Stability analysis of apparent resistivity measurement in the seismically active area of Val d'Agri (southern Italy)

International audienceA magnetotelluric monitoring station has been installed in the Val d'Agri area (southern Italy), to investigate the physics underlying the generation mechanisms of the electrokinetic effect, due to rapid pore pressure changes and fluid flows near the focal area of incoming earthquakes. It is well known that the magnetotelluric method reveals variations in electrical resistivity within the Earth at large depths, reaching within appropriate frequency bands the Earth's mantle. Depth sounding is performed by measuring the ratio between the mutually perpendicular horizontal electric and magnetic fields at the earth's surface, furnishing the apparent resistivity, which describes the electrical properties of subsoil as function of depth. The selected site of Val d'Agri has been struck by strong seismic events in past and recent years, this suggesting the investigation of possible changes in apparent resistivity correlated with the local tectonic activity. We analyzed the stability of the measurement of apparent resistivity and phase of the impedance tensor Z(?) during time. Our findings suggest that the measure of apparent resistivity during night-time is more stable. Therefore, we identified the characteristic apparent resistivity curve of the subsoil of the Val d'Agri site, which could be considered as a reference

Investigating correlations between earthquakes and extreme eventsin self-potential data recorded in a seismicarea of Southestern Appennine Chain (Italy)

The Normalized Wavelet Cross-Correlation Function (NWCCF) was used to study correlations between the series of extreme events in self-potential data and earthquakes, both modelled as stochastic point processes. This method gives objective results, robust to the presence of nonstationarities that often affect observational time series. Furthermore, the NWCCF identifies the timescales involved in the cross-correlated behaviour between two point processes. In particular, we analyzed the cross-correlation between the sequence of extreme events in selfpotential data measured at the monitoring station Tito, located in a seismic area of Southern Italy, and the series of earthquakes which occurred in the same area during 2001. To evaluate the influence of rain on the dynamics of geoelectrical variations, we applied the same approach between the selected extreme values and the rain data. We find that the anomalous geoelectrical values seem to cross-correlate with the rain at short and intermediate timescales (t< 500 h), while they significantly cross-correlate only with earthquakes (M = 2.5) at long timescales (t> 500 h)

A new magnetotelluric monitoring network operating in Agri Valley (Southern Italy): study of stability of apparent resistivity estimates

Variations detected in geophysical, especially electromagnetic, parameters in seismic active areas have been sometimes attributed to modifications of the stress field. Among the different geophysical methods, magnetotellurics (MT) could be one of the most effective because it allows us to explore down to seismogenic depths. Continuous MT recording could allow us to evaluate whether possible variations are significantly correlated with the seismic activity of investigated area. To assess the significance of such observations we must be able to say how well an apparent resistivity curve should be reproduced when measurements are repeated at a later time. To do this properly it is essential to know that the estimated error bars accurately represent the true uncertainties in comparing the transfer functions. In this work we will show the preliminary results obtained from the analysis of the data coming from the new MT monitoring network installed in Agri Valley. This analysis gives us the possibility: i) to better study the temporal stability of the signals, ii) to better discriminate the noise affecting the measures by remote reference estimation. The performed analysis disclosed a relatively low degree of noise in the investigated area, which is a promising condition for monitoring

A new magnetotelluric monitoring network operating in Agri Valley (Southern Italy): study of stability of apparent resistivity estimates

Variations detected in geophysical, especially electromagnetic, parameters in seismic active areas have been sometimes attributed to modifications of the stress field. Among the different geophysical methods, magnetotellurics (MT) could be one of the most effective because it allows us to explore down to seismogenic depths. Continuous MT recording could allow us to evaluate whether possible variations are significantly correlated with the seismic activity of investigated area. To assess the significance of such observations we must be able to say how well an apparent resistivity curve should be reproduced when measurements are repeated at a later time. To do this properly it is essential to know that the estimated error bars accurately represent the true uncertainties in comparing the transfer functions. In this work we will show the preliminary results obtained from the analysis of the data coming from the new MT monitoring network installed in Agri Valley. This analysis gives us the possibility: i) to better study the temporal stability of the signals, ii) to better discriminate the noise affecting the measures by remote reference estimation. The performed analysis disclosed a relatively low degree of noise in the investigated area, which is a promising condition for monitoring

