The Italian peninsula across
the Mediterranean Sea is part of the tectonic plate
boundary - the accommodation zone -- between the
Eurasian and the African plates, which continue to
move closer to each other. This motion controls the
long-term evolution of the boundary, but recent geologic
changes suggest a more rapid tectonic event superimposed
on the slow motion of the big plates and localized
to the Apennine arc. This signature event of the
Italian peninsula is most dramatically manifested
in the current deformation along the Calabrian portion
of the arc and is the main focus of this project.
Researchers from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, in conjunction with
researchers from the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, are
working to deploy 50 portable digital broadband seismographs throughout
southern Italy. These instruments will record both global and regional
earthquakes for 18 months. Researchers are also working to deploy an additional
10 digital broad-band ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) offshore for a period
of 12 months. Researchers will use signals from distant earthquakes to
develop a catscan, or a three dimensional image, of the Earth's crust and
mantle beneath the Italian Peninsula of the earth. read
more background information on project |
|
 |
| The
center of Grottamainarda where CAT/SCAN researchers
rang in the New Year. |
Report 2: Holidays and Earthquakes (read
report 1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
by John Armbruster, Lamont-Doherty
Earth Observatory
CAT/SCAN researchers celebrated
Christmas and New Year's in Grottaminarda. For the
holidays, we shifted our efforts from installing new
stations to collecting samples of data from those already
installed. On December 30, a magnitude 4.1 earthquake
shook the area 70 km north of Grottaminarda, located
in the center of the valley of the Ufita River, and
CAT/SCAN researchers were asked by their co-investigators
working in Rome to assist in recording the aftershocks.
A little more than a year ago in
2002, the mainshock of an earthquake in this area caused
the collapse of a school, making headlines around the
world, and the station we deployed a station at San
Marco la Catola is 24 km southeast of this 2002 mainshock.
We will be operating this station for at least two
weeks to record aftershocks from the December 30, 2003
earthquake.
New Year's Eve was spent in Grottaminarda,
a modern center whose original settlement, located
in La Fratta, dates back to the sixth century. Our
instruments recorded the impressive display of fireworks
set off to usher in the New Year. On a somber
note, the instruments recorded strong waves from the
December 26 earthquake in Iran, reminding us of the
importance of our efforts.
NOTES on Establishing Stations
The researchers are currently in
the process of establishing thirty land stations, and
hope to deploy ten additional at sea. This involves
some logistical finesse and, among other things, scouting
locations and navigating a web of local officials,
customs, and a few skeptics. Here are a few missives
sent during this process so far.
"On Christmas the CAT/SCAN workers
in Grottaminarda were the guests of a local family
and enjoyed an afternoon long dinner with four courses,
homemade wine and ending with lemon liquour. Warm hospitality
overcame the cold temperatures with snow on the surrounding
mountains." - John Armbruster, 12/26/03
"We were not able to install
the station at Montella today, the road was closed with
snow and ice. They think it will be clear in a few days." -
John Armbruster, 12/27/03
"We arrived at Grottaminarda this
noon, where we met our guide Vincenzo. We unloaded
79 boxes into the office store room and found one box
missing. It contained the mounts for the solar panels
and was packed in the only wooden container. It was
left behind when the one pallet fell apart." - Nano
Seeber, December 10, 2003
"We are making progress. ... Plans
are in place for visiting the first potential site
(near Bagnoli) Saturday morning. Vincenzo will call
his friend the mayor. We have scoped out plastic flowerpots
in town as housings for the DAS's and for the sensors.
We are also planning a temporary station at the castle
in Grottaminarda, below our offices." - Nano Seeber,
December 11, 2003
"Yesterday we found a good site in
Montella, a spectacular old convent recently restored.
We are waiting for permission from the 'Dept. of the
Belle Arti'" - Nano Seeber, December 15, 2003.
"We have 5 stations running
and one site ready, pending permission from the 'Belle
Arti'" - Nano Seeber, December 17, 2003.
| Stations
Successfully Established to Date |
 |
| Location |
Station
Name |
Latitude
(N) |
Longitude
(E) |
| Grottaminarda |
GROM |
41.07273 |
15.05993 |
| San Andrea di
Conza |
SACO |
40.84334 |
15.37066 |
| Minervino |
SX11 |
41.06107 |
16.19686 |
| Pietragalla |
SX17 |
40.73606 |
15.84757 |
| Venosa |
VENO |
40.96443 |
15.82340 |
| San Giovanni a
Piro |
SGIO |
40.04098 |
15.45745 |
| Cocozzello (Cosenza) |
CO22 |
39.49259 |
16.30505 |
| Capaccio Vecchio |
CAVE |
40.45000 |
15.00540 |
| San Marco la Catola |
|
41.51685 |
15.0076 |
This joint project involves researchers
from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO): Michael
Steckler, Leonardo Seeber, Arthur Lerner-Lam, and Maya
Tolstoy; and researchers from the Istituto Nazionale
di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV): Alessandro Amato,
Gianni B. Cimini, Claudio Chiarabba, Marco Cattaneo,
and President Enzo Boschi. Support provided by the
Continental Dynamics Program of the US National Science
Foundation. Additional support provided by the NSF
EAR Instrumentation and Facilities program through
IRIS, and the OCE MG&G program through the OBS
deployments and support of the OBSIP facility.
Additional collaborators include:
Universita di Cosenza (Prof. Ignazio Guerra); Protezione
Civile (government agency and local volunteer networks);
Comuni (Town governments); Grottaminarda; San Andrea
in Conza; Montella (Avellino); Venosa (Foggia); San
Giovanni a Piro; Craco (Matera).
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