Abstract
Maiella massif, in the easternmost sector of the central Apenninic chain. The massive rock slope failure involved about 30 x 106m3 volume of well-bedded Eocene and Miocene limestone and marly-limestone, which slid onto the Aventino river valley. A comprehensive study has allowed the identification of morphological, structural and lithological constraints on slope failure style, which is featured by a break-out geometry rather than a toe rupture one. The break-out developed by cutting bedding planes and utilizing low angle shear surfaces. According to a geological model of rupture, the stress-strain analysis performed through a finite difference code, revealed the fundamental role played by the rock mass anisotropies due to shear surfaces (inherited tectonic derived surfaces). Topographic stress itself could not have been sufficient for determining significant slope deformation. Shape and dimensions of the Lettopalena rock avalanche deposit suggest a low mobility and high energy dissipative event due to the geomorphic control of the pre-existing topography and the high deformability of the outcropping Mio-Pliocene formations, despite a significant run-up on the opposite side of the Aventino valley. The Lettopalena rock avalanche occurred about 4.8 kyr BP along the SE slope of the
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Amadei, B., Swolfs, H.S. and Savage, W.Z. (1988) Gravity induced stresses in stratified rock masses, Rock Mech. 21, 1–20.
Billi, A., Cavinato, G.P., Cernobori, L., Di Luzio, E., Nicolich, R., Parotto, M., Patacca, E., Persoglia, S., Scandone, P., Scrocca, D. and Tozzi, M. (2001) Preliminary interpretation of the CROP 11 seismic line from the Maiella area to the Adriatic coast, Final Proc. Gruppo Nazionale di Geofisica della Terra Solida, 20° Convegno Nazionale, Rome, Italy, 137–138.
Blumetti, A.M., Dramis, F. and Michetti, A.M. (1993) Fault generated mountain fronts in Central Apennines (Central Italy); geomorphological features and seismotectonics implications, Earth Surf. Proc. and Landforms 18, 203–223.
Calderoni, G., Petrone, V. (1992) Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Rome radiocarbon dates I, Radiocarbon 34, 105–113.
Camassi, R. and Stucchi, M. (1997) Catalogo NT4 dei terremoti, GNDT Publishers.
Cavinato, G.P., Cosentino, D., Funiciello, R., Parotto, M., Salvini, F. and Tozzi, M. (1995) Constraints and new problems for geodyamical modelling of the Central Italy (CROP 11 Civitavecchia-Vasto deep seismic lines), Boll. Geofis. Teor. Appl. 36, 159–174.
Cavinato, G.P. and De Celles, P.G. (1999) Extensional basins in the tectonally bimodal central Apennines fold-thrust belt, Italy: response to corner flow above a subducting slab in retrograde motion, Geology 27, 956–959.
Cinti G., Donati A. and Scarascia Mugnozza G. (2001) La grande frana di Monte Arezzo (Abruzzo), Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 56,41–50.
Cipollari, P., Cosentino, D. and Gliozzi, E. (1999) Extension and compression related basins in central Italy during the Messinian Lago-Mare event, Tectonophysics 315, 163–185.
Cipollari, P., Cosentino, D., Di Bella, L., Gliozzi, E. and Pipponzi, G. (2001) La sezione di Fonte dei Pulcini (Maiella meridionale): sezione di riferimento per il limite Miocene-Pliocene nella successione pre-orogena dell’avampaese adriatico, Final proc. Geoitalia 2001, 3° Forum Italiano di Scienze della Terra. Chieti, Italy, 237–239.
Crescenti, U., Crostella, A., Donzelli, G. and Raffi, G. (1969) Stratigrafia della serie calcarea dal Lias al Miocene nella regione marchigiano-abruzzese. (Parte II. Litostratigrafia, Biostratigrafia, Paleogeografia), Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 8, 343–420.
Danese, E. (1999) Upper Miocene carbonate ramp deposits from the southernmost part of the Maiella mountain (Abruzzo, central Italy), Facies 41, 41–54.
