Spain), Apennine (central Italy), and Pindos (north-western Greece) mountains represent three examples of small and threatened bear populations in human-modified landscapes. Most of their range is characterized by high human densities, widespread agricultural activities, livestock raising and urban development, connected by dense networks of transport infrastructures. This has resulted in a reduction of continuous habitat suitable for the species. Here, we summarize the past and present histories and fates of these three populations as examples on how the coexistence of bears and people in human-modified landscapes can take different turns depending on human attitudes.

In Italy, more than 1600 caves are classified as cryo-caves, due to the presence of multiyear snow, firn, or ice. Previous regional studies show that at least 10% of such caves can be included in the ice cave classification, because they have a perennial ice deposit. However, the strong differences in the karstological characteristics of the Italian geology allows having not only caves formed in limestone, dolomite, or marble terrains, in the Alps as well as in the Apennines, but also in lava tubes on the Etna Volcano. Four ice caves are reported here as examples of three different mechanisms of ice cave formation and evolution. From Grigna Settentrionale, central Alps, a vertical shaft ice deposit mainly formed by dripping water was studied by chemical and stable isotope record. Two high altitude ice caves originated by snow accumulation and ice dipping were studied in the Canin massif, southeastern Alps, and a lava tube from Etna volcano was studied for its ice dynamics and air-circulation mechanisms. These four examples provide important data on the evolution of such ice deposits, giving a first clue on their progressive reduction under recent climate forcing

We present high-resolution elastic models and relocated seismicity of a very active segment of the Apennines normal faulting system, computed via transdimensional local earthquake tomography (trans-D LET). Trans-D LET, a fully nonlinear approach to seismic tomography, robustly constrains high-velocity anomalies and inversions of P wave velocity, i.e., decreases of VP with depth, without introducing bias due to, e.g., a starting model, and giving the possibility to investigate the relation between fault structure, seismicity, and fluids. Changes in seismicity rate and recurring seismic swarms are frequent in the Apennines extensional belt. Deep fluids, upwelling from the delaminating continental lithosphere, are thought to be responsible for seismicity clustering in the upper crust and lubrication of normal faults during swarms and large earthquakes. We focus on the tectonic role played by the Alto Tiberina low-angle normal fault (ATF), finding displacements across the fault consistent with long-term accommodation of deformation. Our results show that recent seismic swarms affecting the area occur within a 3 km thick, high VP/VS, densely cracked, and overpressurized evaporitic layer, composed of dolostones and anhydrites. A persistent low VP, low VP/VS volume, present on top of and along the ATF low-angle detachment, traces the location of mantle-derived CO2, the upward flux of which contributes to cracking within the evaporitic layer.

We analyze the source-to-sink variations of in situ 10Be, 26Al and 21Ne concentrations in modern sediment of the Po river catchment, from Alpine, Apennine, floodplain, and delta samples, in order to investigate how the cosmogenic record of orogenic erosion is transmitted across a fast-subsiding foreland basin. The in situ 10Be concentrations in the analyzed samples range from ∼0.8×104 at/gQTZ to ∼6.5×104 at/gQTZ. The 10Be-derived denudation rates range from 0.1 to 1.5 mm/yr in the Alpine source areas and from 0.3 to 0.5 mm/yr in the Apenninic source areas. The highest 10Be-derived denudation rates are found in the western Central Alps (1.5 mm/yr). From these data, we constrain a sediment flux leaving the Alpine and the Apenninic source areas (>27 Mt/yr and ca. 5 Mt/yr, respectively) that is notably higher than the estimates of sediment export provided by gauging (∼10 Mt/yr at the Po delta). We observe a high variability in 10Be concentrations and 10Be-derived denudation rates in the source areas. In the Po Plain, little variability is observed, and at the same time, the area-weighed 10Be concentration of (2.29±1.57)×104 at/gQTZ (±1 SD of the dataset) from both the Alps and the Apennines is poorly modified (by tributary input) in sediment of the Po Plain ((2.68±0.78,±1 SD)×104 at/gQTZ). The buffering effect of the Po floodplain largely removes scatter in 10Be signals. We test for several potential perturbations of the cosmogenic nuclide record during source to sink transfer in the Po basin. We find that sediment trapping in deep glacial lakes or behind dams does not significantly change the 10Be-mountain record. For example, similar 10Be concentrations are measured upstream and downstream of the postglacial Lake Maggiore, suggesting that denudation rates prior to lake formation were similar to today's. On the scale of the entire basin, the 10Be concentration of basins with major dams is similar to those without major dams. A potential modi

