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Surface breaks along the coastal plain of Cirò (Ionian Calabria, southern Italy): geophysical and paleoseismological insights

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Abstract

On July 28, 2004, the coastal plain of Cirò (Calabria, Ionian Sea) was interested by the sudden opening of a ~5-km-long fracture, paralleling the coastline. All the buildings, roads, and pipelines crossed by the fracture were damaged, inducing several inhabitants to abandon their houses. The crack was 1–2-cm wide, downthrowing the seaward block up to 1–2 cm. This phenomenon is known for having already hit this area at least in the past century, both concurrently or not to earthquakes with epicentre far away from Cirò. In order to investigate the subsurface geometry, and the nature of the crack, we performed 5 electrical resistivity tomography and two paleoseismological trenches across it. The two methods provided evidences for the whole displacement of the local coastal succession, with offsets of several metres cumulated during the late Holocene. Giving the radiocarbon age of samples collected in trenches, we have constrained the dates of a couple of offset events which match some paleoearthquakes caused by the Lakes Fault, in the neighbouring Sila Massif. Excluding other possible causes (i.e. anthropic or tectonic), we are inclined to interpret these phenomena as the westernmost, surficial expression of a submarine deep-seated gravity sliding.

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Notes

  1. During the excavation, a spring formed at the contact between the clays and the sands, causing severe instability problems to the trench wall.

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Acknowledgments

T. Campolmi, C. Salustri Galli, I. Ilardo, and V. Spina participated in the survey and interpretation of the paleoseismological trenches. V. Scionti participated in the ERT campaign. G. Marino surveyed and mapped the entire 2004 surface crack, providing us the logistic support for ERT and trench analyses, and fighting against the landowners who “a sira ca si e ra matina ca no” (the evening they say yes, the morning no). M. Perri dug with consummate skill the two trenches. Field survey was performed during summer 2006. A. Bosman kindly provided us the bathymetry of the Cirò Marina offshore. The view and conclusion contained in this paper are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the Italian government.

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  1. Dipartimento Protezione Civile, Rome, Italy

    Paolo Galli

  2. IGAG, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Montelibretti, Rome, Italy

    Paolo Galli

  3. IMAA, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Tito Scalo, Potenza, Italy

    Sabatino Piscitelli

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  1. Paolo Galli
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Correspondence to Paolo Galli.

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Galli, P., Piscitelli, S. Surface breaks along the coastal plain of Cirò (Ionian Calabria, southern Italy): geophysical and paleoseismological insights. Nat Hazards 71, 291–313 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-0914-5

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