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This work is part of a broader project that aims to define a methodology for assessing the local seismic response on a large scale through a series of cognitive phases. Here we present the first phase that illustrates a procedure for the creation of standardised geothematic maps, at a national, regional and sub-regional scale, showing the geological and engineering-geological features that potentially induce stratigraphic amplification of the ground seismic motion. The main goal is to create a national reference legend to adopt, at different scales and detail, for complete coverage of the national territory. The method consists of consecutive steps that can be followed to obtain more detailed documents, starting from national scale geological maps, taking into account all the possible geological contexts characterising the Italian Peninsula. The first step is the reclassification of the lithostratigraphic units from the most detailed, reliable and updated available geological maps, in order to compose homogeneous geological and engineering geological maps at national scale. The construction of the legend and the elements contained in it plays a fundamental role in the process and constitutes the reference for more detailed maps at larger scales. We consider the age and the genetic domain to identify 10 main geological categories and from these, considering the prevailing lithological characters, to distinguish 27 geological groups. The engineeringgeological map at national scale derives from the combination of the geological groups with the engineeringgeological groups, representing the main characters of the cover terrains on the base of the main grain size and the geological substratum categories, adopted in the seismic microzonation studies (Technical Commission for Seismic Microzonation, 2020). At regional and sub-regional scale, we reclassified a more detailed geological map to convert it in an engineering-geological map of territorial context, characterised by the engineering-geological units adopted in the seismic microzonation studies of Italy. In order to reconstruct all the possible stratigraphic columns in term of the engineering-geological units in the territorial context representative of the shallower subsoil (< 50 m in depth), we proposed a representation in matrix form that combines the outcropping engineering-geological units with the units of the subsoil. Where seismic microzonation studies are not available, the multiscale engineering-geological maps could represent a useful tool for the seismic hazard assessment for the territorial planning at regional and sub-regional scale. Furthermore our results will be able to use the data of dynamic parameters (i.e., the shear wave velocity Vs) stored in DB-SM (National Seismic Microzonation Database, www.webms.it), in order to characterise the engineering-geological units of the reconstructed successions. Despite the different observation scales of the national SM project, the proposed methodology can provide rules for applying the SM standards with the aim of carrying out a "review" of the studies already completed and directing those in the implementation phases towards homogeneity. At international level this methodology could be taken as a reference for planning SM studies.

Seismic liquefaction assessment at different geographical scales provides hazard maps at increasing levels of resolution and reliability. According to the considered level, the areas prone to liquefaction are identified based on specific predisposing and triggering factors, including geological and geotechnical subsoil properties and local seismicity. The robustness of the definition of these areas is strongly correlated to the availability and spatial distribution of this information. Moreover, the data type and quality considerably influence the method of analysis and the degree of uncertainty of the results. This work proposes a methodological approach to define maps in terms of liquefaction susceptibility at two different geographical scales (i.e., regional and sub-regional scale). The Calabria region in Southern Italy was studied for the scope, characterised by a relatively high level of seismicity and liquefaction occurrences recorded during the numerous historical earthquakes. At the regional scale, the level of zonation represents a preliminary assessment of areas potentially susceptible to liquefaction. The considered predisposing factors and geospatial variables were implemented from approximately 5520 available surveys, using geostatistical tools to filter inconsistent data and quantify uncertainties. A quantitative assessment of the liquefaction predisposition was also proposed at a sub-regional scale in the identified areas prone to liquefaction. A new proposal of a Territorial Liquefaction Predisposing Index was carried out by quantifying the uncertainty due to the limited availability of data with geostatistical methods. This approach could provide helpful information for land management and emergency planning to characterise the territory for liquefaction instability and optimise resources allocation to reduce the level of uncertainty at higher levels of analysis.

The Seismic Microzonation studies (SMs), promoted all over the Italian territory by the Department of Civil Protection, provide fundamental knowledge of the subsoil response in seismic conditions at the urban scale. Amplification phenomena related to lithostratigraphic and morphological characteristics, instabilities and permanent deformations activated by the earthquake, are highlighted in hazard maps produced at increasing reliability levels (level 1 to 3 of SM). In particular, zones prone to liquefaction instability are firstly identified following the predisposing factors, such as geological and geotechnical characteristics and seismicity. The robustness of the definition of these areas is strongly correlated to the availability and the spatial distribution of surveys. Moreover, the typology and quality of the investigations considerably influence the method of analysis and the degree of uncertainty of the results.This work aims to establish an updated procedure of the actual SM guidelines and integrates recent research activities at different levels of SMs, to improve the hazard maps accuracy in terms of liquefaction susceptibility. For the scope, the case of the Calabria region in the south of Italy, well known for the high level of seismicity, was studied. At a regional scale, the base-level analysis was implemented for a preliminary assessment of the Attention Zones (AZ), potentially susceptible to liquefaction. The predisposing factors were implemented at a large scale, taking advantage of geostatistical tools to quantify uncertainties and filter inconsistent data. The regional-scale analysis allowed to highlight areas prone to liquefaction and effectively addressed the subsequent level of analysis. At a local scale, the quantitative evaluation of the liquefaction potential was assessed using simplified methods, integrating data from different survey types (CPT, SPT, Down-Hole, Cross-Hole, MASW) available in SM database. The definition of Susceptibility Zones (SZ) was provided considering additional indexes, combining the results obtained from different surveys typologies and quantifying the uncertainty due to the limited data availability with geostatistical methods. The analyses at the regional and municipality scale were matched with seismic liquefaction evidence, well documented in past seismic events. This multi-scale process optimises resource allocation to reduce the level of uncertainty for subsequent levels of analysis, providing useful information for land management and emergency planning.