We analyze the source-to-sink variations of in situ 10Be, 26Al and 21Ne concentrations in modern sediment of the Po river catchment, from Alpine, Apennine, floodplain, and delta samples, in order to investigate how the cosmogenic record of orogenic erosion is transmitted across a fast-subsiding foreland basin. The in situ 10Be concentrations in the analyzed samples range from ∼0.8×104 at/gQTZ to ∼6.5×104 at/gQTZ. The 10Be-derived denudation rates range from 0.1 to 1.5 mm/yr in the Alpine source areas and from 0.3 to 0.5 mm/yr in the Apenninic source areas. The highest 10Be-derived denudation rates are found in the western Central Alps (1.5 mm/yr). From these data, we constrain a sediment flux leaving the Alpine and the Apenninic source areas (>27 Mt/yr and ca. 5 Mt/yr, respectively) that is notably higher than the estimates of sediment export provided by gauging (∼10 Mt/yr at the Po delta). We observe a high variability in 10Be concentrations and 10Be-derived denudation rates in the source areas. In the Po Plain, little variability is observed, and at the same time, the area-weighed 10Be concentration of (2.29±1.57)×104 at/gQTZ (±1 SD of the dataset) from both the Alps and the Apennines is poorly modified (by tributary input) in sediment of the Po Plain ((2.68±0.78,±1 SD)×104 at/gQTZ). The buffering effect of the Po floodplain largely removes scatter in 10Be signals. We test for several potential perturbations of the cosmogenic nuclide record during source to sink transfer in the Po basin. We find that sediment trapping in deep glacial lakes or behind dams does not significantly change the 10Be-mountain record. For example, similar 10Be concentrations are measured upstream and downstream of the postglacial Lake Maggiore, suggesting that denudation rates prior to lake formation were similar to today's. On the scale of the entire basin, the 10Be concentration of basins with major dams is similar to those without major dams. A potential modi

[EN] LAQUI-CORE was drilled in the co-seismic subsidence depocenter shown by DinSAR images in the Bazzano sub-basin after the 2009 Mw = 6.1 L'Aquila earthquake. LAQUI-CORE aimed at gathering high-resolution integrated stratigraphy and defining its relationships with the Paganica and other active faults that yielded co-seismic subsidence. Lithostratigraphy and micropaleontological analyses indicate a Late Pleistocene-Holocene fluvial-alluvial sequence, and below 41 m palustrine sediments sandwiching at 84–115 m a thick gravel package. Four 14C ages gathered from 5 to 15 m yield calibrated ages between 6 and 41 ka BP. Paleomagnetism reveals a normal polarity above 84 m, while below the gravel package (115 m) it shows frequent polarity changes. The occurrence of intervals of clear reverse polarity testifies below 115 m the deposition during the Matuyama Chron. We conclude that the normal polarity package, down to 84 m along with the underlying gravels, were deposited at high sedimentation rate (0.46 mm/yr for the upper 15 m) during the Brunhes Chron (< 0.78 Ma), and lie over a much older Early Pleistocene palustrine sequence that we correlate with the well-known Madonna della Strada Synthem (1.2–1.7 Ma). We assume that the subsidence driving the deposition of the upper normal polarity sequence was due to the activity of the Paganica and neighbour faults during the Middle-Late Pleistocene. The lack of thick volcanostratigraphic markers, widespread in colluvial sediments from the L'Aquila plain older than 460 ka, suggests a normal-polarity sedimentation onset, thus a Paganica fault activity onset, around 400 ka. The 0.25 to 0.50 mm/yr subsidence at Bazzano extrapolated by DinSAR data and paleoseismological trenching at the Paganica fault is roughly consistent with the sedimentation rate (0.46 mm/yr) yielded by radiocarbon dating in the upper LAQUI-CORE. This implies that co-seismic subsidence in the Bazzano sub-basin during Late Pleistocene-Holocene times was mainly cont

