Synergic and conflicting issues in planning underground use to produce energy in densely populated countries, as Italy Geological storage of CO2, natural gas, geothermics and nuclear waste disposal

AbstractIn densely populated countries there is a growing and compelling need to use underground for different and possibly coexisting technologies to produce “low carbon” energy. These technologies include (i) clean coal combustion merged with CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS); (ii) last-generation nuclear power or, in any case, safe nuclear wastes disposal, both “temporary” and “geological” somewhere in Europe (at least in one site): Nuclear wastes are not necessarily associated to nuclear power plants; (iii) safe natural gas (CH4) reserves to allow consumption also when the foreign pipelines are less available or not available for geopolitical reasons and (iv) “low-space-consuming” renewables in terms of Energy Density Potential in Land (EDPL measured in [GWh/ha/year]) as geothermics. When geothermics is exploited as low enthalpy technology, the heat/cool production could be associated, where possible, to increased measures of “building efficiency”, low seismic risks building reworking and low-enthalpy heat managing. This is undispensable to build up “smart cities”. In any case the underground geological knowledge is prerequisite.All these technologies have been already proposed and defined by the International Energy Agency (IEA) Road Map 2009 as priorities for worldwide security: all need to use underground in a rational and safe manner. The underground is not renewable in most of case histories [10,11]. IEA recently matched and compared different technologies in a unique “Clean Energy Economy” improved document (Paris, November 16–17, 2011), by the contribution of this vision too (see reference).In concert with “energy efficiency” improvement both for plants and buildings, in the frame of the “smart cities” scenarios, and the upstanding use of “energy savings”, the energetic planning on regional scale where these cities are located, are strategic for the year 2050: this planning is strongly depending by the underground availability and typology. Therefore, if both literature and European Policy are going fast to improve the concept of “smart cities” this paper stresses the concept of “smart regions”, more strategic than “smart cities”, passing throughout a discussion on the synergic and conflicting use of underground to produce energy for the “smart regions” as a whole.The paper highlights the research lines which are urgent to plan the soundest energy mix for each region by considering the underground performances case by case: a worldwide mapping, by GIS tools of this kind of information could be strategic for all the “world energy management” authorities, up to ONU, with its Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the G20, the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) and the European Platforms such as the “Zero Emissions Fossil Fuel Power Plants” (EU-ZEP Platform), the Steel Platform, the Biomass Platform too. All of these organizations agree on the need for synergistic and coexistent uses of underground for geological storage of CO2, CH4, nuclear waste and geothermic exploitation.The paper is therefore a discussion of the tools, methods and approaches to these underground affecting technologies, after a gross view of the different uses of underground to produce energy for each use, with their main critical issues (i.e. public acceptance in different cases).The paper gives some gross evaluation for the Lazio Region and some hints from the Campania Region, located in Central Italy. Energy Density Potential in Land (EDPL), is calculated for each renewable energy technology (solar, wind, geothermal) highlighting the potentiality of the last.Why the Italian case history among the densely populated countries? on the Italian territory is hard to find suitable areas (mostly if greenfields) to use the own underground, with respect to other European countries, due to the presence of seismotectonic activity and many faulted areas characterized by Diffuse Degassing Structures (DDSs, which are rich in CO2 and CH4). In this cases, public acceptance must be facilitated by the concerted efforts of researchers, universities, NGOs and policy-makers

The 2012 Ferrara seismic sequence: from a 1D reliable crustal structure for moment tensor solutions to strong implications for seismic hazard

On May 20 2012, an event of Ml 5.9 (Mw 5.6) stuck the southem edge of the Po river plain (Pianura Padana). The earthquake was preceded by a foreshock of Ml 4.1 (Mw 3.8), less than 3 hours before the Mw 5.6 main. Hypocentral depths were 6.3 km for both events. Centroid depths were 5 and 6 km, respectively. The activated fault was a reverse one, dipping to the south. Then a complex seismic sequence started, in which more than six earthquakes with Ml greater than 5 stuck the area, the last one on June 3, 2012. Aftershocks delineated a 50 km long and 10-15 km wide zone, approximately elongated in the WE direction. More than 2100 events were located between May 19 and June 25 2012 by the INGV National Seismic Network, 80 of them with Ml greater than 3.5. The damage due to the Ml 5+ earthquakes was widespread, as they severely hit historical towns and industrial infrastructures. However, a striking inconsistency exists between the relatively small moment magnitudes and the corrisponding high level of damage. In order to define a velocity structure for the crust beneath the Pianura Padana, to be used for waveform inversion of moment tensors, we gathered all the geophysical and geological information available for the area. The model is characterized by very thick and shallow Quaternary sediments, to be used for the inversion of broadband waveforms for moment tensor (MT) solutions, in the frequency band between 0.02-0.1 Hz. We calculated moment tensors for 20 events down to Mw~3.2. We demonstrate how surface waves dominate the seismograms in the region, which may have played a major role in enhancing the damage to industrial structures observed in the epicentral area. Synthetic seismograms computed using the developed model well reproduced the anomalous durations of the ground motion observed in Pianura Padana, also highlighting important implications for the seismic hazard in the entire area. The present seismic hazard assessment as well as the size of the historical earthquakes in the region (and so their recurrence times), may need to be re-evaluated in the light of this new results

