Search

A multidisciplinary approach allowed to investigate the formation and evolution of gypsum blocks within the Riato Conglomerate outcropping in the Catanzaro Basin (Calabria, Southern Italy). Macroscopically, the gypsum blocks seem to belong to the branching facies (primary facies) known in literature, however microscopic observations reveal a detrital origin (secondary facies). Indeed, the gypsum blocks show an alternation of laminae made of selenite clasts (100 to 500μm) and of fine matrix engulfing relicts of selenite crystals (

Groundwater is the main water supply for agricultural and industrial needs in many coastal plains worldwide. Groundwater depletion often triggers land subsidence, which threatens manmade infrastructure and activities and aggravates other geohazards. We applied a multi-temporal interferometric synthetic aperture radar technique to Sentinel-1 datasets to detect ground motion in the Gioia Tauro plain (Calabria, Southern Italy) from 2018 to 2021. The InSAR data were analysed through the integrated use of groundwater head, stratigraphical and geomorphological data, and land use information to distinguish the potential subsidence divers. The results show that subsiding areas, with a mean rate of about 10 mm/yr, are in the middle of the plain, and their location is influenced by the spatial distribution of compressible sediments included in the shallow aquifer. Furthermore, the subsidence arrangement is spatially accordant with the main groundwater depression area, which can be ascribed to the ongoing and increasing water pumping for predominantly agricultural usage. We also observed that subsidence (up to 10 mm/yr) affects the western dock of the Gioia Tauro harbour, in front of which, in very shallow water, are two submarine canyon heads already affected by slides in the past.

In this paper, we aim to define a procedure of flood hazard assessment applicable to large river basins in which flood events can be induced/sustained by the full basin area or by fractions of the total area as functions of the extent of the triggering precipitation event. The proposed procedure is based on a combined approach accounting for (1) the reconstruction of intensity–duration–frequency curves expressing the magnitude in terms of intensity for multiple return periods; (2) the application of the soil conservation service method for runoff estimation from a selected rainfall scenario considering some characteristics of the basin (i.e. soil type, land use/treatment, surface condition, and antecedent moisture conditions); (3) 2D hydrodynamic modelling conducted by the HEC-RAS model using runoff hydrographs as hydrological input data; (4) the reconstruction of flood hazard maps by overlaying multiple inundation maps depicting flood extent for different return periods. To account for the variability in the extent of the triggering precipitation event and the resulting input hydrograph, multiple contributing areas are considered. The procedure is tested at the archaeological site of Sybaris in southern Italy, which is periodically involved in flood events of variable magnitude. The obtained results highlight that the variable extent of the floodable area is strongly conditioned by the extent of the contributing area and return period, as expected. The archaeological site is always involved in the simulated flooding process, except for the smallest contributing area for which only a 300-year event involves this part of the site. Our findings may be useful for developing and supporting flood risk management plans in the area. The developed procedure might be easily exported and tested in other fluvial contexts in which evaluations of multiple flood hazard scenarios, due to the basin geometry and extent, are needed.

Field, petrographic and fluid inclusions (FIs) studies are used to investigate the formation of Miocene twinned selenite crystals from the Catanzaro Trough (Calabria, Southern Italy). The selenite was formed during the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) (~ 6 Ma) and is classified into three facies: giant selenite, banded selenite and massive curvilinear selenite. Petrographic studies revealed the presence of alternating growth intervals (i.e. cloudy and clear intervals) in the selenite crystals that are occasionally separated by transition zones (intermediate interval). The giant selenite facies has cloudy intervals rich in primary FIs and organic matter; transition zones with lower abundances of FIs and organic matter have been observed, while clear zones are devoid of FIs. The banded selenite facies has cloudy and clear zones and relatively low abundances of organic matter. The massive selenite facies has cloudy zones with abundant primary FIs and organic matter and clear zones with low abundances of FIs and organic matter. These transition zones may have formed in response to daily or seasonal climate change oscillations, which in turn triggered alternations in selenite growth rates, in tandem with variations in biological activity and salinities. Microthermometric analyses have highlighted a salinity range between 0.18 and 11.34 eq. wt% NaCl. This indicates that the selenite precipitated from brines with a significant proportion of nonmarine waters. This study helps to place the Calabrian selenite into the interpretive framework of the MSC. The results of this study will contribute to a better understanding of the sedimentary processes active during the Messinian evolution of the northeastern sector of the Catanzaro Trough.

