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A physical stratigraphy model for seismic microzonation of the Central Archaeological Area of Rome (Italy)

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Abstract

A reliable litho-technical model for seismic microzonation requires a robust understanding of the subsoil architecture, that is essential to extrapolate in the space geognostic data that are often sparse. This paper presents the application to the level 1 seismic microzonation of the Central Archaeological Area of Rome of a complete methodological approach implementing physical stratigraphy concepts into an integrated analysis of a subsurface dataset. Particular emphasis has been placed on the reconstruction of buried geometries, distribution of lithofacies, and stacking pattern of geological bodies, which can control local seismic response. The spatial distribution of paleovalley infill and interfluves domains in the subsoil was reconstructed, which in virtue of their peculiar stratigraphy and morphology may determine 1D and 2D resonance effects. The summation of amplification effects due to the thick anthropogenic layer allowed to outline five stable zones prone to ground motion amplification, of which the most critical coincide with the narrow and deep infill of recent valleys. Potentially less prone to valley effects is the Middle Pleistocene paleovalley infill in the subsurface of the northern and eastern Palatine hill. Finally, the less hazardous zones correspond to the ancient, multilayered volcano-sedimentary interfluves separating the paleovalleys.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Roberto Cecchi (Government Commissioner) and Pia Petrangeli (first project coordinator, and then Government Commissioner) for funding the geological and geophysical surveys. The study was carried out within the UrbiSIT Project (2007–2012), financially supported by DPC, the Italian Civil Protection Department (CNR-IGAG project manager: G.P. Cavinato; DPC referents: L. Cavarra, F. Leone, G. Naso, F. Bramerini). Collaboration of the Special Superintendence for the Archaeological Heritage of Rome, in particular of Maria Antonietta Tomei, Maria Grazia Filetici, and Maurizio Rulli, was greatly appreciated. Finally, the authors thank Landmark for the use of the software \(\hbox {LithoTect}^{\textregistered }\). The authors appreciated very much the suggestions by the anonymous reviewers, who greatly improved the early version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CNR-IGAG, Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, Area della Ricerca di Roma 1, Via Salaria km 29.300, 00015 , Monterotondo Stazione (RM), Italy

    Marco Mancini, Mattia Marini, Massimiliano Moscatelli, Alessandro Pagliaroli, Francesco Stigliano, Cristina Di Salvo, Maurizio Simionato & Gian Paolo Cavinato

  2. Dipartimento della Protezione Civile, Via Vitorchiano 2, 00189 , Rome, Italy

    Angelo Corazza

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  1. Marco Mancini
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  2. Mattia Marini
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  3. Massimiliano Moscatelli
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  4. Alessandro Pagliaroli
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Correspondence to Marco Mancini.

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Mancini, M., Marini, M., Moscatelli, M. et al. A physical stratigraphy model for seismic microzonation of the Central Archaeological Area of Rome (Italy). Bull Earthquake Eng 12, 1339–1363 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-014-9584-2

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