Scattering Attenuation Images of the Control of Thrusts and Fluid Overpressure on the 2016–2017 Central Italy Seismic Sequence

Deep fluid circulation likely triggered the large extensional events of the 2016–2017 Central Italy seismic sequence. Nevertheless, the connection between fault mechanisms, main crustal-scale thrusts, and the circulation and interaction of fluids with tectonic structures controlling the sequence is still debated. Here, we show that the 3D temporal and spatial mapping of peak delays, proxy of scattering attenuation, detects thrusts and sedimentary structures and their control on fluid overpressure and release. After the mainshocks, scattering attenuation drastically increases across the hanging wall of the Monti Sibillini and Acquasanta thrusts, revealing fracturing and fluid migration. Before the sequence, low-scattering volumes within Triassic formations highlight regions of fluid overpressure, which enhances rock compaction. Our results highlight the control of thrusts and paleogeography on the sequence and hint at the monitoring potential of the technique for the seismic hazard assessment of the Central Apennines and other tectonic regions

RETRACE-3D PROJECT, a multidisciplinary approach for the construction of a 3D crustal model: first results and seismotectonic implications

The RETRACE-3D (centRal italy EarThquakes integRAted Crustal modEl) Project has been launched with the ambitious goal to build, as first result, a new, robust, 3D geological model of broad consensus of the area struck by the 2016-2018 Central Italy seismic sequencePublishedBologna3T. Sorgente sismica4T. Sismicità dell'Itali

Emergenza sismica nel centro Italia 2016-2017. Secondo rapporto del gruppo operativo SISMIKO. Sviluppo e mantenimento della rete sismica mobile a seguito del terremoto di Amatrice Mw 6.0 (24 agosto 2016, Italia centrale)

La rete sismica temporanea installata dal gruppo operativo INGV SISMIKO a seguito del terremoto del 24 agosto 2016 tra i Monti della Laga e la Valnerina, è stata ampliata nel settore settentrionale a seguito dei forti terremoti avvenuti alla fine del mese di ottobre 2016. Successivamente alle due scosse di Mw 5.4 e 5.9 che il 26 ottobre hanno interessato l’area al confine Marche-Umbria tra i Comuni di Castelsantangelo sul Nera (MC), Norcia (PG) e Arquata del Tronto (AP), la geometria della rete è stata estesa di circa 25 km verso nord con l’attivazione di ulteriori tre stazioni temporanee di cui una, da subito, disposta per la trasmissione dei dati in tempo reale e per l’inserimento nel sistema di sorveglianza sismica dell’Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). Un’ultima stazione è stata inoltre installata nei pressi di Campello del Clitunno in provincia di Perugia ad ovest della sequenza, a seguito del terremoto Mw 6.5 che la mattina del 30 ottobre ha interessato l’intera area già fortemente provata dalla sequenza in corso; questo è stato il più forte terremoto registrato negli ultimi 30 in Italia. A circa 5 mesi dall’inizio dell’emergenza sismica, la rete temporanea conta quindi 23 stazioni che da metà dicembre sono tutte trasmesse in tempo reale ai diversi centri di acquisizione INGV, ovvero Milano, Ancona e Grottaminarda ma soprattutto Roma dove i dati vengono contestualmente archiviati nell’European Integrated Data Archive (EIDA) e integrati nel sistema di monitoraggio e sorveglianza sismica dell’INGV; per la sorveglianza sono incluse solo parte delle stazioni. Nelle ultime settimane, le attività di campagna del gruppo operativo SISMIKO sono state costantemente focalizzate alla cura e alla manutenzione della strumentazione per garantire la continuità della trasmissione e dell’acquisizione dei dati, a volte compromesse da malfunzionamenti legati al maltempo. Alla data di aggiornamento del presente report, non è ancora stata decretata una dismissione o una rimodulazione della geometria della rete sismica temporanea, anche in considerazione della attività sismica in corso a tutt’oggi molto sostenuta. Tutti i dati acquisiti dalle stazioni temporanee SISMIKO, sono distribuiti senza alcun vincolo, al pari dei dati della Rete Sismica Nazionale (RSN, codice di rete IV), ed utilizzati per prodotti scientifici in tempo reale (localizzazioni di sala, calcolo dei Time Domain Moment Tensor -TDMT delle ShakeMaps, ecc) e per l’aggiornamento dei database dell’INGV come l’Italian Seismological Instrumental and Parametric Database (ISIDe) con la revisione del Bollettino Sismico Italiano (BSI), dell’INGV Strong Motion Data (ISMD) e dell’ITalian ACcelerometric Archive (ITACA), dell’European-Mediterranean Regional Centroid Moment Tensors (RCMT) e nei lavori scientifici che utilizzano forme d’onda velocimetriche ed accelerometriche (ri- localizzazioni, studi della sorgente sismica ecc.).Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)Published1SR. TERREMOTI - Servizi e ricerca per la Societ