L'attività di ricerca è stata finalizzata allo sviluppo di una nuova metodologia di estrazione dei dati, all'aggiornamento delle analisi statistiche di alcuni parametri e alla descrizione della metodologia utilizzata per la realizzazione di un primo esperimento di Carta geologico-tecnica omogenea dalla scala nazionale a quella regionale e fino ad arrivare, aumentando il dettaglio alla scala di Contesto Territoriale (Gruppo di Lavoro PON, 2018; 2020). Per meglio descrivere l'attività si è scelto di suddividere il documento in due sezioni: -SEZIONE 1: Aggiornamento delle statistiche tecniche su parametri estratti dal DB_MS; -SEZIONE 2: Omogeneizzazione degli studi di MS a scala regionale: realizzazione di una carta geologico-tecnica regionale e di Contesto Territoriale.

The Boiano Basin is one of the largest Quaternary intermontane basins of the central-southern Apennines within one of the most tectonically active areas of the Mediterranean region. In order to reconstruct its entire Quaternary stratigraphic, tec- tonic, and palaeoenvironment evolution, lithofacies and palaeomagnetic analyses have been performed on a 900 m-deep borehole (CP1) drilled in the southwestern sector of the basin. The Quaternary succession consists of an alternating of alluvial fan and fluvial-marshy deposits for a total thickness of 240 m, unconformably laying on Lower Miocene deposits of the Sannio Unit, thrusted on upper Miocene deposits of the Molise Flysch. In addition, the stratigraphic study and facies distribution of 29 intermediate and shallow wells drilled in the basin, allowing us to define the thick- ness and lithofacies variations of the Quaternary sedimentary units inside the entire Boiano Basin in the sector of Campochiaro alluvial fan. Our results demonstrate that the Boiano Basin infilling started during the late Early Pleistocene (c. 1.1 Ma) and developed with variation in lithofacies distribution and thickness. The first deposi- tional unit (Early Pleistocene-early Middle Pleistocene in age) was palustrine and fluvial-marshy, the second (Middle Pleistocene in age) was characterized by the occurrence of the first cycle of alluvial fan deposition, the third (late Middle Pleisto- cene in age) was newly palustrine and fluvial marshy and, finally, the fourth recorded two cycles of alluvial fan deposition (late Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene in age, respectively), interspersed by short periods of palustrinity, tephra layers deposi- tion, and palaeosols development. The study allows the hypothesizing that the Qua- ternary infilling was accommodated within a graben (or semigraben) structure, affected mainly by extensional fault systems localized in the inner part of the basin and secondly by fault systems bounding the basin.

L'obiettivo dell'attività è quello di affiancare le Regioni nello svolgimento delle attività e dei processi per il raggiungimento degli standard minimi di sicurezza del territorio ("Standard minimi per la programmazione degli interventi in materia di riduzione del rischio ai fini di protezione civile - e di resilienza socio-territoriale"). In particolare, il report riporta le attività di affiancamento svolte dalla struttura tecnica di supporto (STS), riguardanti aspetti di carattere sia generale che specifico, relativamente alle esigenze regionali. In particolare sono riportati: 1) La sintesi degli incontri di coordinamento svolti nelle Regioni per la definizione dei CT, e lo stato di avanzamento dell'attività; 2) Stato di avanzamento delle attività connesse alla sperimentazione nei CT pilota; 3) Sintesi delle attività connesse al reperimento della documentazione tecnica di supporto alla valutazione dell'operatività strutturale degli ES, e stato di avanzamento dell'attività. Le attività di tipo specifico svolte e descritte nei report hanno riguardato: 1) Affiancamento alle Regioni per la definizione di procedure, linee guida e supporto nella loro adozione. 2) Attività di formazione ai professionisti e di supporto alle strutture di coordinamento, relativamente ai piani di Microzonazione Sismica regionale avviati o in fase di avviamento. Tali attività hanno il fine di fornire ai professionisti incaricati le competenze necessarie alla redazione di studi di MS e CLE, al fine di ottimizzare il processo di validazione, da parte degli organi competenti.

