Geology and sedimentary facies of the Pliocene succession of the Baronia Mountains (Ariano Basin, southern Italy)

An up to 1500 m-thick clastic succession, the late Zanclean Baronia Synthem, has been analysed in detail in the Ariano wedge-top Basin (southern Apennine, Italy). In the Baronia Mountains the studied sediments are well exposed and laterally mappable due to young uplift and exhumation and rest unconformably on a complexly deformed pre-Pliocene substratum formed by Triassic to Miocene allochthonous units. The Baronia Synthem has been resolved into seven facies associations that are representative of distinct fluvial, deltaic, nearshore and offshore depositional environments and can be grouped into lowstand, transgressive, and highstand systems tracts. Using an integrated approach comprising original geological field mapping at 1:10,000 scale, conventional sedimentary facies analysis and a sequence stratigraphic approach, this paper provides a detailed description and interpretation of facies associations and new insights on the stratigraphic architecture and the geological history of this portion of the basin fill

Superficial and deep-seated gravity-driven deformation horizons within basinal succession: the case study of Maiolica Formation, Gargano Promontory, Southern Italy

Gravitational phenomena on the paleoslope of continental margins play a significant role both in redistribution of sediment and formation of new structural features within sedimentary basins worldwide. Mass-transport deposits (MTDs) represent important heterogeneities within the succession and occur on various scales (tens of centimetres to hundreds of metres). Small- to medium-scale MTDs (up to tens of meters) act as layers of different petrophysical properties, whereas large-scale MTDs (tens to hundreds of meters) form both stratigraphic and structural discontinuities (faults, thrusts, erosional surfaces, dykes or injections) within the succession. The Maiolica Formation, Early Cretaceous deep basinal succession cropping out in Gargano Promontory of Southeast Italy is represented by undisturbed intervals of flat-lying thin-bedded, cherty micritic limestone interstratified with intervals of lithologically similar, but structurally distorted beds. For this reason, the studied outcrops provide a good opportunity to characterize the geometry and the internal deformation of small- and medium-scale carbonate MTDs. At the outcrop scale, small- to medium-sized MTDs can be simply identified as sheets of deformed strata alternated with packages of undeformed beds. However, several observed features such as folded stylolites with radially oriented peaks within some of these deformed packages and the presence of large vertical clastic-dyke-like bodies in the succession suggest that some of these deformed packages represent deep-seated basal gliding horizons of large-scale MTDs. In this study, we present MTDs on two different scales that have a crucial influence on the evolution of slope to basinal successions. Moreover, we define the features that distinguish superficial MTDs from the deep-seated gravity-driven deformation horizons within basinal carbonates

Internal architecture of mass-transport deposits in basinal carbonates : A case study from southern Italy

Peer reviewedPostprin

Development of Quebracho (Schinopsis balansae) Tannin-Based Thermoset Resins

One of the major challenges currently in the field of material science is finding natural alternatives to the high-performing plastics developed in the last century. Consumers trust synthetic products for their excellent properties, but they are becoming aware of their impact on the planet. One of the most attractive precursors for natural polymers is tannin extracts and in particular condensed tannins. Quebracho (Schinopsis balansae) extract is one of the few industrially available flavonoids and can be exploited as a building block for thermoset resins due to its phenol-like reactivity. The aim of this study was to systematically investigate different hardeners and evaluate the water resistance, thermal behavior, and chemical structure of the quebracho tannin-based polymers in order to understand their suitability as adhesives. It was observed that around 80% of the extract is resistant to leaching when 5% of formaldehyde or hexamine or 10% of glyoxal or furfural are added. Additionally, furfuryl alcohol guarantees high leaching resistance, but only at higher proportions (20%). The quebracho-based formulations showed specific thermal behavior during hardening and higher degradation resistance than the extract. Finally, these polymers undergo similar chemistry to those of mimosa, with exclusive reactivity of the A-ring of the flavonoid

Distinguishing tectonically-and gravity-driven synsedimentary deformation structures along the Apulian platform margin (Gargano Promontory, southern Italy)

Acknowledgements This work has been supported by Reservoir Characterisation Project (www.rechproject.com) and FAR Project 2014 "Characterisation and modelling of natural reservoirs of geofluids in fractured carbonate rocks", funded by the University of Camerino, coordinator Emanuele Tondi.Peer reviewedPostprin

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #45 to #59

New Italian data on the distribution of Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 8 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 27 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, Sardinia, and Sicily

Notulae to the Italian alien vascular flora: 12

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions. Nomenclatural and distribution updates published elsewhere are provided as Suppl. material 1