Rapporto Preliminare Sulle Attività Svolte Nel Primo Mese Di Emergenza Dal Gruppo Operativo Sismiko A Seguito Del Terremoto Di Amatrice Mw 6.0 (24 Agosto 2016, Italia Centrale)

Sintesi delle attività svolte dal coordinamento delle reti sismiche mobili INGV in emergenza, denominato SISMIKO, nel primo mese della sequenza sismica “Amatrice” seguita al terremoto di Mw 6.0 del 24 agosto 2016 (01:36 UTC). Descrizione della rete sismica implementata e prime analisi dei dati acquisiti. Report on the activities in the first month of emergency by coordination of mobile seismic networks INGV emergency, called SISMIKO, after the Mw 6.0 Amatrice earthquake (August 24th, 2016, central italy). Description of the temporary seismic network implemented and preliminary analysis of the acquired data.INGV DPCPublished1IT. Reti di monitoraggi

SISMIKO:emergency network deployment and data sharing for the 2016 central Italy seismic sequence

At 01:36 UTC (03:36 local time) on August 24th 2016, an earthquake Mw 6.0 struck an extensive sector of the central Apennines (coordinates: latitude 42.70° N, longitude 13.23° E, 8.0 km depth). The earthquake caused about 300 casualties and severe damage to the historical buildings and economic activity in an area located near the borders of the Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo and Marche regions. The Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) located in few minutes the hypocenter near Accumoli, a small town in the province of Rieti. In the hours after the quake, dozens of events were recorded by the National Seismic Network (Rete Sismica Nazionale, RSN) of the INGV, many of which had a ML > 3.0. The density and coverage of the RSN in the epicentral area meant the epicenter and magnitude of the main event and subsequent shocks that followed it in the early hours of the seismic sequence were well constrained. However, in order to better constrain the localizations of the aftershock hypocenters, especially the depths, a denser seismic monitoring network was needed. Just after the mainshock, SISMIKO, the coordinating body of the emergency seismic network at INGV, was activated in order to install a temporary seismic network integrated with the existing permanent network in the epicentral area. From August the 24th to the 30th, SISMIKO deployed eighteen seismic stations, generally six components (equipped with both velocimeter and accelerometer), with thirteen of the seismic station transmitting in real-time to the INGV seismic monitoring room in Rome. The design and geometry of the temporary network was decided in consolation with other groups who were deploying seismic stations in the region, namely EMERSITO (a group studying site-effects), and the emergency Italian strong motion network (RAN) managed by the National Civil Protection Department (DPC). Further 25 BB temporary seismic stations were deployed by colleagues of the British Geological Survey (BGS) and the School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh in collaboration with INGV. All data acquired from SISMIKO stations, are quickly available at the European Integrated Data Archive (EIDA). The data acquired by the SISMIKO stations were included in the preliminary analysis that was performed by the Bollettino Sismico Italiano (BSI), the Centro Nazionale Terremoti (CNT) staff working in Ancona, and the INGV-MI, described below

Le attività del gruppo operativo INGV "SISMIKO" durante la sequenza sismica "Amatrice 2016",

SISMIKO è un gruppo operativo dell’Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) che coordina tutte le Reti Sismiche Mobili INGVPublishedLecce3T. Sorgente sismica4T. Sismicità dell'Italia8T. Sismologia in tempo reale1SR TERREMOTI - Sorveglianza Sismica e Allerta Tsunami2SR TERREMOTI - Gestione delle emergenze sismiche e da maremoto3SR TERREMOTI - Attività dei Centr