Nell'ambito dell'attività vengono trattati tre diversi temi riguardanti le Linee giuda Amplificazioni nell'ambito degli studi di Microzonazione Sismica (MS) che sono suddivisi, per semplicità, in tre diverse sezioni come di seguito indicato: - SEZIONE 1: Vulnerabilità sismica di cavità sotterranee; - SEZIONE 2: Inversioni di velocità; - SEZIONE 3: Linee guida per la gestione del territorio in aree interessate da instabilità sismoindotte. La SEZIONE 1 del documento tratta il problema della vulnerabilità sismica di cavità sotterranee con approcci semplificati, al fine di fornire tecniche e strumenti di supporto alla pianificazione territoriale in aree urbane interessate da infrastrutture ed attività antropiche. Obiettivo principale dell'attività è la redazione delle Linee Guida (LG) per la valutazione della Vulnerabilità Sismica di Cavità Sotterranee (LG-VSCS) nell'ambito degli studi di Microzonazione Sismica (MS). La SEZIONE 2 riguarda la valutazione delle instabilità (frane e liquefazioni) a vari livelli di approfondimento. I risultati della presente attività, che sono finalizzati all'aggiornamento delle Linee Guida di Microzonazione Sismica (LG MS), verranno utilizzati per trattare il problema anche a livello avanzato per il calcolo dell'Indice di Operatività del Contesto Territoriale (IOCT). La SEZIONE 3 tratta della valutazione dell'amplificazione sismica locale in presenza di inversioni del profilo di velocità, Vs. Le inversioni di velocità sono particolari situazioni di sottosuolo che ricorrono in contesti geologici complessi che un professionista può incontrare nello svolgimento degli studi di MS. Nell'ambito dell'attività, le inversioni di velocità vengono trattate dapprima sotto il profilo fenomenologico; pertanto, sulla base di un esteso studio parametrico di risposta sismica locale 1D vengono analizzati i maggiori parametri di controllo del fenomeno. A valle di tale studio, è stata avviata un'attività volta ad individuare a studiare gli ambienti geomorfologici e deposizionali in cui si possono riconoscere fenomeni di inversioni di velocità. In funzione di ogni singolo ambiente vengono dapprima individuate delle colonne stratigrafiche 'reali' 1D (in termini di variazioni di spessori dei singoli strati, Hi, e di intervalli di velocità delle onde di taglio, Vs,i) e poi parametrizzate al fine di realizzare analisi Monte Carlo di RSL in cui viene considerata la variabilità di Hi e di Vs,i, e della non linearità dei materiali attraverso un'opportuna selezione delle curve di decadimento per il calcolo dell'amplificazione/deamplificazione stratigrafica. L'obiettivo è quello di fornire elementi di valutazione a supporto dei professionisti per l'individuazione e comprensione del fenomeno delle inversioni di velocità in situazioni geologiche complesse.

The map is aimed at illustrating the relationships between landscape evolution and human occupation in the Isernia basin since the Middle Pleistocene. We carried out a detail scale geological–geomorphological investigation integrated with archaeological data. Overall data suggest enhanced landscape modification related to the long-term evolution of the Isernia basin. Moreover, during the Middle Pleistocene an alluvial plain environment was present, as testified also by the famous Lower Palaeolithic site of Isernia La Pineta dated to ca. 600 ky. From 600 ky onwards, extensional tectonics and related valley incision reshaped the Isernia basin, with the formation of terraced surfaces and the deposition of a travertine plateau. Archaeological findings from the Lower Palaeolithic up to the Chalcolithic Age testify to pre- and protohistoric settlements on these surfaces. In historical times, Romans settled on the Isernia terrace ridge taking advantage of the outcropping travertines to support wall foundations and to extract construction material.

