Rocco Dominici

This work shows the granulometric, mineralogical and micromorphoscopic data of the Alimini (Lecce, Apulia) beach, an important touristic site with a strong erosive rate. Our study demonstrates that the sediments forming the sands are rarely related to the carbonatic rocks outcropping in the area. Rather, they are mainly represented by heavy minerals and quartz of volcanic and metamorphic origin. The presence of peculiar mineral phases as the melanitic garnet points to a provenance from the Vulture volcano. However, the occurrence of quartz, microcline and piralspitic garnets points to a simultaneous feeding from the southern Appenninic units. Sediments are probably eroded and transported by the Ofanto river. The high roundness of the grains witnesses the long transport along the coast and, probably, also the continuous recycle from the dune to the beach and vice versa.

In this work, the shallow geothermal heat-exchange potential of a coastal plain in southern Italy, the Sant’Eufemia plain (Calabria region), was evaluated. Stratigraphic and hydrogeological data and thermophysical properties of the main geological formations of the area have been averaged over the first 100 m of subsoil to define the thermal conductivity, the specific heat extraction rates of the ground and the geothermal potential of the area (MWh·y−1) for both cooling and heating modes. The investigation revealed that the crystalline bedrock and the saturated conditions of the sedimentary infill mainly control the heat-exchange potential. The range of the geothermal potential in the investigated Sant’Eufemia plain is 3.61–10.56 MWh·y−1 and 3.72–11.47 MWh·y−1 for heating and cooling purposes, respectively. The average depth drilled to supply a standard domestic power demand of 5.0 kW is ~90 m for heating and ~81 m for cooling modes. The different depth also drives the final drillin...

Coastal areas worldwide are the result of a weak balance between man and the natural environment. They are exposed to strong anthropogenic pressure and natural hazard events whose intensity has increased in recent decades. In this frame, the satellite and drone monitoring systems as well as field survey are key tools to learn about the factors responsible for coastal changes. Here we describe the formation and dismantling of a fan delta at Sfalassà Stream mouth, Calabria Region (Southern Italy) to shed light on the environmental drivers modelling this coast. The flood event of 2 November 2015 placed approximately 25,000 m3 of coarse sand and gravel sediments in a few hours forming a fan-shaped delta, while three main storm surges, occurring from November 2015 to January 2016, caused its dismantling. Sentinel 2 images and several photographs captured the gradual erosion of fan delta highlighting its complete dismantling in about 3 months. The eroded sediments only partially feed the ...