The Gioia Tauro plain (GTP) is an industrialized and agricultural coastal area of about 500 km2 in the Tyrrhenian side of Calabria. Its harbour is one of the most important container traffic hubs in the Mediterranean basin. The GTP groundwater resources are constantly at risk of depletion and quality degradation due to anthropic activities.GTP is a half-graben bounded by two massifs. The boundaries are marked by three main fault systems: the Nicotera-Gioiosa fault zone, NW-SE striking and right lateral kinematics along the north boundary; the NNE-SSW Cittanova Fault, a high-angle normal and active fault along the eastern border; the Palmi-Locri fault zone with NW-SE trend and a mainly strike-slip kinematics along the south boundary. The GTP sedimentary infill is made by an upper Miocene siliciclastic and carbonate succession overlays by Pliocene marly-limestone rhytmites and Piacenzian-Calabrian sandstones and calcarenites with interbedded 20m thick volcaniclastic deposits. Upward, the sedimentary infill continues with alluvial (in eastern and middle sector) and coastal (in the western sector) deposits.Six geochemical facies of groundwater were distinguished, with different salinities and temperatures (Italiano et al., 2010). The majority of samples is of cold shallow groundwater and shows Ca-HCO3, Ca(Mg-Na)-HCO3(Cl-SO4) and Na-HCO3 composition and overall low salinities (TDS 4 and Na-Cl composition, show high salinity (TDS It was created a geodatabase using data of hundreds of boreholes, geotechnical and geophysical investigations. Furthermore, it is carrying out a geological and geophysical survey along the plain boundaries using passive seismic technique to infer the deep of discontinuities among the main geological units described above. The acquired data allowed to identify: i) the shallow aquifer, made by Pleistocene-Holocene deposits characterized by complex lateral variations; ii) at the bottom, the aquitard, represented by Pliocene marls; iii) the deep aquifer, consisting of the upper Miocene succession. The highest thickness of shallow aquifer (more than 200 m) is observed in the middle GTP sector. The thickness variation is strictly related to the NE-SW high angle normal faults which cross the GTP. The ongoing geological, geochemical, and geophysical surveys will allow: i) to identify the geometry of the hydrogeological units; ii) to define the hydrogeological features of the groundwater systems useful for modelling purposes, and iii) to improve the knowledge of water rock interactions processes (e.g., relations between deep and shallow waters, anthropogenic effects, seawater intrusion) for management purposes.Italiano, F. et al. 2010. Geochemistry of fluids discharged over the seismic area of the Southern Apennines (Calabria region, Southern Italy): Implications for fluid-fault relationships. Appl. Geochem. 25, 540–554.

The Gioia Tauro plain (GTP) is an industrialized and agricultural coastal area of about 500 km2in the Tyrrhenian side of Calabria. Its harbour is one of the most important container traffic hubs in the Mediterranean basin. The GTP groundwater resources are constantly at risk of depletion and quality degradation due to anthropic activities. GTP is a half-graben bounded by two massifs. The boundaries are marked by three main fault systems: the Nicotera-Gioiosa fault zone, NW-SE striking and right lateral kinematics along the north boundary; the NNE-SSW Cittanova Fault, a high-angle normal and active fault along the eastern border; the Palmi-Locri fault zone with NW-SE trend and a mainly strike-slip kinematics along the south boundary. The GTP sedimentary infill is made by an upper Miocene siliciclastic and carbonate succession overlays by Pliocene marly-limestone rhytmites and Piacenzian-Calabrian sandstones and calcarenites with interbedded 20m thick volcaniclastic deposits. Upward, the sedimentary infill continues with alluvial (in eastern and middle sector) and coastal (in the western sector) deposits. Six geochemical facies of groundwater were distinguished, with different salinities and temperatures (Italiano et al., 2010). The majority of samples is of cold shallow groundwater and shows Ca-HCO3, Ca(Mg-Na)-HCO3(Cl-SO4) and Na-HCO3composition and overall low salinities (TDS