A multidisciplinary methodology, integrating stratigraphic, geomorphological and structural data, combined with GIS-aided analysis and PS-InSAR interferomettic data, was applied to characterize the relationships between ground deformations and the stratigraphic and the morphostructural setting of the Venafro intermontane basin. This basin is a morphostructural depression related to NW-SE and NE-SW oriented high angle normal faults bordering and crossing it. In particular, a well-known active fault crossing the plain is the Aquae Juliae Fault, whose recent activity is evidenced by archeoseismological data. The approach applied here reveals new evidence of possible faulting, acting during the Lower to Upper Pleistocene, which has driven the morphotectonic and the environmental evolution of the basin. In particular, the tectonic setting emerging from this study highlights the influence of the NW-SE oriented extensional phase during the late Lower Pleistocene- early Middle Pleistocene, in the generation of NE-SW trending, SE dipping, high-angle faults and NW-SE trending, high-angle transtensive faults. This phase has been followed by a NE-SW extensional one, responsible for the formation of NW-SE trending, both NW and SE dipping, high-angle normal faults, and the reactivation of the oldest NE-SW oriented structures. These NW-SE trending normal faults include the Aquae Juliae Fault and a new one, unknown until now, crossing the plain between the Venafro village and the Colle Cupone Mt. (hereinafter named the Venafro-Colle Cupone Fault, VCCF). This fault has controlled deposition of the youngest sedimentary units (late Middle Pleistocene to late Upper Pleistocene) suggesting its recent activity and it is well constrained by PSInSAR data, as testified by the increase of the subsidence rate in the hanging wall block. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We investigated the northern slope of the Matese Mts. (Molise, Central Italy) with the aim of characterizing the N- to NE-dipping active normal fault system in the Bojano basin, a sector of primary importance from a seismic hazard perspective. We collected field data to define the geometry and segmentation pattern of two sub-systems (Patalecchia-Colle di Mezzo and Bojano–Campochiaro). New evidence of late Quaternary faulting was obtained by exploiting well log interpretations. Kinematic analysis revealed the interaction of pre-Quaternary inherited (mainly E-W-striking) and newly formed (NW-SE-striking) normal faults. Slip accommodation through linkage was clearly noted in the case of the Patalecchia-Colle di Mezzo sub-system. Detailed topographic profiles across the active fault segments provided post-LGM (15 ± 3 kyr) slip rates up to ∼2 mm/yr which agree with the high deformation rates based on different approaches in the literature. Finally, the instrumental seismicity analysis constrained the bottom of the seismogenic layer to depths of 13–14 km, and the gathered information allowed us to reconstruct the North Matese seismogenic source. Its 3D geometry and dimensions agree with both the dimension-magnitude relationships and macroseismic information available for the 1805 earthquake (Mw 6.6), the main historical earthquake to have struck the Bojano basin.

This paper presents the results of the geological and geomorphological investigation carried out during the first level seismic microzonation project in the Isernia Province territory. The study area falls in one of the most seismically active areas of the Apennine chain and it has been struck, in historical times, by destructive earthquakes that caused several causalities and diffuse damages to the buildings. The analysis points out the occurrence of geological features that can determine possible site amplification phenomena related to areas with extensive outcrops of thick continental deposits or to unstable areas (both covering about 48% of the investigated areas). The latter are sometimes combined with geomorphological features such as scarps, isolated peaks, and ridges that are also responsible for possible site amplification. In addition, a susceptibility to local seismic amplification index has been introduced which highlights that more than 64% of the investigated area, along with a significant percentage of buildings, fall within the highest categories of susceptibility to local seismic amplification.

The present study focuses on the morphotectonic evolution of the axial portion of the Southern Apennine chain between the lower Calore River valley and the northern Camposauro mountain front (Campania Region). A multidisciplinary approach was used, including geomorphological, field-geology, stratigraphical, morphotectonic, structural, Ar-40/Ar-39 and tephrostratigraphical data. Results indicate that, from the Lower Pleistocene onwards, this sector of the chain was affected by extensional tectonics responsible for the onset of the sedimentation of Quaternary fluvial, alluvial fan and slope deposits. Fault systems are mainly composed of NW-SE, NE-SW and W-E trending strike-slip and normal faults, associated to NW-SE and NE-SW oriented extensions. Fault scarps, stratigraphical and structural data and morphotectonic indicators suggest that these faults affected the wide piedmont area of the northern Camposauro mountain front in the Lower Pleistocene-Upper Pleistocene time span. Faults affected both the oldest Quaternary slope deposits (Laiano Synthem, Lower Pleistocene) and the overlying alluvial fan system deposits constrained between the late Middle Pleistocene and the Holocene. The latter are geomorphologically and chrono-stratigraphically grouped into four generations, I generation: late Middle Pleistocene-early Upper Pleistocene, with tephra layers Ar-40/Ar-39 dated to 158 +/- 6 and 113 +/- 7 ka; II generation: Upper Pleistocene, with tephra layers correlated with the Campanian Ignimbrite (39ka) and with the slightly older Campi Flegrei activity (Ar-40/Ar-39 age 48 +/- 7 ka); III generation: late Upper Pleistocene-Lower Holocene, with tephra layers correlated with the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (15ka); IV generation: Holocene in age. The evolution of the first three generations was controlled by Middle Pleistocene extensional tectonics, while Holocene fans do not show evidence of tectonic activity. Nevertheless, considering the moderate to high magnitude historical seismicity of the study area, we cannot rule out that some of the recognized faults may still be active. Copyright (c) 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Despite its small area, the Molise region is characterized by a high geodiversity and a considerable geological heritage, as highlighted by the recently completed regional geosite inventory. Especially its western, prevailingly mountainous portion is very rich in geosites and one of the most interesting sectors is the Alto Molise area which is characterized by a high tourism potential due especially to its considerable natural and cultural heritage. In order to valorize and promote the geological heritage of the Alto Molise area and contribute to the development of a sustainable and qualified tourism in Molise region, we have developed five geotourist itineraries. These itineraries, two of them will be presented in this paper, allow the integrated visit of selected geosites and valuable natural and cultural sites, and are illustrated by specific informative material (itinerary maps, cards, etc.) so as to be enjoyable even by a non-scientific audience. The proposed integrated exploitation of geological, natural and cultural heritage may provide a valid model also for the promotion of the geological heritage of other sectors of the Molise region.

