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ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT
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Geochemical investigations carried out over a wide area of western Sicily covering the Castellammare-Alcamo, Montevago and Sciacca hydrothermal basins, highlighted variable contributions of mantle-derived helium as showed by the... more
Geochemical investigations carried out over a wide area of western Sicily covering the Castellammare-Alcamo, Montevago and Sciacca hydrothermal basins, highlighted variable contributions of mantle-derived helium as showed by the concentrations and the helium isotopic ratios measured in both dissolved and free gases. The ^3He/^4He values reveal a progressive decrease from the Sicily Channel (2.8Ra at Sciacca area) to the Tyrrhenian sea (0.7Ra at the Alcamo-Castellammare area). The flux of mantle-derived helium computed by the relations of O'Nions and Oxburgh (1988), results higher than the typical diffusive flux in continental crust (up to about 3 orders of magnitude in the Sciacca basin), suggesting that the helium contribution probably is not fully diffusive. On the basis of the relationships between the production of radiogenic helium and the related heat, the content of radiogenic helium can account for the emission temperature of the thermal waters only at the Sciacca basin ...
Since 1987, periodic soil CO2 flux measurements on the south-western sector and on the eastern flank of Mt Etna have been performed to monitor volcanic activity. Many studies have demonstrated that soil CO2 flux is closely related to the... more
Since 1987, periodic soil CO2 flux measurements on the south-western sector and on the eastern flank of Mt Etna have been performed to monitor volcanic activity. Many studies have demonstrated that soil CO2 flux is closely related to the magma dynamics of Mt Etna. To further confirm this relationship and better understand the influence of rising magma on soil CO2 emission, we periodically measured the 13C values as well as the soil CO2 flux at several points in both areas of Mt Etna. The comparison between 13C values and soil CO2 flux revealed two groups of data with different behaviours: (i) data arranged along mixing lines between organic and deep origins of CO2; (ii) data with high soil CO2 fluxes and 13C values with organic marker. The variations in 13C in (i) are temporally well correlated with the total amount of the soil CO2 emitted in the areas. This result strongly corroborates the primary role played by magma dynamics in the control of soil CO2 flux in the analysed are...
A simple method for determining the δ13C of TDIC (Total Dissolved Inorganic Carbon) in natural waters was developed and tested. The proposed method is based on chemical and physical stripping of CO2 from water samples. The sampling... more
A simple method for determining the δ13C of TDIC (Total Dissolved Inorganic Carbon) in natural waters was developed and tested. The proposed method is based on chemical and physical stripping of CO2 from water samples. The sampling apparatus consists of a glass bottle (ca 100 ml) totally filled with water sample in the field and sealed by gas-tight rubber/teflon plug. In the laboratory, we introduce 10 ml of pure Ar as host gas into the bottles and draw out an equal volume of water. About 0.5 ml of 37% extra-pure HCl is then injected into the bottle. Water pH decreases to values close to 1 and, therefore, the only carbon species present is CO2 both as dissolved and gaseous phase. Then the bottle is connected to a vacuum line to extract CO2 gas and to purify it by means of standard techniques for CO2 purification. In order to test this method, several sea water samples were prepared and analysed, as well as a series of standard solutions of Na2CO3 at known isotopic composition of car...
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The "Macalube di Aragona" area is located in Central Sicily (Italy) within a thick accretionary wedge (up to 6 km), developing along the frontal part (Southern margin) of the Sicilian thrust belt. Mud volcanoes are among the... more
The "Macalube di Aragona" area is located in Central Sicily (Italy) within a thick accretionary wedge (up to 6 km), developing along the frontal part (Southern margin) of the Sicilian thrust belt. Mud volcanoes are among the most important natural emissions of waters, oil and gaseous hydrocarbons from buried sediments. We have periodically collected gases from one mud volcano and
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The condition of landscapes and the ecological communities within them is strongly related to levels of human activity. As a consequence, determining status and trends in the pattern of human-dominated landscapes can be useful for... more
The condition of landscapes and the ecological communities within them is strongly related to levels of human activity. As a consequence, determining status and trends in the pattern of human-dominated landscapes can be useful for understanding the overall conditions of geo-ecological resources. Ecological geological maps are recent tools providing useful informations about a-biotic and biotic features worldwide. These maps represents a new generation of geological maps and depict the lithospheric components conditions on surface, where ecological dynamics (functions and properties) and human activities develop. Thus, these maps are too a fundamental political tool to plan the human activities management in relationship to the territorial/environmental patterns of a date region. Different types of ecological geological maps can be develop regarding the: conditions (situations), zoning, prognosis and recommendations. The ecological geological conditions maps reflects the complex of p...