<p>The Gioia Tauro plain (GTP) is an industrialized and agricultural coastal area of about 500 km<sup>2</sup> in the Tyrrhenian side of Calabria. Its harbour is one of the most important container traffic hubs in the Mediterranean basin. The GTP groundwater resources are constantly at risk of depletion and quality degradation due to anthropic activities.</p><p>GTP is a half-graben bounded by two massifs. The boundaries are marked by three main fault systems: the Nicotera-Gioiosa fault zone, NW-SE striking and right lateral kinematics along the north boundary; the NNE-SSW Cittanova Fault, a high-angle normal and active fault along the eastern border; the Palmi-Locri fault zone with NW-SE trend and a mainly strike-slip kinematics along the south boundary. The GTP sedimentary infill is made by an upper Miocene siliciclastic and carbonate succession overlays by Pliocene marly-limestone rhytmites and Piacenzian-Calabrian sandstones and calcarenites with interbedded 20m thick volcaniclastic deposits. Upward, the sedimentary infill continues with alluvial (in eastern and middle sector) and coastal (in the western sector) deposits.</p><p>Six geochemical facies of groundwater were distinguished, with different salinities and temperatures (Italiano et al., 2010). The majority of samples is of cold shallow groundwater and shows Ca-HCO<sub>3</sub>, Ca(Mg-Na)-HCO<sub>3</sub>(Cl-SO<sub>4</sub>) and Na-HCO<sub>3</sub> composition and overall low salinities (TDS <1g / L). Only few samples, with Na-SO<sub>4</sub> and Na-Cl composition, show high salinity (TDS <3.5g / L) and temperature (above 20 ° C). These latter occur in the northern portion of the plain, near the intersection of the Palmi-Gioia Tauro and Nicotera-Gioiosa faults systems, and in the southern sector, near Palmi town.</p><p>It was created a geodatabase using data of hundreds of boreholes, geotechnical and geophysical investigations. Furthermore, it is carrying out a geological and geophysical survey along the plain boundaries using passive seismic technique to infer the deep of discontinuities among the main geological units described above. The acquired data allowed to identify: i) the shallow aquifer, made by Pleistocene-Holocene deposits characterized by complex lateral variations; ii) at the bottom, the aquitard, represented by Pliocene marls; iii) the deep aquifer, consisting of the upper Miocene succession. The highest thickness of shallow aquifer (more than 200 m) is observed in the middle GTP sector. The thickness variation is strictly related to the NE-SW high angle normal faults which cross the GTP. The ongoing geological, geochemical, and geophysical surveys will allow: i) to identify the geometry of the hydrogeological units; ii) to define the hydrogeological features of the groundwater systems useful for modelling purposes, and iii) to improve the knowledge of water rock interactions processes (e.g., relations between deep and shallow waters, anthropogenic effects, seawater intrusion) for management purposes.</p><p>Italiano, F. et al. 2010. Geochemistry of fluids discharged over the seismic area of the Southern Apennines (Calabria region, Southern Italy): Implications for fluid-fault relationships. Appl. Geochem. 25, 540–554.</p>

Coastal areas are more and more exposed to the effects of climatic change. Intense local rainfalls increases the frequency of flash floods and/or flow-like subaerial and afterward submarine landslides. The overall phenomenon of flash flood is complex and involves different phases strongly connected: heavy precipitations in a short period of time, soil erosion, fan deltas forming at mouth and hyperpycnal flows and/or landslides occurrence. Such interrelated phases were separately modelled for simulation purposes by different computational models: Partial Differential Equations methods for weather forecasts and sediment production estimation and Cellular Automata for soil erosion by rainfall and subaerial sediment transport and deposit. Our aim is to complete the model for the last phase of final sediment outcome. This research starts from the results of the previous models and introduces the processes concerning the demolition of fan deltas by sea waves during a sea-storm and the sub...

In this study, we analysed the Gioia Tauro Plain (Tyrrhenian coast, southern Italy) in terms of hydrostratigraphy and the physicochemical status of groundwater. We investigated the hydrostratigraphic framework of the area identifying a deep aquifer (made by late Miocene succession), an aquitard (consisting of Pliocene clayey and silty deposits) and a shallow aquifer (including Late Pleistocene and Holocene marine and alluvial sediments) using subsoil data (boreholes and geophysics). Our reconstruction showed that the structural geology controls the spatial pattern of the aquitard top and the shallow aquifer thickness. Furthermore, we evaluated the hydraulic conductivity for the shallow aquifer using an empirical method, calibrated by slug tests, obtaining values ranging from 10−4 to 10−5 m/s with a maximum of 10−3 m/s located close to inland dune fields. The piezometric level of the shallow aquifer recorded a significant drop between the 1970s and 2021 (−35 m as the worst value). It...