Coastal plain environments constantly adapt to change as a result of natural processes and increasing anthropogenic pressure, as in the case of the low relief Sibari coastal plain (Calabria, southern Italy). In order to reconstruct the hydrostratigraphic framework and explain the spatial distribution of groundwater salinization of the Sibari coastal plain, an integrated hydrogeological and geochemical approach was applied to support an accurate conceptualisation and modelling of the whole plain groundwater system. Litho-hydro-stratigraphic relationships were constructed from lithologic logs obtained from exploratory boreholes whereas, the groundwater flow system has been studied using conventional hydrogeological field investigations, hydrochemistry, and isotope hydrology. Three distinct Hydrological units (HU3-shallow aquifer, HU2 aquitard and HU1-lower aquifer) were identified showing distinct geometrical, hydrochemical and isotopic signatures. With the aim of explain the origin of Na-Cl, Ca-Cl and Na-HCO 3 waters were considered the role of ion exchange processes. The results demonstrate that values of Na + , Mg 2+ , Cl and SO 4 can be attributed to seawater intrusion, where K + is probably the major pollutant of the shallow aquifer. The adopted multidisciplinary approach provides an effective tool for accurately determination of groundwater processes and can be useful for a sustainable management of water resources in coastal plain. The physically based model of the pail groundwater system was able to explain the observed groundwater salinity variations and to support a detailed long-lasting numerical simulation of variations in the quantity and quality of groundwater resources.

This work studies the pollution of the beach sediments along the coastal sector between Crotone and Strongoli towns. 24 samples were investigated through grain size and chemical analyses. The samples are enriched in heavy metals as Ti, Fe, Ni, Co, Ce and V probably related to iron and magnesium minerals. Some samples are characterized by values of As, V, Co and Cr higher than the Italian low limits provided by D. Lgs. 152/2006. These anomalies can be ascribed to a combination of natural causes and anthropogenic activities.

In this work, we map surficial ground deformations that occurred during the years 2004–2010 in the Crati Valley (Southern Italy). The valley is in one of the most seismically active regions of the Italian peninsula, and presents slope instability and widespread landslide phenomena. We measured ground deformations by applying the small baseline subset (SBAS) technique, a multi-temporal synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) methodology that is used to process datasets of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Ground displacements are only partially visible with the InSAR technique. Visibility depends on the geometry of the acquisition layout, such as the radar acquisition angle view, and the land use. These two factors determine the backscattering of the reflected signal. Most of the ground deformation detected by InSAR can be attributed to the gravitational mass movements of the hillslopes (i.e., landslides), and the subsidence of the quaternary deposits filling the valley. The movements observed along the valley slopes were compared with the available landslide catalog. We also identified another cause of movement in this area, i.e., ground subsidence due to the compaction of the quaternary deposits filling the valley. This compaction can be ascribed to various sources, such as urban population growth and sprawl, industrial water withdrawal, and tectonic activity.

The aim of this study is the reconstruction of the late Pleistocene-Holocene stratigraphy of the Sibari Plain (southern Italy) aimed to obtain information about hydrogeological framework. A multidisciplinary approach combining boreholes data and Electrical Resistivity Tomography, allowed us to recognize three electro-stratigraphic units, which consist of upper Pleistocene fluvial and floodplain-littoral facies (deep aquifer), passing upward to Holocene marine-transitional deposits (aquiclude) evolving toward continental sediments (shallow aquifer) related to the Crati delta progradation. The late Quaternary-Holocene plain evolution took place in a tectonic-controlled setting and was driven by the interaction between sea-level variations and local factors. The presence of a NE-SW fault zone controlled the facies and thickness of Holocene sediments along strike of the fault. This active fault zone contributed to determine the plain stratigraphic architecture, the arrangement of the depositional environments, and consequently the stratigraphic pattern.

We applied the multi-temporal Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) InSAR technique to investigate the ground displacements in the Crati Valley (Calabria, Southern Italy). The SBAS technique application to image data sets of the European Space Agency (ESA) Envisat satellite from 2003 to 2010, allowed us to obtain the displacement time series and the mean ground velocity map of the Crati Valley. We observed the existence of vertical displacements with velocity up to ~ -7 mm/yr in the central sector of the valley and the prevalence of horizontal deformation ranging from ~ -10 (eastward displacement) to ~10 mm/yr (westward displacement) along its sides. The subsidence processes have been correlated to tectonics and to the compaction of the recent sedimentary infilling of the valley with locally contribution due to the diffuse and fast urbanization. Along East and West sides the widespread landslides are considered the main responsible of the horizontal displacements.

We investigated surface ground deformations in the Sibari Plain (SP - Calabria, Southern Italy) by means of Small Baseline Subset multi-temporal InSAR technique (SBAS), applied to two SAR datasets acquired from 2003 up to 2013 by Envisat (ESA, European Space Agency) and COSMO-SkyMed (ASI, Italian Space Agency) satellites. The retrieved InSAR data show the existence of ground subsidence phenomena up to ~ -20 mm/yr. Our investigation is based on integration between InSAR data and geological, well-logs, land use and hydrogeological information. The results show a direct correlation among subsidence, the thickness of Plio-Pleistocene succession and thickness and lithology of the late Holocene deposits. We identified the fast urbanization of the coastal area during the last ~50 yr and the water table drop as incremental factors of subsidence phenomena. The second factor, due to intensive use of ground water for agriculture, is not the triggering cause of subsidence processes on contrary to the assumption of some previous publications. No evidence of tectonic contribution in the ground deformation pattern is observed.

