Lithological map of Italy

This map is the product of the Master degree Thesis of Lorenzo Fongo. The purpose of the Thesis is to prepare a geo-lithological map of Italy at a scale of 1:100,000, by classifying a comprehensive database of the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, ISPRA). Data was acquired by an automatic procedure, which allowed us to obtain the full database, containing about 300,000 geo-referenced polygons covering the whole Italian territory. The database includes about 5,500 unique geo-lithological descriptions, on which the work in this Thesis is based. We grouped polygons in three different levels of classification by expert analysis of the unique descriptions, using different criteria. The procedure resulted in a geo-lithological map of the whole Italy at the scale 1:100,000, with a legend including 19 geo-lithological classes. The map, provided in electronic format, is associated with a database, which can be updated and modified to produce different documents, as long as they are based on the underlying geology. The new map can be used for different geomorphological, geo-hydrological and geotechnical purpose, and for the search of raw material resources. The map has limitations and can be enhanced, in particular in local areas in which geo-lithological descriptions in the database were not exhaustive and knowledge was limited.