Geomorphological Analysis of Karst Landforms at the Masso della Vecchia geosite (Salento Peninsula, Italy)

The presence of a pedestal rock, locally named Masso della Vecchia, marks a site of relevant geological interest (geosite) in the surrounding of Giuggianello village (Salento Peninsula, Apulia region, Italy). This unusual natural landform and similar others occurring in the same area gave birth to myths and legends. A detailed geomorphological analysis of Masso della Vecchia area has been carried out. The site is placed at about 100 m of altitude on a lower Pleistocene abrasion surface which constitutes the top of the Serra di Poggiardo morphostructural ridge. Locally, the Miocene Pietra Leccese Formation crops out. It is constituted by poorly consolidated, bioturbated, yellowish biomicrites at lower levels rapidly grading upward in massive grainstones rich in glauconite minerals. The entire sequence gently dips northeastward. The geomorphological analysis revealed that the Masso della Vecchia and similar landforms occurring in the area are karstic features produced under a soil cover. Pinnacles, channels, notches, subsoil scallops, half-bells and other typical features have been recognized. The peculiar assemblage of subsoil karst features can be explained taking into account the geological structure, subsoil karst processes and the geomorphological evolution of this area during the Late Pleistocene.Key words: subsoil karren, geoheritage, Salento, Italy

La voce del mare: evoluzione geomorfologica recente del litorale adriatico leccese

EnIn April 1913 Cosimo De Giorgi leaded a field trip with students of Istituto Tecnico O.G. Costa of Lecce at the San Cataldo beach, a locality placed about 12 km far from Lecce, aiming to illustrate the main features of the local coastal landscape. De Giorgi focused on the blackish sands which mark the Adriatic beaches and that he correctly attributed to the solid load of Ofanto River which is rich of volcanic minerals belonging to the Mount Vulture (PZ). Recent research points out that Ofanto River fed the Adriatic beaches of Lecce province from the end of XVIII century up to 1960. During this phase high dune belts developed along with coastal ponds and swamps; the spreading of malaria disease most likely produced the depopulation of the coastal area. At present, the combination of relative sea level rise and of the drastic decrease of natural beach nourishment, due to the lowered solid load of Ofanto River because of anthropic causes, produces diffuse and intense coastal erosion.ItNell'aprile del 1913 Cosimo De Giorgi condusse una escursione didattica con gli alunni dell'Istituto Tecnico O.G. Costa di Lecce presso la spiaggia di San Cataldo, località posta circa 12 km ad est del capoluogo leccese, per illustrare le principali caratteristiche del litorale. Il De Giorgi rivolse l'attenzione alle sabbie nere che contraddistinguono le spiagge adriatiche e che correttamente ricondusse al carico solido del Fiume Ofanto, ricco di minerali vulcanici del Monte Vulture (PZ). Recenti ricerche indicano come questi sedimenti abbiano alimentato le spiagge adriatiche della provincia di Lecce dalla fine del XVIII secolo sino agli anni '60 del secolo scorso. Questa fase fu accompagnata dallo sviluppo di rilevati cordoni dunari e dall'aumento della estensione di stagni e paludi costiere; al conseguente diffondersi della malaria è da attribuire probabilmente lo spopolamento della fascia costiera. Attualmente, la combinazione dell'innalzamento relativo del livello del mare e della drastica diminuzione del ripascimento naturale delle spiagge, legata al diminuito apporto solido del Fiume Ofanto per cause antropiche, determina diffusi ed intensi fenomeni di erosione costiera

Integrirana geomorfološka analiza prednostnega habitata sredozemskega občasnega ribnika: vrtača Lago del Capraro (polotok Salento, Italija)