Lithospheric tear faults are expected to develop in response to along-strike variations in the rates of slab rollback. However, the exact geometry of such structures and their crustal and upper mantle expressions are still debated. We present an analysis of seismic, structural, and morphological features that possibly represent the expression of lithospheric segmentation in the northern Apennines. Geophysical observations show evidence for the existence of a discontinuity in the lithospheric structure beneath the northern Apennines, characterized by a change in the spatial distribution of intermediate-depth seismicity, along-strike variations in the pattern of crustal seismicity, and a bend in the Moho topography. The near-surface expression of this discontinuity is associated with an abrupt change in the morphology and exhumation history of the northern Apennines in the proximity of the Livorno-Sillaro Lineament. We interpret these features as evidence for incipient tearing of the lithospheric slab beneath the northern Apennines, marking the boundary between domains that underwent contrasting styles of lithospheric deformation, which are either associated with different rates of slab rollback or a transition from underplating to retreat. We suggest that similar types of structures may play a crucial role in the evolution of convergent plate boundaries, allowing segmentation of orogenic belts and facilitating the development of orogenic curvatures. Ultimately, further tearing along such structures could potentially lead to the occurrence of tear-related magmatism and the formation of slab windows.

Lithospheric tear faults are expected to develop in response to along-strike variations in the rates of slab rollback. However, the exact geometry of such structures and their crustal and upper mantle expressions are still debated. We present an analysis of seismic, structural, and morphological features that possibly represent the expression of lithospheric segmentation in the northern Apennines. Geophysical observations show evidence for the existence of a discontinuity in the lithospheric structure beneath the northern Apennines, characterized by a change in the spatial distribution of intermediate-depth seismicity, along-strike variations in the pattern of crustal seismicity, and a bend in the Moho topography. The near-surface expression of this discontinuity is associated with an abrupt change in the morphology and exhumation history of the northern Apennines in the proximity of the Livorno-Sillaro Lineament. We interpret these features as evidence for incipient tearing of the lithospheric slab beneath the northern Apennines, marking the boundary between domains that underwent contrasting styles of lithospheric deformation, which are either associated with different rates of slab rollback or a transition from underplating to retreat. We suggest that similar types of structures may play a crucial role in the evolution of convergent plate boundaries, allowing segmentation of orogenic belts and facilitating the development of orogenic curvatures. Ultimately, further tearing along such structures could potentially lead to the occurrence of tear-related magmatism and the formation of slab windows.

This study investigates the geometry of the crust-mantle boundary along the Northern Apennines (Italy) and its relationship to the tectonic evolution of a retreating subduction system. Using receiver function analysis from teleseismic records, the Moho depth was computed beneath 26 seismic stations located in key positions along the orogen. The results show a relatively shallow (~ 20 km) Moho in the Tyrrhenian side, as expected from an extended overriding plate, and a deeper Moho (~ 40 km) in the subducted Adriatic plate, SW-dipping 15-45° beneath the chain. Stations deployed on the Northeastern edge of the Plio-Quaternary extensional basins provide maximum Moho depth estimates, thus supporting the hypothesis that these basins define the zone where the two plates separate at depth. In addition, an abrupt change in the Moho depth is recognized along strike of the orogen, attributed to a 45 km-wide, trench-normal deformation zone that crosses the Northern Apennines in the proximity of the Livorno-Sillaro lineament. This zone is interpreted as an incipient lithospheric tear fault, which accommodates varying rates of trench retreat along the length of the subduction zone.