Understanding the subsurface expression of major faults systems is fundamental to understanding the role of complex geometry of fault systems in basin formation or orogenic processes. During basins or belts formation, detachments levels... more
Understanding the subsurface expression of major faults systems is fundamental to understanding the role of complex geometry of fault systems in basin formation or orogenic processes. During basins or belts formation, detachments levels activation controls the geometries of the near-surface structures. Basin-scale normal fault shapes in extensional settings are often enough represented by listric surfaces and rollover anticlines geometries in the hangingwalls and are common modes of crustal extension in different regions. Rollover anticlines in the hangingwalls result from slip along listric master normal faults and their geometries are constrained by the fault-surface shape. So, master normal faults geometries primary control hangingwall deformation and make space for syn-tectonic filling deposits. The concave geometry of these faults requires hangingwall block rotation, resulting in beds dipping opposite to the master fault. If the hangingwall fold geometry is well known, it is po...
There are very close relationships between chains building and contemporaneous basins formation in terms of spatial and structural interdependence, mutual compensation of sediments, tectonic interaction and simultaneous evolution. In... more
There are very close relationships between chains building and contemporaneous basins formation in terms of spatial and structural interdependence, mutual compensation of sediments, tectonic interaction and simultaneous evolution. In fact, extensional tectonics has been worldwide documented as a process that contributes to the evolution of orogenic belts. The dynamics of wedge growth may partly dictate by localised extensional forces which may support basin formation both in the back of the wedge (piggy-back basins) and in its toe region (foredeep-foreland basins). The evolution of chain-foredeep-foreland systems is characterised by contractional structures coupled by extensional deformations, both at the chain-foredeep and at the foredeep-foreland transition zone. As a consequence, the architecture of most foredeep depressions is generally envisioned as controlled by active regional thrusts and coeval subsidiary normal faults in their inner and outer edges. These structures may con...
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Kinematics of mountain belts is often very difficult to decipher. Main problems consist in the linkage between different stages of deformation which define the chain building, their significance in the context of lithospheric evolution... more
Kinematics of mountain belts is often very difficult to decipher. Main problems consist in the linkage between different stages of deformation which define the chain building, their significance in the context of lithospheric evolution dominates by plate collision and the interaction with previous structures recorded in the rocks. Also, the overprinting of structures developing later with respect to the chain building may further make complicate the way to unravel the tectonic evolution of the wedge. Folding and faulting are the dominant modes for strain partitioning during chain building. The micro-to-macroscopic related structures represent shortening accommodation in the shallow crustal levels during plate collision. The structures defined by both modes are often geometrically and kinematically linked. Folding and faulting may also be representative of distinct episodes of tectonism. Meso-scale structural observations provide a powerful tool to unravel the evolution of map- and r...
