Territori della Cultura

La valutazione ex ante così come i criteri di selezione utilizzati nei bandi per i progetti culturali a finalità anche sociale possono incidere sulla qualità dei progetti, in quanto la valutazione può svolgere un ruolo educativo/adattivo: la struttura e i criteri da seguire per predisporre la proposta informano un certo modo di elaborare e presentare i contenuti, di pianificare le attività; di coinvolgimento degli attori locali ed esterni. L’articolo individua alcuni aspetti dei metodi di valutazione che possono influenzare/innalzare il livello della progettazione culturale nella prospettiva delle istituzioni locali

Concurrent eruptions at Etna, Stromboli, and Vulcano: casualty or causality?

Anecdotes of concurrent eruptions at Etna, Stromboli, and Vulcano (Southern Italy) have persisted for more than 2000 years and volcanologists in recent and past times have hypothesized a causal link among these volcanoes. Here this hypothesis is tested. To introduce the problem and provide examples of the type of expected volcanic phenomena, narratives of the most notable examples of concurrent eruptions are provided. Then the frequency of eruptions at each individual volcano is analysed for about the last 300 years and the expected probability of concurrent eruptions is calculated to compare it to the observed probability. Results show that the occurrence of concurrent eruptions is often more frequent than a random probability, particularly for the Stromboli-Vulcano pair. These results are integrated with a statistical analysis of the earthquake catalogue to find evidence of linked seismicity in the Etnean and Aeolian areas. Results suggest a moderate incidence of non-random concurrent eruptions, but available data are temporally limited and do not allow an unequivocal identification of plausible triggers; our results, however, are the first attempt to quantify a more-than-2000-years-old curious observation and constitute a starting point for more sophisticated analyses of new data in the future. We look forward to our prediction of a moderate incidence of concurrent eruptions being confirmed or refuted with the passage of time and occurrence of new events

Arc development in the Apennines

In central Italy, geometry, kinematics, and tectonic evolution of the late Neogene Umbrian Arc, which is one of the main thrusts of the northern Apennines, have long been studied. Documented evidence for orogenic curvature includes vertical-axis rotations along both limbs of the arc and a positive orocline test along the entire arc. The curvature’s cause is, however, still unexplained. In this work, we focused our attention on the southern portion of the Umbrian Arc, the so-called Olevano-Antrodoco thrust. We analyze, in particular, gravity and seismic reflection data and consider available paleomagnetic, stratigraphic, structural, and topographic evidence from the central Apennines to infer spatial extent, attitude, and surface effects of a mid-crustal anticlinorium imaged in the CROP-11 deep seismic profile. The anticlinorium has horizontal dimensions of about 50 by 30 km and is located right beneath the Olevano-Antrodoco thrust. Stratigraphic, structural, and topographic evidence suggests that the anticlinorium produced a surface uplift during its growth in early Pliocene times. We propose an evolutionary model in which, during late Neogene time, the Olevano-Antrodoco thrust developed in an out-of-sequence fashion and underwent about 16° of clockwise rotation when the thrust ran into and was then raised and folded by the growing anticlinorium (late Messinian-early Pliocene time). This new model suggests a causal link between mid-crustal folding and surficial orogenic curvature that is consistent with several available data sets from the northern-central Apennines; more evidence is, however, needed to fully test hypothesis. Additionally, due to the occurrence of mid-crustal basement-involved thrusts in other orogens, this model may be a viable mechanism for arc formation elsewhere

Arc development in the Apennines

In central Italy, the geometry, kinematics, and tectonic evolution of the late Neogene Umbrian Arc, which is one of the main thrusts of the northern Apennines, have long been studied. Documented evidence for orogenic curvature includes vertical axis rotations along both limbs of the arc and a positive orocline test along the entire arc. The cause of the curvature is, however, still unexplained. In this work, we focus our attention on the southern portion of the Umbrian Arc, the so-called Olevano- Antrodoco thrust. We analyze, in particular, gravity and seismic-reflection data and consider available paleomagnetic, stratigraphic, structural, and topographic evidence from the central Apennines to infer spatial extent, attitude, and surface effects of a midcrustal anticlinorium imaged in the CROP-11 deep seismic profile. The anticlinorium has horizontal dimensions of ~50 by 30 km, and it is located right beneath the Olevano- Antrodoco thrust. Stratigraphic, structural, and topographic evidence suggests that the anticlinorium produced a surface uplift during its growth in early Pliocene times. We propose an evolutionary model in which, during late Neogene time, the Olevano- Antrodoco thrust developed in an out-of sequence fashion and underwent ~16° of clockwise rotation when the thrust ran into and was then raised and folded by the growing anticlinorium (late Messinian–early Pliocene time). This new model suggests a causal link between midcrustal folding and surficial orogenic curvature that is consistent with several available data sets from the northern and central Apennines; more evidence is, however, needed to fully test our hypothesis. Additionally, due to the occurrence of midcrustal basement-involved thrusts in other orogens, this model may be a viable mechanism for arc formation elsewhere