This paper concerns the reconstruction of the main stages of the long-term landscape evolution of the Molise portion of the central-southern Apennines along a transect divided into three sectors (SW, Central and NE). Analysis mainly focused on geomorphological, stratigraphical and structural data supported by chronological constraints, coming from an overall review of past literature and several studies carried out by the authors of the paper during the last 20 years. The results obtained allowed the elaboration of a conceptual model of the long-term evolution of the Molise sector of the central-southern Apennines. Starting from the Pliocene, the emersion of the Molise area occurred gradually from SW to NE, allowing a polycyclic landscape to evolve under the major controls first of compression then transtensional to extensional tectonics as well as climatic variations. Principal markers of the Quaternary geomorphological evolution of the Molise area are represented by the infill successions of the intermontane tectonic depressions located in its internal, SW sector and by four orders of palaeosurfaces that developed between the Early Pleistocene and the beginning of the Late Pleistocene across the region. These markers testify to the alternation of phases of substantial tectonic stability and uplift whose spatial-temporal distribution could be assessed along the investigated transect. Results highlight that the most important stages of landscape evolution occurred during the Early and Middle Pleistocene. At the beginning of the Late Pleistocene, the Molise sector of the Apennine chain had already reached its present setting and further landscape evolution occurred under the major control of climate and land-use.

An integrated morpho-stratigraphic approach has been used to reconstruct the Quaternary history of the Boiano basin, the largest tectonic depression of the Molise Apennine (Italy). Lacustrine, marshy and fluvial environments alternate all along the investigated infilling succession as a response to tectonic subsidence, volcaniclastic inputs and climate changes, from ca. 500 ka. Two tephra layers 40Ar/39Ar have been dated and referred to the Middle Pleistocene explosive activity of the Roccamonfina volcano, while a younger tephra layer has been related to the Campi Flegrei Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (ca. 15 ka). Pollen analysis has highlighted the vegetation changes related to the 100 ka glacial-interglacial cyclicity, between MIS 13 and 2. From 500 to 350 ka, a strong subsidence led to lacustrine deposition, while between 350 and 250 ka, a decrease in subsidence rates caused the transition to fluvial-marshy conditions and, at a later stage, to floodplain environments. The analysis of palaeosurfaces allowed the geomorphological evolution of the basin to be reconstructed since the Middle Pleistocene and the morpho-sedimentary events to be related to the SW-NE extensional tectonics affecting this sector of the central-southern Apennine. This tectonic behavior is also testified by the differential subsidence rates recorded within the basin through the analysis of two deep cores drilled in the center of the Boiano town.

The Ofanto basin is a Pliocene-Pleistocene thrust-top basin that formed with an unusual east-west orientation along the frontal part of the Southern Apennine Allochthon during the latest stages of tectonic transport. Its tectonic and sedimentary evolution was studied integrating field surveys, biostratigraphic analyses and the interpretation of a large seismic grid. Well data and seismic interpretation indicate that a large east-west-trending normal fault underlies the northern margin of the basin, displacing the Apulian carbonates that form the foreland and the footwall of the Southern Apennine Allochthon. In our reconstruction the Ofanto basin formed at the rear of the bulge caused by buttressing of the Southern Apennine Allochthon against this normal fault. In a second stage of contraction, the footwall of the Southern Apennine Allochthon was involved in deformation with a different trend from the normal faulting and buttressing. This caused eastward tilting of the basin and broad folding around its eastern termination. Good stratigraphic constraints permit the age of buttressing to be defined as Early Pliocene, and that of the shortening in the Apulian carbonates as Early Pleistocene. This study highlights the importance of early orogenic normal faults in conditioning the evolution of the frontal parts of orogenic wedges., This is a contribution of the Group of Dynamics of the Lithosphere (GDL) supported by the projects TopoMed CGL2008e03474-E/BTE, ESF-Eurocores 07-TOPOEuROPE-FP006, and Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Topo-Iberia (CSD2006e00041).

A large number of exposed scars, originated by multievent sediment failures, have been identified on the southern flank of a deep submarine valley in Salerno Bay (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea), between depths of 300 and 700 m. A 200 km2 complex landslide lies across a 17 km-long SW-NE trending anticline, which is exposed 40 m above the seafloor of the continental slope and folds a Pleistocene marine successions. The exposed anticline, as well as others which are more subdued, have been formed by gravity-driven deformation of a deep and unconsolidated slope succession. The deep deformation seems to be coeval with recent stages of regional tectonic activity, given that a regional unconformity related to MIS 6 lowstand seals both the deep landslide features and the fault planes. A combined dataset of 2D high resolution seismics, swath-bathymetric digital elevation model of the seafloor and a gravity core was used to establish a possible relation between recurrent sediment failures at the seabed and the stack of positive reliefs in the compressional toe region of the buried landslide system and to learn more on the timing of the deformation phases.