The paper discusses the correlation between the heating of shallow groundwater over a 10 × 20 km wide area close to the town of Nizza Monferrato (Piemonte Region, Northern Italy) and the concomitant local seismic sequences during the... more
The paper discusses the correlation between the heating of shallow groundwater over a 10 × 20 km wide area close to the town of Nizza Monferrato (Piemonte Region, Northern Italy) and the concomitant local seismic sequences during the period August 2000 – July 2001. The first seis-mic sequence started on 21 August 2000 with a M l = 5.2 earthquake. Within few hours, the local authorities received calls alerting that the groundwater temperature rose from 10 to 30 • C in many shallow wells. Our geochemical experi-mental data and the geological-seismotectonic framework do not allow the hypothesis of simple fluid mixing between the thermal reservoir of Acqui Terme and the Nizza-Monferrato shallow groundwater to explain the observed thermal anoma-lies. On the other hand, we invoke more complex processes such as frictional heating, mechano-chemistry, fault-valve mechanism, adiabatic decompression and hydrogeologically driven heat flow i.e., thermal effects due to variations of basin-scale p...
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Faults reactivation (positive, oblique or negative inversions) often drives mountain building processes, from basin formation to accretionary wedge emplacement and its syn- and post-orogenic modifications. Several analytical studies on... more
Faults reactivation (positive, oblique or negative inversions) often drives mountain building processes, from basin formation to accretionary wedge emplacement and its syn- and post-orogenic modifications. Several analytical studies on faults reactivation highlighted the importance of pre-existing fault orientation in the stress field, even though reactivation processes have only recently been considered as an important control in fault propagation. A better
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The presence, type and abundance of landslides in an area depend on the characteristics of the triggers and on the predisposing conditions. Natural conditions that control these factors include the local and regional morphological and... more
The presence, type and abundance of landslides in an area depend on the characteristics of the triggers and on the predisposing conditions. Natural conditions that control these factors include the local and regional morphological and lithological setting, the presence and abundance of geological discontinuities including bedding planes, faults, joints, and cleavage systems, the type and depth of the soil, the
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Earthquakes often represent very dangerouses natural events in terms of human life and economic losses and their damage effects are amplified by the synchronous occurrence of seismically-induced ground-shaking failures in wide regions... more
Earthquakes often represent very dangerouses natural events in terms of human life and economic losses and their damage effects are amplified by the synchronous occurrence of seismically-induced ground-shaking failures in wide regions around the seismogenic source. In fact, the shaking associated with big earthquakes triggers extensive landsliding, sometimes at distances of more than 100 km from the epicenter. The active
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In the young mountain chains underwent to emersion, the different crustal blocks which compose the belt may be subjected to differentiate tilting during uplift. The tilting process may be revealed both by the stratal pattern of the... more
In the young mountain chains underwent to emersion, the different crustal blocks which compose the belt may be subjected to differentiate tilting during uplift. The tilting process may be revealed both by the stratal pattern of the syn-uplifting deposits or deduced by the function altitude/area ratio. The prevailing of the uplift rate with respect to the tilting rate (and vice
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Volatiles emitted from arc-related volcanic and hydrothermal manifestations (fumaroles, mofettes, soil gases, bubbling and dissolved gases in thermal waters) are generally characterized by nitrogen content higher than MORB-type volatiles... more
Volatiles emitted from arc-related volcanic and hydrothermal manifestations (fumaroles, mofettes, soil gases, bubbling and dissolved gases in thermal waters) are generally characterized by nitrogen content higher than MORB-type volatiles or fluids released from hot spot areas. Moreover, subduction-related fluids show N(2)/Ar ratios greater than both air and air-saturated water. Here we report the Nitrogen isotope signature of fumarolic gas from
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We can distinguish two morphological evolutions of the drainage basins which develop in the earth's sectors subjected to uplift and tilting, in relationship to their antecedence or subsequence in comparison to the tectonic process. If... more
We can distinguish two morphological evolutions of the drainage basins which develop in the earth's sectors subjected to uplift and tilting, in relationship to their antecedence or subsequence in comparison to the tectonic process. If this process begins in concomitance with a geomorphic cycle the main valleys of the drainage basins will longitudinally be developed according to the tilting direction
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It has been assessed that lakes contribute 6 to 16% to global CH4 emission in atmosphere. Accumulation of CH4 in the water is strongly dependent on the input of gas and the dynamic of the lake’s water. Lakes located on tectonically and... more
It has been assessed that lakes contribute 6 to 16% to global CH4 emission in atmosphere. Accumulation of CH4 in the water is strongly dependent on the input of gas and the dynamic of the lake’s water. Lakes located on tectonically and volcanically active areas (e.g., Kivu, Nyos) generally contain relevant amount of mantle-derived volatiles. This generated an open debate on the origin of CO2 and CH4 in volcanic lakes because the complex bio-geological cycling of these two gases. This study is a part of larger investigation carried out on two maar lakes (LPM and LGM) formed about 140.000 years ago during the last eruption of Mt. Vulture (Italy). In spite of it generally is considered to be extinct, both lakes are characterized by an active inflow of mantle-derived fluids (Caracausi et al., 2013). Although the two lakes are only 150 m apart, their respective dynamics are different being LPM a meromictic lake, while LGM a monomictic one (Caracausi et al., 2013). The stagnant waters of ...