Linking rock fabric to fibrous mineralisation: a basic tool for the asbestos hazard

In recent years, many studies have addressed the effect on human health caused by asbestos exposures. As asbestos is a group of fibrous minerals that mainly occurs in mafic and ultramafic rocks (ophiolitic sequences), a close relationship between asbestos occurrence and the geological history of host rocks should be expected. By reviewing the existing literature and presenting characteristic examples, it is proposed a direct correspondence exists between the presence of fibrous minerals in ophiolites and the rock fabric systematics due to the combined activity of deformation, metamorphism/metasomatism, and rock/fluid interaction. Understanding the geological factors that may be at the origin of the nucleation/growth of fibrous minerals constitutes a necessary requirement for developing a methodological and analytical procedure to evaluate asbestos hazard (<I>A</I><sub>H</sub>) in the natural prototype (ophiolitic rocks). A parameterisation of the <I>A</I><sub>H</sub> in function of the main geological processes that produce the rock fabric systematics in different tectonic/geodynamic settings is discussed. A geological multidisciplinary approach (based on geological-structural field evidence combined with textural, mineralogical, petrological, and geochemical investigations) is proposed as the prerequisite for the evaluation of <I>A</I><sub>H</sub> in natural environments. This approach, in particular, can provide a robust basis to formulate a procedural protocol finalised to the mitigation of asbestos effects in environments where these effects are still a real threat

PROPOSAL FOR AN AUTO-UPDATING SNOWFALL MAP OF THE TRENTINE TERRITORY (EASTERN ALPS OF ITALY)

From the early 80s, the “Snow, Avalanches and Meteorology Office of Trento (Italy) Autonomous Province” (“Ufficio Neve,Valanghe e Meteorologia della Provincia Autonoma di Trento”), actually “Ufficio Previsione e Prevenzione” monitors the snowfall conditions and studies avalanches in the same territory; in particular, it manages a network of over 30 manual snow fields, plus about ten automatic measurement stations, added during the last 10 years, between 800 and 2750 meters (Fig. 1). Complete snow-meteorological measurements are daily performed (AINEVA-CAI Model 1) while automatic stations also measure the snow cover thickness, as well as classical meteorological parameters

Assessing uncertainty in outsourcing clinical services at tertiary health centers

When tertiary health centers face capacity constraint, one feasible strategy to meet service demand is outsourcing clinical services to qualified community providers. Clinical outsourcing enables tertiary health centers to meet the expectations of service timeliness and provides good opportunities to collaborate with other health care providers. However, outsourcing may result in dependence and loss of control for the tertiary health centers. Other parties involved in clinical outsourcing such as local partners, patients, and payers may also encounter potential risks as well as enjoy benefits in an outsourcing arrangement. Recommendations on selecting potential outsourcing partners are given to minimize the risks associated with an outsourcing contract. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/56139/1/858_ftp.pd

Tectonics and seismicity of the Tindari Fault System, southern Italy: Crustal deformations at the transition between ongoing contractional and extensional domains located above the edge of a subducting slab

The Tindari Fault System (southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) is a regional zone of brittle deformation located at the transition between ongoing contractional and extensional crustal compartments and lying above the western edge of a narrow subducting slab. Onshore structural data, an offshore seismic reflection profile, and earthquake data are analyzed to constrain the present geometry of the Tindari Fault System and its tectonic evolution since Neogene, including the present seismicity. Results show that this zone of deformation consists of a broad NNW trending system of faults including sets of right-lateral, left-lateral, and extensional faults as well as early strike-slip faults reworked under late extension. Earthquakes and other neotectonic data provide evidence that the Tindari Fault System is still active in the central and northern sectors and mostly accommodates extensional or rightlateral transtensional displacements on a diffuse array of faults. From these data, a multiphase tectonic history is inferred, including an early phase as a right-lateral strike-slip fault and a late extensional reworking under the influence of the subductionrelated processes, which have led to the formation of the Tyrrhenian back-arc basin. Within the present, regional, geodynamic context, the Tindari Fault System is interpreted as an ongoing accommodation zone between the adjacent contractional and extensional crustal compartments, these tectonic compartments relating to the complex processes of plate convergence occurring in the region. The Tindari Fault System might also be included in an incipient, oblique-extensional, transfer zone linking the ongoing contractional belts in the Calabrian-Ionian and southern Tyrrhenian compartments