Abstract This paper presents the results of a geophysical investigation aimed to illustrate the architecture of the shallow stratigraphic horizons across an area believed to be crossed by a NW-SE trending trascurrent fault called the Lamezia Terme-Catanzaro Fault. In spite of the available information on fault segments and tectonic activity associated with faulting, the local scale fault characteristics are currently poorly known and the surface displacements are difficult to detect in a such a densely populated area. A traditional integrated geophysical exploration method was proposed as an effective solution to assist in the location of structures in the subsurface where surface geological and morphological evidence is inconclusive in terms of defining the location and the potential of the local seismogenic sources, responsible for recurrent catastrophic earthquakes. Two active High Resolution (HR) seismic reflection/refraction profiles were acquired using an array of vertical geophones with a Swept Impact Seismic Source (VibSist-500) in order to obtain seismic imaging of the subsurface of the study area. Additionally, passive Microtremor Array Method (MAM), deep wells and commercial seismic profiles were used to better constrain the geological trend of deeper seismostrata. The integrated interpretation of both geophysical and geological data allowed to infer subsurface pictures of the investigated areas identifying the depth of the seismic bedrock and characterizing the buried morphology, enhancing lineaments with possible relevance to faults. Discontinuities in the main horizons in seismic sections indicate that faulting is present in a Pliocene unit and may extend to the shallow subsurface in Quaternary sediments. The results of this study can provide a basis for earthquake prevention and construction work and demonstrate the applicability of the seismic methods to explore buried hidden faults in the perspective of applications on studies of physical stratigraphy of syn-tectonic deposits.

Geochemical study allowed to recognize four groups of groundwater for the Sibari Plain (Southern Italy): Ca–HCO3, Na–Cl, Ca–Cl and Na–HCO3. Chloride-rich waters are located close to the Crati mouth that could be a preferential path for seawater ingression. In fact, seawater and brackish waters could move inland along the stream channel and enter the nearby aquifers due to excessive pumping of wells positioned near the river. In alternative, the occurrence of processes, such as ion exchange or dissolution of halite-bearing Miocene evaporite deposits can generate aqueous solutions with similar characteristics to those produced by seawater ingression. Moreover, was calculated the infiltration average (Hi, m a.s.l.) for groundwater of the Sibari Plain by the following equations:The data showed a lower average of the infiltrations in the inner part of the Sibari Plain, with values between 550 and 870 m a.s.l., and higher values (1000/1500 m a.s.l.) moving to NW and SE.

In Calabria region one of the main factors controlling the hydrological risk is the sediment transport of a stream. In this work, executed in the Stilaro Basin and Saraceno Basin, the semi-quantitative model proposed by Gavrilović (Gavrilović, 1959 Zemljic, 1971) was applied. This model provides the volume in mc / year of erosion at the basin scale (W – [F1]), by the application of a multi-parametric formula and tabular values. The purpose of this work is to show that the Gavrilović method can be applied by the use of spatially distributed input data on geology, soils, land use and meteo-climatic parameters (T and h) in a GIS environment (Globevnik et al. 2003 Vacca & Dominici, 2015). The main evolution of this method consists in the modification of the X-Y-γ parametres, using in-situ (rmr – gsi – geomorphometric analysis and analysis of weathering grade) and laboratory analyses (granulometric and petrographic analysis).

The Ofanto River drains volcanic rocks from the Monte Vulture, lacustrine–fluviolacustrine deposits associated with the same volcano and sedimentary deposits of the Southern Apennines and the Bradanic foredeep sequences. Comparing the modal composition of river sands and the outcrop area of different lithologies in the different sub-basins, an over-concentration of the volcaniclastic fraction, mainly represented by loose crystals of clinopyroxene, garnet and amphibole, is shown. This has been related to the preferential erosion of pyroclastic deposits, characterized by high production of sand-sized loose minerals, together with the carbonate lability and the low sand-sized detritus production from claystones and marls. The occurrence of volcaniclastic components upstream of Monte Vulture can be explained as a contribution from the lacustrine–fluviolacustrine deposits cropping out in the upstream sector or from pyroclastic fall deposits of Monte Vulture and/or Campanian volcanoes. Th...