A simple method for determining the δ δ δ δ δ 13 C of TDIC (Total Dissolved Inorganic Carbon) in natural waters was developed and tested. The proposed method is based on chemical and physical stripping of CO 2 from water samples. The... more
A simple method for determining the δ δ δ δ δ 13 C of TDIC (Total Dissolved Inorganic Carbon) in natural waters was developed and tested. The proposed method is based on chemical and physical stripping of CO 2 from water samples. The sampling apparatus consists of a glass bottle (ca 100 ml) totally filled with water sample in the
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The geochemical monitoring carried out on fluids released in the Cen- tral Apennines (Umbria region) evidenced seismically-induced modifica- tions of the physic-chemical parameters in all the released fluids, including some cold waters... more
The geochemical monitoring carried out on fluids released in the Cen- tral Apennines (Umbria region) evidenced seismically-induced modifica- tions of the physic-chemical parameters in all the released fluids, including some cold waters circulating in certain carbonate rocks that are exploited for drinking purposes. The results allowed us to recognize the presence of components of diverse origin that changed the chemical composition of the water. These components, potentially dangerous for human consumption, can be considered as being "secondary effects" on local aquifers, induced by crustal deformation. We would also stress the relationship between the circulating fluids and active tectonic structures, as we detected modifications in some springs that were apparently not located anywhere near the local faults. The tem- poral variations in the geochemical features of the investigated cold waters are related to the local faulting activity that occurs during seismogenesis. Th...
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In order to evaluate the role of mediastinoscopy in determination of resectability in lung cancer, we reviewed retrospectively our experience with this procedure. Of 936 mediastinoscopies performed during the past 22 years, 830 were... more
In order to evaluate the role of mediastinoscopy in determination of resectability in lung cancer, we reviewed retrospectively our experience with this procedure. Of 936 mediastinoscopies performed during the past 22 years, 830 were performed for preoperative evaluation of patients with presumably resectable bronchogenic carcinoma. Metastases in superior mediastinal lymph nodes were found in 295 of 798 patients with histologically proven lung cancer (37%). These patients were spared an unnecessary thoracotomy. There was one death and no other major complications. Computerized tomography of the chest should be performed in all patients with bronchial cancer. If enlarged mediastinal nodes are demonstrated, mediastinoscopy is indicated for histologic evaluation of those nodes and for staging. Mediastinoscopy is a safe and highly reliable procedure with 100% specificity and over 90% accuracy, and is extremely important in staging and predicting resectability in lung cancer. It helps to avoid a futile thoracotomy in patients with incurable disease.
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Geochemical research was carried out on cold and hot springs at Popocatepetl (Popo) volcano (Mexico) in 1999 to identify a possible relationship with magmatic activity. The chemical and isotopic composition of the fluids is compatible... more
Geochemical research was carried out on cold and hot springs at Popocatepetl (Popo) volcano (Mexico) in 1999 to identify a possible relationship with magmatic activity. The chemical and isotopic composition of the fluids is compatible with strong gas–water interaction between deep and shallow fluids. In fact, the isotopic composition of He and dissolved carbon species is consistent with a magmatic