Catalogues of historical earthquakes in Italy

A complete survey of historical earthquake investigation in Italy cannot be compressed into a few pages, since it would entail making a summary of widely different phases of research (performed by past scholars and by contemporary scientists and historians) and taking into account the widely different historical contexts, methodological assumptions and critical awareness of each of them. This short note only purposes to chart the main stages of the progress made by Italian historical seismology, from the late 17th century compilation by Bonito(1691) up to the latest parametric catalogue (Working Group CPTI, 1999)

Percorsi formativi per la riduzione del rischio: il progetto EDURISK

L'obiettivo di un progetto di educazione ambientale è modificare i comportamenti individuali e collettivi; tale obiettivo è ambizioso, ma non può essere eluso quando si affronta il tema dei rischi naturali e dei loro potenziali effetti distruttivi. La stessa distinzione epistemologica, ben chiara nella lingua inglese, fra hazard e risk, più incerta nella lingua italiana fra pericolo (o pericolosità) e rischio, include la consapevolezza che il rischio è determinato dall'azione umana. Educare al rischio significa promuovere la coscienza del rischio quale elemento della vita quotidiana: la conoscenza della vulnerabilità dell'ambiente fisico e costruito, acquisita facendone esperienza, è la chiave per promuovere comportamenti individuali e sociali positivi e ridurre il rischio

A che santo votarsi. L’influsso dei grandi terremoti del 1703 sulla cultura popolare

La paura e il suo contraltare, la ricerca di rassicurazione e protezione, sono all’origine delle più svariate manifestazioni umane: riti, feste, interdetti, comportamenti pubblici e privati, molto insomma di quanto si riassume nell’espressione generica “le mentalità”1. Questo saggio è un primo abbozzo di storia delle risposte a una paura specifica: quella suscitata dai grandi terremoti del 1703, la maggior catastrofe sismica che abbia colpito l’Italia centrale in età moderna. Il suo scopo è cercare di capire se le risposte alla paura del 1703 siano rientrate nella norma di un contesto di modelli di comportamento consolidati nel tempo o se vi abbiano introdotto degli elementi di novità: come e quanto, insomma, i terremoti del 1703 abbiano influito sulla cultura popolare. Usiamo l’espressione “cultura popolare” in senso antropologico, intendendo per “cultura” l’insieme dei valori e modalità di giudizio, percezione ed espressione che dà forma e colore a un dato ambito sociale e dando all’aggettivo “popolare” l’accezione di “comune a una vasta maggioranza”. Siamo a un crocevia tra più discipline: il tema è dell’antropologia storica, i metodi sono storici e a far da sottofondo c’è una lunga consuetudine di lavoro nel campo della sismologia storica2, senza la quale questo saggio non sarebbe mai stato neanche pensato. Il soggetto è vasto, elevato il rischio di ripetere cose note ai lettori o magari ricordate in altri saggi presenti in questo volume: confidiamo nell’indulgenza dei lettori per un testo che in fondo vuole essere solo la messa a punto di una serie di problemi e spunti di ricerca, ciascuno meritevole di trattazione più estesa e approfondita di quanto non sia possibile entro i limiti di questo saggio e che proponiamo ai colleghi ricercatori come degno soggetto di un’indagine storica in larga misura ancora da fare

Changes and challenges following the 1997 Colfiorito earthquake: the evolution of the use of the Internet for large seismic events

The September 26, 1997 Central Italy earthquake represents the first Italian large seismic event on the occasion of which Internet was intensively exploited to exchange and disseminate data, information and news. The paper illustrates how national and international seismological institutions disseminate information about earthquakes ten years ago. A web evolution is sketched, and some features that can be of interest today in the seismological community are presented

Strong Earthquakes in North-Western Africa in the Second Half of the 17th Century, AD: A Critical Reappraisal of the Historical Evidence

The recent seismological literature recorded three strong earthquakes in Algeria, Libya and Tunisia between 1656 and 1694 AD. The historical evidence for these derives from European sources only (gazettes, journalistic pamphlets, missionary literature). Considering the kind of sources involved, their likely biases and the geographical distances that divided their places of production from the places that they spoke about, it is possible that some of these accounts could be less than reliable, and therefore have little use as materials from which to assess earthquake parameters. To answer these doubts, we have retrieved, cross-checked and critically analysed the original historical sources quoted in previous compilations and studies

A 17th Century Destructive Seismic Crisis in the Gargano Area: Its Implications on the Understanding of Local Seismicity

A significant and partly forgotten series of earthquakes located in the Gargano area (Southern Italy) between 1646 and 1688 AD is critically revised, in the light of newly discovered historical records derived from non local contemporary serial sources (early newspapers and diplomatic reports). The revision is conducted in the frame of a survey of the current state of knowledge on historical Gargano seismicity. Hypotheses on the seismotectonic effects of the evente and their influences on the evaluation of local seismic hazard are also proposed

Macroseismology: the lessons learnt from the 1997/98 Colfiorito seismic sequence

The seismic sequence of the Umbria-Marche Apennines was a dramatic moment for the population involved; at the same time, it provided a unique occasion for the Italian scientific community and for the national civil protection to assess their respective abilities in understanding and managing the event. Furthermore, macroseismology (including historical seismology) has knowingly confronted important methodological problems, such as the procedures for assigning macroseismic intensity, the use of the macroseismic scale, the impossibility of distinguishing the effects of earthquakes following closely in both space and time, within such a complex sequence. Starting from the analysis of the problems that were faced after the 1997/98 Umbria- Marche earthquakes, as during the following seismic crises over the last 10 years, we propose some considerations on the lessons we have learnt from that seismic sequence

Catalogues of historical earthquakes in Italy

A complete survey of historical earthquake investigation in Italy cannot be compressed into a few pages, since it would entail making a summary of widely different phases of research (performed by past scholars and by contemporary scientists and historians) and taking into account the widely different historical contexts, methodological assumptions and critical awareness of each of them. This short note only purposes to chart the main stages of the progress made by Italian historical seismology, from the late 17th century compilation by Bonito(1691) up to the latest parametric catalogue (Working Group CPTI, 1999)

The 1561 Earthquake(s) in Southern Italy: New Insights into a Complex Seismic Sequence

In the summer of 1561, a strong seismic sequence struck southern Italy, then the Spanish-ruled Kingdom of Naples. Both the Italian seismological tradition and the latest catalogues locate it in the Vallo di Diano (Diano Valley), a low-seismicity intermontane basin 100 km south-east of Naples. We explore the hypothesis that current perception of the 1561 earthquake is distorted by the nature of the historical dataset from which its parameters have been assessed, and which mostly derive from a single—albeit very detailed—primary source. We present and discuss several previously unconsidered original accounts. Our results cast doubts on the traditional interpretation of the earthquake, which could have been either one Vallo di Diano mainshock or several strong earthquakes within a time/space window compact enough for contemporary viewers to perceive them as one. Unquestionably, there is much more to the 1561 earthquake(s) than previously appeared. We hope that this groundbreaking effort will rekindle the interest of the seismological community in this seismic episode, our knowledge of which is still far from complete