Donzelli, G. (1969) Studio geologico della Maiella. Edited by Crescenti U., 1997. Università degli Studi G. D’Annunzio, Chieti, Italy.
Evans, S.G. (1989) Rock avalanche run-up record, Nature 340, 6231,271.
Galadini, F., Galli, P. and Giraudi, C. (1997) Geological investigations of Italian earthquakes: new paleoseismological data from the Fucino Plain (Central Italy), Journal of Geodynamics 24, 87–103.
Giraudi, C. (1998) Nuovi dati sul glacialismo della Montagna della Maiella, Il Quaternario 11, 265–271.
Giraudi, C. (2002) I rock glacier tardo-pleistocenici ed olocenici dell’ Appennino - Età, distribuzione, significato paleoclimatico, Il Quaternario 15,45–52.
Gobetti, A. and Perotti, C.R. (1991) Le caratteristiche del campo di sforzi: un modello ad elementi finiti per valutare l’influenza della topografia, Rend. Soc. Geol. It. 14, 71–74.
Jaurand, E. (1998) Les glaciers disparus de l’Apennin. Géomorphologie et paléoenvironnements glacieres de l’Italie péninsulaire, Publications de la Sorbonne.
Keefer, D.K. (1984) Landslides caused by earthquakes, Geol. Soc. Am. Bullettin 95, 406–421.
Martino S., Prestininzi A. and Scarascia Mugnozza G. (2001) Deep Seated Gravitational Deformations: parameters from laboratory testing for analogical and numerical modelling, Rock mechanics, a challenge for society, EUROCK 2001, Espoo, Finland, Balkema, pp. 137–142.
Michetti, A.M., Brunamonte, F., Serva, L. and Vittori, E. (1996) Trench investigation of the 1915 Fucino earthquake fault scarps (Abruzzo, Central Italy): geological evidence of large historical events, Journal of Geoph. Res. 101, 5921–5936.
Nicoletti P.G. and Sorriso Valvo M. (1991) Geomorphic controls of the shape and mobility of rock avalanches, Geol. Soc. Am. Bulletin 103, 1365–1373.
Nicoletti, P.G., Parise, M. and Miccadei, E. (1991) The Scanno rock avalanche (Abruzzi, South-Central Italy), Boll. Soc. Geol. It. 112, 523–535.
Paolucci, G., Pizzi, R. and Scarascia Mugnozza, G. (2001) Analisi preliminare della frana di Lettopalena (Abruzzo), Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 56, 131–137.
Patacca, E., Scandone, P., Bellatalla, M., Perilli, N.and Santini, U. (1991) La zona di giunzione tral 1’arco appenninico settentrionale e l’arco appenninico meridionale nell’Abruzzo e nel Molise, Studi Geologici Camerti special volume CROP 11 2,417–441.
Qin, S., Jiao, J.J. and Wang, S. (2001) A Cusp Catastrophe Model of instability of slip-buckling slope, Rock Mech. Rock Eng. 34, 119–134.
Scisciani,V., Calamita, F., Bigi, S., De Girolamo., C. and Paltrinieri, W. (2000) The influence of synorogenic normal faults on Pliocene thrust system development: the Maiella structure (central Apennines, Italy), Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 55, 193–204.
Scisciani,V., Tavarnelli, E. and Calamita, F. (2002) The interaction of extensional and contractional deformations in the outer zone of the central Apennine, Journal of Structural Geology 24, 1647–1658.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Springer
About this paper
Cite this paper
SCARASCIA-MUGNOZZA, G. et al. (2006). ROCK AVALANCHE AND MOUNTAIN SLOPE DEFORMATION IN A CONVEX DIP-SLOPE: THE CASE OF THE MAIELLA MASSIF, CENTRAL ITALY. In: Evans, S.G., Mugnozza, G.S., Strom, A., Hermanns, R.L. (eds) Landslides from Massive Rock Slope Failure. NATO Science Series, vol 49. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4037-5_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4037-5_19
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4035-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4037-5
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)