The present paper illustrates the results of an integrated study of a large landslide located on the southern slope of Mount la Civita (Molise, Southern Apennine), an E-W elongated, SSE dipping and 890-m-high monocline carbonate ridge. The upper part of the slope affected by the landslide is largely controlled by strata attitude while its basal part is marked by a strike-slip fault causing the tectonic juxtaposition of the carbonate successions against predominantly clayey flysch units. An integrated study, including geological, geomorphological and geotechnical investigations, was carried out to determine the features of the landslide and to plan further investigation and monitoring. In particular, from 2002 to 2004, Differential Global Positioning System monitoring and core drillings, coupled with inclinometer measurements, were carried out to determine the landslide's kinematics, extent, depth to the surface of rupture and rates of movement. Inclinometer data revealed the presence of the rupture surface at a depth of about 20 m. DGPS monitoring allowed rates of movement up to several tens of centimetres per year to be recorded. The nearby village of Civitanova del Sannio can still be considered at risk due to the landslide, as recent remedial works, consisting mainly of very shallow re-shaping of the slope by blasting and partial filling of trenches, did not succeed in stopping its movement. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

In order to assess the effects of possible future sea-level rise in the Sele plain, the lowlands prone to inundation and the rate of coastal erosion in the years 2050 and 2100 have been discussed and some conclusions are here proposed. The sea level at these two dates was calculated as the combination of three components: response of Italian coastal zones to the past deglaciation, variations in ocean volume due to the global warming and vertical land movements. The morpho-stratigraphical data, chronologically supported by C-14 and by archeo-tephro-stratigraphical dating, have allowed the identification of paleo-sea levels of the upper Pleistocene and Holocene (Amato et al. 2011). Such paleo-sea levels compared with those of the tectonically stable areas (Lambeck et al. 2011), permitted the detection of the different vertical land movements in the study area. In particular, in the SE sector of the coastal plain, the Holocene paleo-sea levels are slightly higher (ca. 1-2 m). These values could be considered due to a gentle uplift of the area during Holocene times (0.22 mm/year). In the central sector of the plain, near the Sele river mouth and in the NW sector, between the Sele and Tusciano river mouths, the altitude of the Late Quaternary coastal and lagoonal deposits are slightly lower (ca. 2-3 m). These values could be related to a gentle subsidence of the area during the Holocene (0.4 mm/year). The sea level rise of 5.9 mm/year (IPCC 2007) and 14 mm/year (Rahmstorf 2007) was considered to represent the maximum trends in the ocean volume variation at global scale. The third component, the glacio-hydro-isostasy, was represented by the value of 0.44 mm/year identified by Lambeck et al. (2011) at the Sele plain. The sum of these three components allowed to identify three sea-level scenarios slightly different for the northern and the southern sector of Sele plain, with values ranging from 357 to 1,526 mm and from 307 to 1,424 mm, respectively. For each scenario a simple approach was used, mainly based on the topographic elevation analysis of study area, applied to identify the extension of possible areas of inundation. It corresponds to a minimum value of about 0.42 km(2) for the 2050 AD and a maximum value of 7.6 km(2) for the 2100. Furthermore, according to the methodology proposed by Davidson-Arnott (2005), also the beach erosion was evaluated. The computations showed a potential mean landward retreat of the shoreline ranging from 19 to 93 m.

The transformation of water-rich smectite clay minerals into relatively anhydrous illite is a common reaction in sedimentary basins. It is commonly thought to be driven by temperature increase with increasing burial depth. This mineral transformation is also observed in the gouge of large faults, and because it releases bound water from smectite, it is thought to be a key control in hydrologic and mechanical processes at subduction complexes. In this work, the distribution of smectite and illite within a large fault zone of the Southern Apennines of Italy is analysed at scales varying from outcrop to sub millimetre. X-ray diffraction analyses indicate a direct link between the darkening in colour of the sheared mudstone and the illitization of smectite. The heterogeneous distribution of illite and smectite within this shear zone was studied by integrating outcrop-scale observations with a peeling technique that allows microscope and SEM observations to be made over areas in excess of 60 cm2. The observed patterns of smectite illitization suggest that temperature is not the primary cause of the mineral transformation inside the fault. The distribution of illite along planes of the P foliation and in the infill of shears indicates that shear stress facilitates the mineral transformation. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd., This is a contribution of the Group of Dynamics of the Lithosphere (GDL) supported by the projects: TopoMed CGL2008e03474-E/BTE, ESF-Eurocores 07-TOPOEUROPE-FP006, and Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Topo-Iberia (CSD2006e00041).