Physical Stratigraphy of the upper Miocene sedimentary succession in the northeastern Catanzaro Through (Central Calabria, Italy).In the northeastern sector of the Catanzaro Trough, a terrigenous, evaporitic and carbonate mio-pliocenic sedimentary succession overlies the igneous-metamorphic basement of the Sila Unit. These deposits are strongly controlled by NW- strike-slip system, arranged in a right-hand en echelon pattern (Tansi et alii, 2007). Coarse-grained fluvial deposits of the Corace conglomerate Unit represent the onset of the Serravallian – Tortonian sedimentation. Overlying shallow marine arenites and calcarenites, including Porites bodies, pass upward to offshore marly-clays deposits of the Gagliano Unit, evolving upsection to diatomite and organic-rich laminites (Tripoli Fm.) at the Tortonian/Messinian boundary. Evaporitic conditions characterized the sedimentation within the Mediterranean basin during the Messinian as demonstrated by the wide distribution of selenite, micrite and halite deposits.In the northeastern sector of the Catanzaro Trough such conditions are recorded by fi ne grained carbonate deposits, of assumed bacterial origin (Guido et alii, 2007), and can be correlated to CdB type 2 by Manzi et alii (2010), developed during the fi rst MSC stage, from 5,96 Ma to 5,6 Ma. Chaotic deposits of selenitic blocks, gypsrudites and gypsarenites (resedimented evaporites; sub-unit 1 of Riato Conglomerate) and limestone breccias (CdB-2) overlie the Tripoli Fm. along a paraconcordance surface and characterize the depocentral area. The chaotic deposits pass upward to sub-unit 2 of Riato Conglomerate and Arieste Fm characterized by channels and bars facies. They show a fi ning and thinning upward trend represented by a drastic decrease of the intrabasinal evaporitic and carbonate alimentation in favour of metamorphic and plutonic detritus supplied by the Calabrian-Peloritan Arc units.The development of a coarse grained fl uvial-deltaic depositional system characterizes the MSC fi nal stage. Towards the depocentre continental sediments pass to clayey-sandy deposits, containing biofacies with ostracods (Lago Mare) and selenitic bodies with banded and massive facies, referred to Upper Evaporites (Costa, pers. Comm.) The sedimentary succession exposed in the northeastern sector of the Catanzaro Through defi nes a depositional architecture that may be included in the evolution model proposed by Roveri et alii (2008). In this contest the chaotic and terrigenous-evaporitic-carbonate deposits (sub-units 1-2 of the Riato Conglomerate, CdB-2 and Arieste Fm.), originated by the cannibalism of the selenite and carbonates deposits probably between 5.6 and 5.55 Ma, record a gradual return to a extrabasinal alimentation originated by the erosion of the Serravallian and Tortonian sedimentary units and crystalline rocks of the Sila Unit.

The Sibari Plain represents a coastal plain located in the northeastern Calabria Region (southern Italy). The late Pleistocene-Holocene plain evolution is characterized by uplift and alluvial fans development along the outer limit, fault activity and the Crati Delta progradation in the middle sector and its result is a complex stratigraphic architecture. The plain is characterized by two well defined aquifers and the analysis of the hydrostratigraphic units shows a very complex framework made by the association of "jigsaw-puzzle" and "labyrinth" systems. The thicknesses and geometry of aquifers and aquitard were estimated by well-log data to be used for numerical the hydrogeological modelling. The computer codes selected for numerical groundwater modelling were MODFLOW and SEAWAT. Model was calibrated with PEST code with a correlation coefficient equal to 0,90. The water balance of both aquifers was calculated. Furthermore, 103 wells were sampled and analyzed for a geochemical characterization. Geochemical data were interpreted following a reliable procedure which comprises: the classification of waters and the inspection of chloride plots, reaction path modeling of ionic exchange by means of the EQ3/6 software package and the interpretation of isotope data. The final aim of this procedure was the elaboration of the conceptual model of the site, which was based not only on the outcomes of the interpretation of geochemical data but also on the synthesis of these results with geological and hydro-geological evidence. The chemistry of groundwaters is dominated by Ca-HCO3 (70 samples) and Na-Cl (14 samples) compositions. The Latter is typical of the coastal areas where sea water ingression or a mixing with brine deep waters are possible. The presence of buried salt rocks, deep mineralized water bodies and fault system with subsurface evidences suggests the possible existence of plumes of deep mineralized waters, which use the tectonic discontinuities to rise toward the surface.