Goniolimon italicum is an endemic species to central Apennines (Italy). Here we provide the first report of heterostyly in this species. Two morphological types were identified: an S-morph with stamen filaments longer than gynoecia, stigmas with a papillate surface and finely reticulated pollen grains with very small spinules (Type B); and an L-morph with stamen filaments shorter than gynoecia, stigmas with a cob pattern and coarsely reticulated pollen grains with small spinules (Type A). Two new locations of G. italicum were found and are here reported., Goniolimon italicum es una especie endémica del centro de los Apeninos (Italia) de la cual se da a conocer por primera vez la existencia de heterostilia. Se reconocen dos tipos mofológicos: el morfo S, con filamentos estaminales más largos que el gineceo, estigmas papilosos y granos de polen finamente reticulados con espínulas muy pequeñas (Type B); y el morfo L con filamentos estaminales más cortos que elgineceo, estigmas tipo mazorca (“cob”) y granos de polen provistos de retículos laxos con espínulas pequeñas (Type A). Se aporta, además, el hallazgo de G. italicum en dos nuevas localidades.

Campylomorphus homalisinus has been found on Mt. Lesima (Northern Apennines) and it is the first record for the Lombardy region. C. homalisinus is a rare orophilous species: it has a discontinuous chorology that may have been caused by glaciers dynamics during the Pleistocene era. Little is known about the ecology of the species. This record and the expert-based investigation we performed determined that C. homalisinus inhabits shrublands and grasslands, but may also occur in the forests. This survey includes the only record of C. homalisinus foraging on flowers, a behavior that is not rare in the family Elateridae. We hypothesize that adults integrate their diet with flower resources according to a generalist strategy.

Campylomorphus homalisinus has been found on Mt. Lesima (Northern Apennines) and it is the first record for the Lombardy region. C. homalisinus is a rare orophilous species: it has a discontinuous chorology that may have been caused by glaciers dynamics during the Pleistocene era. Little is known about the ecology of the species. This record and the expert-based investigation we performed determined that C. homalisinus inhabits shrublands and grasslands, but may also occur in the forests. This survey includes the only record of C. homalisinus foraging on flowers, a behavior that is not rare in the family Elateridae. We hypothesize that adults integrate their diet with flower resources according to a generalist strategy.

In this study, the genetic diversity of three Rhododendron ferrugineum L Apennine populations (AP1, AP2, and AP3) was analyzed and compared to three populations of the Maritime Alps and six populations of Central-Eastern Alps. Genetic variations across microsatellite markers revealed that the Apennine populations show some clonal individuals and the lowest genetic diversity values (AP1 and AP3 A [18] values are 2.46 and 2.31, respectively), as well as heterozygosity deficiency with respect to the Alpine populations. Genetic relationships among populations (Nei's genetic distance) showed that populations from the Central-Eastern Alps and from the Maritime Alps clustered in two separate groups. Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages as well as PCA analysis showed a clear separation of the three Apennine populations according to the high FST values detected (AP1-AP2 = 0.427; AP1-AP3 = 0.446; AP2-AP3 = 0.325). Mantel test revealed a significant correlation between genetic and geographical distance matrices (r = 0.314, P = 0.001, 999 permutations). Concerning the relationship between Apennines and alpine population, PCA analysis showed a clear genetic similarity among Maritime Alps populations and individuals of AP1 population. Considering the geographical and ecological peripheral condition of these populations and the high impact of the climatic changes on their habitat, we suggest the combination of in situ and ex situ conservation strategies to preserve the genetic diversity of this species in the Northern Apennines. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Traditionally, earth scientists assess landslide occurrence on the basis of geomorphological investigations carried out through aerial photograph interpretation and fieldwork. Conversely, local administrators primarily evaluate the impact of natural catastrophes, such as landsliding, on the basis of historical records and data. Owing to the substantial difference in the structure and spatial density of these two types of information, it is difficult to compare them directly and few investigators have attempted this. We compared landslide information derived from geomorphological mapping and historical data in a pilot area (the Staffora river basin, northern Italy). To do this we generated two multivariate statistical models where the dependent variable was either the mapped landslide deposits (geomorphological model), or the historical sites affected by landslide-induced damage (historical model). By quantitatively comparing these two model maps, we demonstrate that the geomorphological model performs better in terms of percentage of terrain units correctly predicted as stable or unstable. The historical model underestimates landslide hazard mainly where human structures are lacking. However, it highlights slopes where landslide movements take place with a high frequency at the temporal scale of human life. Hence, the joint use of these two models may facilitate the knowledge of the overall instability conditions of a given region and the identification of the landslides that are most frequently reactivated.