The Lago del Capraro doline (Salento peninsula, southern Italy), a valuable Mediterranean Temporary Pond (MTP), has been investigated aiming to define its geomorphological features and to collect data about the local hydraulic regime. At the bottom of the Lago del Capraro doline, in fact, a small temporary pond appears soon after major precipitation events as that one of autumn 2013. The morphological survey shows that this solution doline is placed on a karst plain surface stretching at about 70 m of altitude; the doline has an elliptical shape with the major axis 130 m long whereas the length of the minor axis is about 100 m. It shows a flat bottom, placed at about 65 m above m.s.l., due to the presence of a colluvial sandy clays filling, bordered by steep limestone slopes about 5 m high. Geophysical surveys and a cone dynamic penetrometer test allowed a detailed geological model to be realized. In particular, ERT and seismic refraction models revealed the geometry and the thickness of doline filling deposits as well as the preferential infiltration zones of surface waters. Interestingly, the cone penetrometer test reveals that resistance decreases downward in the filling lower part, most likely because of the active solution process at the doline bottom. The results of this study suggest an increase of surface water infiltration at doline bottom in the next future so that the development of a pond will be an increasingly rare event, partly compensated by the clustering of rainy periods during autumn months as expected in the future by climate models.Cilj raziskovanja vrtače Lago del Capraro (polotok Salento, južna Italija), dragocenega sredozemskega občasnega ribnika, je bil opredeliti njene geomorfološke značilnosti in zbrati podatke o lokalnem vodnem režimu. Na dnu vrtače Lago del Capraro kmalu po večjih padavinah, kot so bile jeseni 2013, nastane majhen začasni bazen. Iz morfološke raziskave je razvidno, da je ta vrtača na površini kraškega ravnika, ki se razteza na približno 70 m nadmorske višine, vrtača ima eliptično obliko, njena glavna os meri 130 m, krajša os pa meri približno 100 m. Ima ravno dno, ta je na približno 65 m nadmorske višine in ga tvori koluvialni nanos peščene gline, nad njim pa se vzpenjajo strma apnenčasta pobočja, visoka približno 5 m. Geofizikalne raziskave in preiskava z dinamičnim konusnim penetrometrom so omogočile izdelavo podrobnega geološkega modela. Natančneje, geoelektrična tomografija in seizmična refrakcija sta razkrili geometrijo in debelino sedimentov vrtače ter prednostna območja infiltracije površinskih voda. Zanimivo je, da preiskava s konusnim penetrometrom razkriva, da se mehanska odpornost v spodnjem delu nanosa zmanjšuje navzdol, najverjetneje zaradi aktivnega procesa raztapljanja na dnu vrtače. Rezultati te študije kažejo, da se bo v prihodnje povečala infiltracija površinskih voda na dnu vrtače, tako da bo pojav ujete vode vse redkejši dogodek, tega bo delno nadomestilo združevanje deževnih obdobij v jesenskih mesecih, kot se v prihodnosti pričakuje na podlagi podnebnih modelov

The Karst of Salento Region (Apulia, Southern Italy): Constraints for Management

Polotok Salento je kraško območje s precejšnjim tveganjem, povezanim s površinsko in podzemno vodo. Da bi preprečili poplavljanje, so velike količine površinskih voda kanalizirali v vrtače. Zaradi tega je v zadnjih letih na večih mestih prišlo do hitrega pogrezanja in udiranja tal. »lanek obravnava dve področji, kjer je do tega prišlo.The Salento peninsula is a karstic area affected by relevant geological risk mainly due to surface water and groundwater. In particular, sinkholes have been used to convey underground large amount of surface waters (rain water, waste water, etc.) aiming to avoid the flooding of wide land surfaces. However, during the last ten years this input of surface water underground has caused several cases of rapid subsidence. In this paper, the detailed study of two areas which have been recently affected by rapid subsidence is reported

Exploring knowledge value creation practices : an interpretive case study

The gaining popularity of Knowledge Management (KM) has been reinforced by the quest for innovation and value creation. Value creation is grounded in the appropriate combination of human networks, social capital, intellectual capital, and technology assets, facilitated by a culture of change. It is indicated that the future of KM tends to focus on the study of the impact on people in terms of value or knowledge value creation. Because of this, the positive relationship between KM and value creation has been discussed extensively in the literature. However, the majority of the studies on knowledge value creation have been widely undertaken to highlight several case studies demonstrating success in developed countries, whilst very few studies have been done in the cultural context of developing countries. These studies in developing economies have identified several distinctive features, in particular socio-cultural factors that have an important role and influence in KM practices. A call has been made for further research to explore KM in different organisational and cultural contexts in developing economies. Thailand is an example of a developing country where a number of distinctive socio-cultural features have been identified. It therefore represents an interesting case to conduct a study on the influence of these cultural features on KM practices within an organisational context. The objective of this empirical study is to explore knowledge value creation practices in a Thai organisation. The research adopts an interpretive stance and employs a case study approach involving multiple data collection methods. It is based on the researcher's personal expertise and close involvement in the selected case study organisation for over a decade. The study characterises Thai distinctive culture in terms of collectiveness, shyness, conscientiousness and seniority, and indicates that these distinctive socio-cultural features critically influence (a) the social network ties and relationships between employees within and across teams, (b) the resulting level of trust between employees, and (c) the ability to share and create knowledge effectively in the organisational socio-cultural environment. The study is limited to a Thai organisation, but can be generalised to other organisations that exhibit similar characteristics. It provides interesting insights into the socio-cultural factors affecting knowledge management adoption in a Thai organisation and a foundation to further the research on the validation of the theoretical model that emerged from this empirical study.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Doline di crollo (cave-collapse dinkholes) in località "Spedicaturo", Salento meridionale