Geochemical study allowed to recognize four groups of groundwater for the Sibari Plain (Southern Italy): Ca-HCO3, Na-Cl, Ca-Cl and Na-HCO3. Chloride-rich waters are located close to the Crati mouth that could be a preferential path for seawater ingression. In fact, seawater and brackish waters could move inland along the stream channel and enter the nearby aquifers due to excessive pumping of wells positioned near the river. In alternative, the occurrence of processes, such as ion exchange or dissolution of halite-bearing Miocene evaporite deposits can generate aqueous solutions with similar characteristics to those produced by seawater ingression. Moreover, was calculated the infiltration average (Hi, m a.s.l.) for groundwater of the Sibari Plain by the following equations: The data showed a lower average of the infiltrations in the inner part of the Sibari Plain, with values between 550 and 870 m a.s.l., and higher values (1000/1500 m a.s.l.) moving to NW and SE.

We apply the Electrical Resistivity Tomography to investigate the shallow (about 100m) stratigraphy of the Crati Delta plain. In this area, the stratigraphic architecture is made of a late Pleistocene coarsegrained coastal plain passing upward to marine clayey deposits, which are covered by transitional and continental sediments related to the holocenic delta evolution. These three main depositional units correspond to as many different "electrical facies" associations. The lower coarsegrained unit is characterized usually by high resistivity values or low ones if it is saturated? the middle clayeysilty unit consist of low resistivity values? the top unit shows middle/high resistivity values and widespread lensshaped bodies representative respectively of sandysilty sediments and gravelly-sandy channel bodies. In the Crati Delta plain, the various deposits do not show significant seasonal variations of the electrical resistivity because the water table fluctuations is low and the saturated conditions persists always.

Coastal dynamics is influenced by many natural phenomena, which include several factors as sea energy, geological setting and anthropogenic impact. It is very difficult to distinguish the effects of each factor because, in a transitional environment as the beach, some processes as aerial erosion and waves action work simultaneously. The aim of this study (realized during "SIGIEC" PON Project, http://www.sigiec.sister.it) is to understand and determine the main components of coastal dynamics and to deduce information about the bathymetry of the surf zone through the use of X-Band Wave Radar system (developed by Remocean©) in Calabria and Apulia Region (southern Italy). On 24-27 February 2015 a radar survey has been carried out in the test site of Bagnara Calabra (Calabria).

This report presents an example of application of the X-Band Wave Radar under the actions of "Coastal Monitoring" provided in the SIGIEC PON Project (Integrated Management System for Coastal Erosion), realized by the University of Calabria in partnership with some companies and with the National Research Council (IAMC and ISAC). The Project deals with the assessment of causes and effects of intense erosion phenomena affecting beaches located in sample areas in the Italian regions of Calabria and Puglia. SIGIEC's main purpose is to implement a prototype of integrated system to support decisions, which includes both the development of coastal erosion models and technological options to contrast erosion thanks to risk mitigation systems, which have low environmental impact. The SIGIEC's system studies the impact of extreme events, which are potentially more frequent than the past due to climatic change on coast areas. Four days of X-Band Wave Radar data, 24-27 February 2015, have been analyzed using the Remocean system developed at IREA-CNR in order to obtain information about coastal erosion and useful data to project coastal defense works.

In this work, we analyzed the results of a geochemical analysis aimed to define the origin of pH anomalies (pH > 11) in water samples collected inside a tunnel located in southern Calabria (southern Italy). We also analyzed the precipitates found close to the main drainage pipes. The hydrogeochemical study allowed us to identify a main NaOH water facies for the many samples collected close to the tunnel. In addition, the correlation diagrams highlighted high concentrations of Na, K, and Al, unrelated to simple water-rock interaction. Further evaluation excluded the possibility that interaction between the water and the outcropping lithologies was the only cause of the ongoing processes. This consideration is supported by the high Na and K concentrations, which cannot be accounted for by interaction between water and calcareous marl. Excluding a natural origin and some anthropogenic factors, one possible explanation is an interaction between the groundwater and the mortars used for consolidation during the excavation phase of the tunnel. Mortar and concrete degradation in aqueous environments produces a great increase in pH, initially deriving from interstitial fluids containing strong alkali (NaOH and KOH) and non-negligible K and Na concentrations, such as we observed in the collected samples.