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On 24 October 2015, following a period of heavy rainfall, a landslide occurred in the Calatabiano Municipality (Sicily Island, Southern Italy), causing the rupture of a water pipeline supplying water to the city of Messina. Following this event, approximately 250,000 inhabitants of the city suffered critical water shortages for several days. Consequently, on 6 November 2015, a state of emergency was declared (O.C.D.P. 295/2015) by the National Italian Department of Civil Protection (DPC). During the emergency management phase, a provisional by-pass, consisting of three 350-m long pipes passing through the landslide area, was constructed to restore water to the city. Furthermore, on 11 November 2015, a landslide remote-sensing monitoring system was installed with the following purposes: (i) analyse the landslide geomorphological and kinematic features in order to assess the residual landslide risk and (ii) support the early warning procedures needed to ensure the safety of the personnel involved in the by-pass construction and the landslide stabilization works. The monitoring system was based on the combined use of Ground-Based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (GB-InSAR) and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). In this work, the preliminary results of the monitoring activities and a remote 3D map of the landslide area are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, space-borne InSAR (interferometric synthetic aperture radar) techniques have shown their capabilities to provide precise measurements of Earth surface displacements for monitoring natural processes. Landslides threaten human lives and structures, especially in urbanized areas, where the density of elements at risk sensitive to ground movements is high. The methodology described in this paper aims at detecting terrain motions and building deformations at the local scale, by means of satellite radar data combined with in situ validation campaigns. The proposed approach consists of deriving maximum settlement directions of the investigated buildings from displacement data revealed by radar measurements and then in the cross-comparison of these values with background geological data, constructive features and on-field evidence. This validation permits better understanding whether or not the detected movements correspond to visible and effective damages to buildings. The method has been applied to the southwestern sector of Volterra (Tuscany region, Italy), which is a landslide-affected and partially urbanized area, through the use of COSMO-SkyMed satellite images as input data. Moreover, we discuss issues and possible misinterpretations when dealing with PSI (Persistent Scatterer Interferometry) data referring to single manufactures and the consequent difficulty of attributing the motion rate to ground displacements, rather than to structural failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stromboli volcano (Aeolian Archipelago, Southern Italy) experienced an increase in its volcanic activity from late December 2012 to March 2013, when it produced several lava overflows, major Strombolian explosions, crater-wall collapses pyroclastic density currents and intense spatter activity. An analysis of the displacement of the NE portion of the summit crater terrace and the unstable NW flank of the volcano (Sciara del Fuoco depression) has been performed with a ground- based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (GBInSAR) by dividing the monitored part of the volcano into five sectors, three in the summit vents region and two in the Sciara del Fuoco. Changes in the displacement rate were observed in sectors 2 and 3. Field and thermal surveys revealed the presence of an alignment of fumaroles confirming the existence of an area of structural discontinuity between sectors 2 and 3. High displacement rates in sector 2 are interpreted to indicate the increase in the magmastatic pressure within the shallow plumbing systems, related to the rise of the magma level within the conduits, while increased displacement rates in sector 3 are connected to the lateral expansion of the shallow plumbing system. The increases and decreases in the displacement rate registered by the GBInSAR system in the upper part of the volcano have been used as a proxy for changes in the pressure conditions in the shallow plumbing system of Stromboli volcano and hence to forecast the occurrence of phases of higher-intensity volcanic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To understand the relationship between volcano deformations, magma overpressure and flank instability, the results of analog experiments of slope instability and ground deformations, recorded by the GBInSAR system on the western flank of the Stromboli volcano during the period 2009–2011 have been analyzed. Analog experiments that consider both the external (accumulation on the slope) and the endogenous (intrusion-related bulging) trigger phenomena. The effect of accumulation on the sub-aqueous slope on the initiation of sub-marine mass movements has been analyzed. By combining the monitoring data with analog modeling, the observed deformations from the combined action of overpressure in the volcanic system and gravity have been related. The results suggest that the superficial movements observed by the GBInSAR system represent the response of the Stromboli volcano to overpressure changes in the conduit. The movements observed on the Sciara del Fuoco were slope instability phenomena where the gravitational component produced a constant creep, while changes in the magma overpressure explain why certain periods are characterized by accelerations, which induce instability on the external flanks of the crater area and in the Sciara del Fuoco and eventually promote failure of the volcanic slopes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ground-Based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (GBInSAR) is an efficient technique for capturing short, subtle episodes of conduit pressurization in open vent volcanoes like Stromboli (Italy), because it can detect very shallow magma storage, which is difficult to identify using other methods. This technique allows the user to choose the optimal radar location for measuring the most significant deformation signal, provides an exceptional geometrical resolution, and allows for continuous monitoring of the deformation. Here, we present and model ground displacements collected at Stromboli by GBInSAR from January 2010 to August 2014. During this period, the volcano experienced several episodes of intense volcanic activity, culminated in the effusive flank eruption of August 2014. Modelling of the deformation allowed us to estimate a source depth of 482 ± 46 m a.s.l. The cumulative volume change was 4.7 ± 2.6 × 105 m3. The strain energy of the source was evaluated 3-5 times higher than the surface energy needed to open the 6-7 August eruptive fissure. The analysis proposed here can help forecast shifts in the eruptive style and especially the onset of flank eruptions at Stromboli and at similar volcanic systems (e.g. Etna, Piton de La Fournaise, Kilauea). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]