Distribution and features of natural and anthropogenic sinkholes in Apulia

In the last years, the Institute of Research for the Hydrological Protection of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRPI) has built a chronological catalogue on sinkhole phenomena in Italy, addresses toward the evaluation of the sinkhole hazard. The chronological catalogue of sinkholes is specifically focused on the time of occurrence of the events, that is considered a crucial element for the definition of the sinkhole hazard. The catalogue takes into account both natural and anthropogenic sinkholes (these latter being related to presence of man-made underground caves, widely diffuse in many Italian regions). Knowledge of the dates of occurrence of sinkholes represents the necessary element for definition of the hazard; at the same time, discriminating between sinkholes related to presence of natural or man-made caves may determine very different scenarios to be faced, in terms of civil protection actions.