An integrated geomorphological, geological-structural and stratigraphic approach was applied to the Sessano intra-montane basin (Molise, Central-Southern Apennines) to understand the Quaternary environmental and sedimentary evolution of the basin and the surrounding areas. The morpho-evolutionary and sedimentary changes were mainly controlled by tectonics and strongly influenced by the huge amount of volcaniclastic input from the Roccamonfina volcano (located ca. 50km to the south-west) as well as by climatic changes. Chronological constraints, supported by Ar/Ar ages of tephra layers, archaeo-tephro-stratigraphy and pollen analysis, permit identification of the main phases of the geological-geomorphologic evolution of the Sessano basin from the Middle Pleistocene onwards. The sedimentation within the basin was controlled by NE-SW extensional tectonics and occurred from the end of Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 15 to the beginning of OIS 11 allowing the deposition of ca. 85m of fluvial to lacustrine sediments, mainly made up of reworked volcaniclastic material. The first phase of sedimentation was lacustrine, while an important sedimentary change from lacustrine to fluvial-marshy environment occurred during OIS 14. After this phase, the variable input of volcaniclastic material from the Roccamonfina volcano together with climatic influences caused repeated changes from palustrine to fluvial sedimentation, and the formation of various palaeosols present mainly in the upper portion of the infill. Towards the end of OIS 11, NNW-SSE extensional tectonics caused the tilting of the fill succession and the drying up of the basin. The fill succession was then affected by fluvial erosion and denudation that generated an erosion surface nowadays hanging at 700-720m asl. This surface can be related to the limbs of a palaeo-surface at about 600m asl present in the adjacent Carpino-Le Piane intra-montane basin and referred to a fourth order, Tyrrhenian-ward oriented palaeo-landscape. This palaeo-landscape can be dated to ca. 350-300ky and, therefore, represents an important morpho-chronological stage. It provides a robust maximum and minimum age framework for reconstructing the geological and geomorphological evolution of the study area and, in general, of the Molise Apennines including the Boiano, Carpino-Le Piane and Sessano intra-montane basins. In particular, the morpho-chronological data from the Sessano basin allow us to date more precisely the main tectonic phases that occurred during the Middle Pleistocene in this sector of the Apennine chain. Finally, the multi-proxy data derived from the Sessano basin can be compared and integrated with those referring to other proximal intra-montane basins in order to improve our knowledge on the relationships between tectonics, volcanism and climate and the stratigraphic-sedimentary features, geomorphologic evolution and palaeoenvironmental changes that characterized the Central-Southern Apennines during Middle Pleistocene. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

Experimental tests on simulated clay gouges and data from shear zones developed in pelitic media at convergent plate margins provide contrasting evidence regarding the hydraulic characteristics and, in consequence, the frictional properties of sheared clays. The natural shear zone analysed in this work indicates that shear strain can induce mineralogical changes in smectite-bearing sediments that imply loss of water from the smectite minerals and their replacement with anhydrous illite minerals. The extreme localization of the illitization process and its geometric characteristics allow us to argue that the reaction is initiated by stress concentration along the shear zone and, once discrete shears develop, it is accelerated by both cataclasis and the frictional dehydration of smectites. This process would generate fresh water from within the shear zone, leading to fluid overpressure build up, and can account for the observed hydraulic circulation and salinity anomalies in modern accretionary prisms. © The Geological Society of London 2004.

A 1:28,000 scale geomorphological map of the central sector of the Matese Mountains (Southern Italy) is presented in this paper. Geomorphological investigation by means of remote sensing, cartographic analysis and field surveys allowed the identification of the main geomorphic processes and to map the related landforms which are both of monogenetic and polygenetic origin. Most of them are erosional landforms generated by the action of periglacial, glacial and karst processes which often occur under the control of the geological structure. Glacial relics and polygenetic landforms of glaciokarst and fluviokarst origin provide good evidence of the strong influence of variable climatic conditions on landform genesis during the Quaternary. They also highlight the influence of extensive tectonics during the Quaternary which caused progressive uplift, fragmentation and disarticulation of the developing mountainous landscape and its consequent polycyclic evolution. The map illustrates the geomorphologic peculiarities of the Mediterranean mountain landscape that typically characterizes the Apennine chain, and contributes to the understanding of its tectonic evolution and the influence of climate and climatic changes on landscape evolution. It further provides a basic map for land planning policy including the exploitation of the geological heritage and the development of sustainable mountain tourism and geo-tourism. © 2013 Copyright Francesca Filocamo.