L’analisi geologica finalizzata alla valutazione della pericolosità sismica: l’esempio del Bacino di Colfiorito: area epicentrale del terremoto del 26 Settembre 1997

In questo lavoro viene proposto un modello di segmentazione, applicato alle faglie attive e finalizzato alla valutazione della pericolosità sismica. Tale modello, verificato nell’area di Colfiorito a seguito della crisi sismica umbro-marchigiana, ha come conseguenza una revisione della terminologia utilizzata per lo studio delle faglie attive e necessita di una specifica procedura dell’analisi geologica. I terremoti avvenuti negli ultimi decenni in Appennino centrale hanno mostrato che durante un singolo evento sismico si attivano in superficie più faglie. Il modello di segmentazione proposto è basato sul fatto che le faglie che si attivano in superficie durante un singolo evento sismico siano, nel loro insieme, l’espressione superficiale di un’unica struttura sismogenetica profonda. Tale modello si basa quindi sulla possibilità di riconoscere in superficie e per una data area, caratteristiche geologico-strutturali, morfostrutturali, storiche, geometriche e reologiche simili. La segmentazione viene applicata, quindi, ad un'area invece che ad un singolo segmento di faglia. Successivamente, sulla base delle caratteristiche specifiche dell’area individuata, è possibile valutare la geometria, la cinematica, lo slip-rate e le dimensioni della struttura sismogenetica profonda e quindi tutti quei parametri necessari alla valutazione del potenziale sismico

Revealing the secrets of an earthquake: physico-chemical constraints from a multidisciplinary study of exhumed faults

Understanding the physico-chemical processes controlling faulting and earthquake generation is essential in seismic hazard assessment. Since dreadful earthquakes nucleate at depth (10-15 km), direct access to seismic sources is impossible and monitoring active faults from the Earth surface, or interpreting radiated seismic waves, yield limited information on earthquake mechanics. The indirect analysis of earthquakes is unable to provide tight constraints on fundamental mechanical parameters such as the dynamic fault strength and the energy budget of an earthquake. Here we propose (i) to investigate earthquake processes by studying fossil seismic sources (e.g., faults containing solidified melts produced during seismic slip or pseudotachylytes) now exhumed at the Earth's surface and (ii) to analyze the fault rock materials in the laboratory by a novel multidisciplinary approach involving the up-to-date techniques in microstructural analysis, mineralogy and petrology. In parallel with the study of natural faults we will develop a new apparatus to perform experiments under the extreme deformation conditions typical of earthquakes (e.g., slip velocities of ~ 1 m/s) simulating seismic slip in the lab. There is only one apparatus of this kind, located in Kyoto-Japan, currently operating in the world. Collaboration with the Kyoto University will serve to design the new high friction apparatus to be built in Padova. The experiments in Kyoto will be complemented by experiments at Brown University (RH, USA) with a high-pressure apparatus to investigate the mechanical behavoiur of different fault rocks including fault gouges. Field work will investigate exceptional exposures of faults in Europe and Australia. The study of natural faults will proceed together with theoretical modeling calibrated on the basis of the field data, the mechanical data from rock-friction experiments and the analytical data of natural and experimental deformation products. The integration of all data is expected to yield estimates of seismic source parameters (e.g., dynamic shear stress, the seismic energy budget, all challenging issues for Earth scientists) and to provide an insight into the mechanisms of earthquake nucleation. The proposed study has implication also in the understanding of other friction-controlled processes important in Earth Sciences (e.g., rock landslides) as well as in industry. It is noteworthy that the experimental results will find application to improve industrial milling techniques. The development of the new dedicated laboratory will allow Padova University to compete at top scientific level with the world’s leading institutions for the study of earthquake mechanics

Nucleation, development and petrophysical properties of faults in carbonate grainstones: evidence from the San Vito Lo Capo peninsula (Sicily, Italy)

Detailed field mapping and microstructural and textural analyses carried out in Lower Pleistocene grainstones in the San Vito Lo Capo peninsula (in north-western Sicily) revealed document failure modes and fault development in porous carbonate grainstones. Individual com-pactive shear bands represent the simplest fundamental shear structures, while pressure solution processes commonly localize within previously developed compactive shear bands. In the Lower-Pleistocene carbonate grainstones of San Vito Lo Capo peninsula, composed of eroded car-bonate and marl fragments, pressure solution processes localize mostly grain-to-grain, leading to the formation of zones of weakness which facilitate slip and significant displacement. The transition from one deformation process to another is likely controlled by changing material properties and anisotropy within the bands. Finally, laboratory analyses of representative fault rock samples show that the structures described above have sealing capacity with respect to the host rock, and may compartmentalize any geofluid reservoir