Deep electrical resistivity tomography and geothermal analysis of Bradano foredeep deposits in Venosa area (Southern Italy): preliminary results

Geophysical surveys have been carried out to characterize the stratigraphical and structural setting and to better understand the deep water circulation system in the Venosa area (Southern Italy) located in the frontal portion of the southern Appenninic Subduction. In this area there are some deep water wells from which a water conductivity of about 3 mS/cm and a temperature of about 35°C was measured. A deep geoelectrical tomography with dipole-dipole array has been carried out along a profile of 10000 m and an investigation depth of about 900 m. Furthermore a broad band magnetotelluric profile consisting of six stations was performed to infer the resistivity distribution up to some kilometres of depth. The MT profile was almost coincident with the geoelectrical outline. The applied methods allow us to obtain a mutual control and integrated interpretation of the data. The high resolution of the data was the key to reconstruct the structural asset of buried carbonatic horst whose top is located at about 600 m depth. The final results coming from data wells, geothermal analysis and geophysical data, highlighted a horst saturated with salted water and an anomalous local gradient of 60°C/km. The proposed mechanism is that of a mixing of fossil and fresh water circulation system

Magnetotelluric investigation in the High Agri Valley (southern Apennine, Italy)

Abstract. In this paper we present the result of a magnetotelluric (MT) investigation carried out across the High Agri Valley (HAV), southern Italy. Several MT soundings were carried out in order to obtain a ~15 km long 2-D resistivity model with an investigation depth of ~10 km. The main aim was to provide valuable data on the geological and structural setting of the HAV. The MT model was compared with pre-existing geological, geophysical and seismic data. The MT model can be schematized as a superposition of three stack lateral varying layers with different thickness and resistivity values: a surficial low–medium resistivity layer associated with the Quaternary deposits and to the allochthonous units; and a deeper high resistivity layer related to the Apulia Platform, separated by a thin layer connected to the mélange zone and to the Pliocene terrigenous marine deposits. Sharp lateral resistivity variations are interpreted as faults that, on the basis of accurate focal mechanism computations, display normal-faulting kinematics

About the shallow resistivity structure of Vesuvius volcano

Magnetotelluric (MT) soundings performed in the past in the volcanic area of Mt. Vesuvius by two independent research groups showed in the same places MT apparent resistivity curves with very similar shape, but statically shifted by one order of magnitude, at least. To try to resolve this ambiguity new controlled source audio-magnetotelluric (CSAMT) measurements have been carried out in the same MT sites. The interpretation of the CSAMT dataset, combined with that of two shallow dipole-dipole geoelectrical resistivity tomographies previously carried out in the area have allowed a reliable electrical structure to be recovered down to a few km of depth, which will next be used for a best constrained re-interpretation of the deep MT soundings

Analysis of time dynamics in wind records by means of multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis and Fisher-Shannon information plane

The time structure of more than 10 years of hourly wind data measured in one site in northern Italy from April 1996 to December 2007 is analysed. The data are recorded by the Sodar Rass system, which measures the speed and the direction of the wind at several heights above the ground level. To investigate the wind speed time series at seven heights above the ground level we used two different approaches: i) the Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MF-DFA), which permits the detection of multifractality in nonstationary series, and ii) the Fisher-Shannon (FS) information plane, which allows to discriminate dynamical features in complex time series. Our results point out to the existence of multifractal time fluctuations in wind speed and to a dependence of the results on the height of the wind sensor. Even in the FS information plane a height-dependent pattern is revealed, indicating a good agreement with the multifractality. The obtained results could contribute to a better understanding of the complex dynamics of wind phenomenon

About the shallow resistivity structure of Vesuvius volcano

Magnetotelluric (MT) soundings performed in the past in the volcanic area of Mt. Vesuvius by two independent research groups showed in the same places MT apparent resistivity curves with very similar shape, but statical- ly shifted by one order of magnitude, at least. To try to resolve this ambiguity new controlled source audio-mag- netotelluric (CSAMT) measurements have been carried out in the same MT sites. The interpretation of the CSAMT dataset, combined with that of two shallow dipole-dipole geoelectrical resistivity tomographies previ- ously carried out in the area have allowed a reliable electrical structure to be recovered down to a few km of depth, which will next be used for a best constrained re-interpretation of the deep MT soundings