ItIl 13 marzo 1996 in località Spedicaturo nei pressi di Nociglia (LE) si è verificato un fenomeno di subsidenza catastrofica che ha portato alla luce una cavità profonda 19 m e larga 20 m. Nell’area erano già presenti due doline di crollo connesse ad un complesso carsico attivo che riceve le acque di un reticolo endoreico lungo circa 14 Km. La genesi e la evoluzione delle forme carsiche presenti sono state condizionate da un limite lito-idrologico che ha favorito l’afflusso nel circuito idrico sotterraneo di acque allogeniche chimicamente aggressive. Le cause che innescano la sinkhole activity ed i meccanismi che producono il crollo della volta delle cavità sono stati posti in relazione con la circolazione idrica e la locale litostratigrafia.EnA geological and geomorphological survey has been carried out at Spedicaturo area, in the surroundings of Nociglia village (LE). In this locality, a catastrophic subsidence event occurred on the 13th March 1996, revealing the presence of a cave, about 19 m deep and 20 m wide. Two collapse sinkholes, already developed in the area, are linked to an active karstic complex fed by an endorheic drainage network, about 14 Km wide. The genesis and the evolution of these karstic landforms have been influenced by a litho-hydrological contact which promoted the flow of aggressive allogenic waters in the underground circuit. The causes producing the sinkholes activity and the processes leading to the roof cave collapse have been related to the local hydrological conditions and lithostratigraphy

GEOMORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF KARST LANDFORMS AT THE MASSO DELLA VECCHIA GEOSITE (SALENTO PENINSULA, ITALY)

The presence of a pedestal rock, locally named Masso della Vecchia, marks a site of relevant geological interest (geosite) in the surrounding of Giuggianello village (Salento Peninsula, Apulia region, Italy). This unusual natural landform and similar others occurring in the same area gave birth to myths and legends. A detailed geomorphological analysis of Masso della Vecchia area has been carried out. The site is placed at about 100 m of altitude on a lower Pleistocene abrasion surface which constitutes the top of the Serra di Poggiardo morphostructural ridge. Locally, the Miocene Pietra Leccese Formation crops out. It is constituted by poorly consolidated, bioturbated, yellowish biomicrites at lower levels rapidly grading upward in massive grainstones rich in glauconite minerals. The entire sequence gently dips northeastward. The geomorphological analysis revealed that the Masso della Vecchia and similar landforms occurring in the area are karstic features produced under a soil cover. Pinnacles, channels, notches, subsoil scallops, half-bells and other typical features have been recognized. The peculiar assemblage of subsoil karst features can be explained taking into account the geological structure, subsoil karst processes and the geomorphological evolution of this area during the Late Pleistocene.Key words: subsoil karren, geoheritage, Salento, Italy

Historical and prehistorical evolution of the Fortore River coastal plain and the Lesina Lake area (southern Italy)

This paper integrates geomorphological, archaeological and radiometric data to reconstruct the evolution of the Fortore River coastal plain and the Lesina Lake coastal barrier, in relation to the main seismic events, Middle - Late Holocene climate changes and the human impact which affected this area.The available data set indicates that the evolution of the coastal area can be subdivided into four main phases, separated by three strong earthquakes that struck this region during prehistorical and historical times. Furthermore, climate changes and human impact affected mainly the Fortore River dynamics and influenced at a smaller magnitude the evolution of the coastal plain and the strictly related coastal barrier.Cette étude géomorphologique et archéologique essaye de reconstituer l’évolution paléoenvironnementale de la plaine du Fortore et de la lagune de Lesina (Italie du Sud), en relation avec la séismicité, les changements climatiques holocènes et les impacts d’origine anthropique.Quatre périodes de mobilité des littoraux sont mises en évidence. Elles sont séparées par trois crises séismiques aux époques préhistorique et historique. Les changements climatiques et les impacts d’origine anthropique ont surtout affecté le fleuve Fortore et n’ont eu que des conséquences modestes sur la morphodynamique de la plaine littorale et le cordon littoral de Lesina