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GPS Positioning and Velocity Field in the Apennines Subduction Zone
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Abstract
A stable geodetic reference frame permits to relate one position to another and to
compute a reliable deformation field from geodetic observations. In order to satisfy scientific
requirements, the reference frame should be accurate, reliable and internally consistent
over time with unambiguously specified datum definition (origin, scale, orientation and their
respective time evolution). Current reference frame stability between successive frame realizations
suggests that the agreement is at the level of 1 cm and 0.3 mm/yr respectively
for absolute and time derivative translation and scale factors. They represent the current
stability over time of the reference frame and set the sensitivity for geodetic measurements.
Here we will present the results of a GPS deformation field in the Italian region obtained
from all the available permanent GPS stations operated in Italy. The complex nature of the
ongoing tectonic deformation along the Alpine-Apennines orogenic systems is now evident and GPS data have proven its capability to measure millimetre scale deformations