New morphostratigraphic and chronological constraints for the Quaternary paleosurfaces of the Molise Apennine (southern Italy)The Molise Apennines feature numerous relicts of paleosurfaces, mostly of erosional origin, which represent the remnants of gently-rolling ancient landscapes now hanging at different altitudes above the local base-levels of erosion. Their genesis can be related to prolonged periods of relative tectonic stability alternating with periods of uplift, or to the interplay between steady tectonic uplift and climatic fluctuations. Four orders of paleosurfaces were recognized: I (> 1,100 m a.s.l.), II (900-1,000 m a.s.l.), III (750-850 m a.s.l.), IV (600-720 m a.s.l.). The most ancient orders (I and II) are cut into the bedrock and are located at the top of the Matese and Montagnola di Frosolone massifs. The youngest paleosurfaces (III—IV), partially cut into Quaternary deposits, are found along the valley flanks of the main river systems and within the Boiano, Carpino, Isernia and Sessano intramontane basins. The present study deals with the dating of the Sessano Basin Paleosurface (SBP) which is related to the IV order and is cut into the basin infill. The40Ar/39Ar age of a tephra layer (437 ± 1.9 ka), intercalated at the top of the succession, supported by archaeo-stratigraphic, palynological and paleopedological data, allowed the SBP surface to be constrained to 350-300 ka. The SBP chronological position represents an important morphostratigraphic marker: it is the firstante quemandpost quemdate that allows the chronological position of the other orders of paleosurfaces to be better constrained.

The tectonic evolution of the Campania margin during the late Pliocene–Pleistocene is characterized by extensional deformation coeval with the opening of the Marsili oceanic basin. The initial stages of stretching are represented in the analysed area by the development of low-angle normal faults that extended the belt in the same direction as the direction of spreading recognized for the oceanic basin. Detachment faulting was accompanied by the onset of magmatic activity and by major uplifts that resulted in the accumulation of thick conglomerate successions in the half-grabens that developed in the upper plate of the extensional detachment. Deformation continued during the Mid-Pleistocene with the formation of strike-slip and normal faults trending almost parallel to the spreading direction of the Marsili basin. These faults dissected the extensional detachment and promoted counter-clockwise block rotations about vertical axes, which accommodated the ESE-directed stretching of the Marsili basin and the consequent sinistral shear imposed on the southern Apennine chain. The development of a regional detachment fault along the Tyrrhenian margin of Campania explains the complex patterns of subsidence and uplift that characterize this area during the Pleistocene and fits well within the regional geodynamic framework of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea.

The small village of San Giuliano di Puglia sustained the most severe damage from the Molise earthquake sequence of 2002. This study involved detailed geological and geomorphological mapping and is supported by a large set of geotechnical, geophysical and drill-hole data available from existing studies. These data were used to compile a seismic microzonation map of the San Giuliano di Puglia area as part of a study officially commissioned by the Department of Civil Protection. The map provides seismic hazard information that will be useful in the repair and reconstruction of the town.

Since the early 70’s the majority of tectonic reconstructions of the western Mediterranean employ the Alboran domain notion as a migrating microcontinent or landmass mainly composed of Paleozoic-Triassic rocks affected by ‘Alpine’ HP-LT metamorphism. For nearly three decades, since the mid-80’s, the Alboran domain was considered as a fragment of the Alpine chain that moved westward, colliding into Iberia and North Africa to produce the Gibraltar arc and Betic-Rif chain. In 2012, a new hypothesis for the evolution of the western Mediterranean was presented in which the Betic-Rif orogenic chain originates from rollback of an initially SE-dipping subduction of the westernmost segments of the Ligurian-Tethys under the Africa margin. This interpretation considers the metamorphic ‘Alboran domain’ rocks as crustal successions of the hyper-extended African and Iberian continental margins, which have undergone a complete subduction-exhumation cycle above a NW- to W-retreating subduction. A key outcome of this hypothesis is that the Alboran domain is not a fragment of the Alpine chain but a consequence of rollback dynamics. In this contribution we try to elucidate the historical reasons behind the classical ‘Alpine’ interpretation of the Betic-Rif, by briefly describing key contributions, which appear linked in a logical sequence that traces the evolution of the Alboran domain concept since its original formulation by Andrieux and coauthors in 1971., This study was developed during a JAEDOC project (E.C.) in the frame of the FSE 2007-2013 Program, and benefitted from the constructive environment and discussions generated around the TopoMed CGL2008e03474-E/BTE, ESFEurocores 07-TOPOEUROPE-FP006, and Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Topo-Iberia (CSD2006e00041) projects.

New stratigraphic and biostratigraphic data arising from the realization of the Sheet No. 405 "Campobasso" of the new Geological map of Italy (1:50.000 scale - CARG Project) allowed, for the first time in this area, to stratigraphically and cartographically define all the intervals composing the basinal Sannio Unit Auct. Structural analysis and the chronostratigraphic redefinition of siliciclastic deposits covering the Sannio Unit and the carbonate platform successions of the Matese-Frosolone Units, indicate two main evolutionary stages in the Miocene-Pliocene structuring of this portion of the Southern Apennines. In the first stage, starting before Serravallian times, E-verging contraction affected exclusively the basinal units together with their siliciclastic cover. During the second stage, beginning after early Messinian times, NE-verging compression involved both the basinal Sannio Unit and the Matese-Frosolone Units.