Abstract The Messina Strait, situated along the southern sector of the Italian peninsula, provides a good setting to study the source-to-basin relationships and, thus, the complete transect from continental to deep-marine environments. This work concerns the chemical and mineralogical composition of the fine-grained sediments collected along the Messina Strait, since the distribution of major and trace elements related to the mineralogical assemblages allow us the reconstruction of sedimentary evolution and geological processes affecting the studied sediments and, thus, the relationships developed between source area and sedimentary basin. Studied sediments are very-fine sand, silt and clay mainly phyllosilicates and quartz-bearing. Specifically, sediments located on submerged Calabrian and Sicilian slopes generally show high quartz content, whereas samples of the Calabrian and Sicilian continental slopes generally show high phyllosilicates content. Calcite and feldspars (plagioclase and K-feldspar) occur in different amounts. Few samples contain Fe-oxides. The geochemical signatures of the sediments reflect a provenance from felsic lithotypes. The A-CN-K diagram shows a linear trend parallel to A-CN join reflecting, primarily, weathering from granitoid rocks. This trend may result from non-steady state weathering conditions where active tectonism and uplift, as shown by morpho-structural conditions of the Messina Strait and its complex tectonic network, enhance mechanical erosion of mineralogical zones differentiated along weathering profiles developed on source rocks. Weathering efficiency at source area suggests weak intensity, related to a temperate Mediterranean climate similar to that characterizing the present-day study area.

Groundwater is the main water supply for agricultural and industrial needs in many coastal plains worldwide. Groundwater depletion often triggers land subsidence, which threatens manmade infrastructure and activities and aggravates other geohazards. We applied a multi-temporal interferometric synthetic aperture radar technique to Sentinel-1 datasets to detect ground motion in the Gioia Tauro plain (Calabria, Southern Italy) from 2018 to 2021. The InSAR data were analysed through the integrated use of groundwater head, stratigraphical and geomorphological data, and land use information to distinguish the potential subsidence divers. The results show that subsiding areas, with a mean rate of about 10 mm/yr, are in the middle of the plain, and their location is influenced by the spatial distribution of compressible sediments included in the shallow aquifer. Furthermore, the subsidence arrangement is spatially accordant with the main groundwater depression area, which can be ascribed to...

This study reports the first accurate record of the Messinian Resedimented Gypsum in the forearc and back-arc basins connected to the Calabrian-Peloritan orogen. A multidisciplinary approach has been used to investigate a gypsum deposit located in the Benestare’s area (Calabria, Southern Italy). Such deposit is made of bedded gypsrudites displaying clastic selenite with chaotical textures. On the top, the gypsrudites are interspersed with gypsum lenses belonging to the branching-like facies. Despite these two facies seem different macroscopically, they show petrographic features, fluid inclusions, organic matter and Strontium isotopic values very similar to each other. On the other hand, both facies show fractured and folded crystals. Crystals are only locally corroded and preserve primary structure relict as well as allochthonous (organic debris) and autochthonous putative microbial remains. All crystals are rich in fluid inclusions but these are visibly affected by stretching and ...

The work shows the results of an archaeometric study performed on fourteen white marble samples from the Roman city of Tauriana (Palmi, Reggio Calabria, Italy), belonging to different architectural elements of the Municipal Museum Complex and artifacts reused in the modern town. Samples were studied by optical microscopy (OM), x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) of 13C and 18O with the aim to identify their provenance. The comparison between the collected data and the historical ones, concerning the ancient quarries of white marble of the Mediterranean area, allowed us to prove that most of the marbles used in the city of Tauriana were from the Apuan Alps Basin (Carrara) and, in few cases, from Minor Asia (Proconnesos, Aphrodisias, Docimium) and Greek (Thasos and Pentelic) quarries.

The Erosion Potential Method is a model for qualifying the erosion severity and estimating the total annual sediment yield of a catchment. The method includes a diverse set of equations, which are influenced by different factors such as geology, morphology, climate and soil use. This study describes a PyQGIS YES plug-in, which allows a semiautomatized use of the Erosion Potential Method in Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. In detail, we developed a plug-in using Python programming language that is made up of a series of operations allowing one to estimate sediment production through a wizard procedure. The first stage consists of data preprocessing and involves: (i) loading of the layers (e.g., geological map); (ii) spatial selection of the catchment area; (iii) elaboration of loaded layers (e.g., clipping). During the second stage, the user assigns a relative coefficient to each factor either by selecting a preloaded value from bibliographic sources or by inserting a...