The Mw 6.9 earthquake of November 23, 1980, known as the Irpinia-Basilicata Earthquake, was the strongest seismic event to hit Italy in the last century. There were 2,914 victims, 8,848 injured and about 280,000 homeless. The earthquake also induced numerous effects on the natural environment, both primary, surface faulting, and secondary, such as gravitational phenomena, ground fractures, liquefactions and extensive hydrological changes related to the flow rate of springs and rivers. The epicentral intensity is I=X either using the MCS (Mercalli - Cancani - Sieberg) macroseismic scale, or the ESI-07 (Environmental Seismic Intensity) scale, which is based only on environmental effects. Currently, there is a fair amount of knowledge about seismically induced environmental effects. There are also published compilations of effects, sorted by location, but without precise spatial location of each phenomenon. Several efforts have been made to document the environmental effects observed at the time of the earthquake, but a unified view integrating all available data is still lacking. This work aims at collecting all available data and build a comprehensive geodatabase, including information on the spatial location of these phenomena with the best possible accuracy. Data on Earthquake Environmental Effects (EEE) are collected from scientific papers, local professional geological reports, and are integrated with original field surveys. Environmental effects are then catalogued according to the ESI-07 scale guidelines. Results of paleoseismological trenching conducted across the earthquake ruptures are also included. The ultimate goal is to create a homogeneous and accurate dataset containing all the environmental effects induced by the 1980 Irpinia-Basilicata Earthquake, to fed and update extant catalogues (e.g., EEE Catalogue managed by Ispra, Geological Survey of Italy). In this way, it is possible to carry out a more complete analysis of the local seismic hazard and the environmental effects induced by it; moreover, it is possible to compare the effects induced by this earthquake with those of other earthquakes, even in other dynamic contexts, contained in similar catalogs (e.g. Catálogo de los efectos geológicos de los terremotos en España).
November 23, 1980 - M6.9, Irpinia-Basilicata Earthquake, southern Italy: An updated dataset of environmental seismic effects
2023
Abstract
The Mw 6.9 earthquake of November 23, 1980, known as the Irpinia-Basilicata Earthquake, was the strongest seismic event to hit Italy in the last century. There were 2,914 victims, 8,848 injured and about 280,000 homeless. The earthquake also induced numerous effects on the natural environment, both primary, surface faulting, and secondary, such as gravitational phenomena, ground fractures, liquefactions and extensive hydrological changes related to the flow rate of springs and rivers. The epicentral intensity is I=X either using the MCS (Mercalli - Cancani - Sieberg) macroseismic scale, or the ESI-07 (Environmental Seismic Intensity) scale, which is based only on environmental effects. Currently, there is a fair amount of knowledge about seismically induced environmental effects. There are also published compilations of effects, sorted by location, but without precise spatial location of each phenomenon. Several efforts have been made to document the environmental effects observed at the time of the earthquake, but a unified view integrating all available data is still lacking. This work aims at collecting all available data and build a comprehensive geodatabase, including information on the spatial location of these phenomena with the best possible accuracy. Data on Earthquake Environmental Effects (EEE) are collected from scientific papers, local professional geological reports, and are integrated with original field surveys. Environmental effects are then catalogued according to the ESI-07 scale guidelines. Results of paleoseismological trenching conducted across the earthquake ruptures are also included. The ultimate goal is to create a homogeneous and accurate dataset containing all the environmental effects induced by the 1980 Irpinia-Basilicata Earthquake, to fed and update extant catalogues (e.g., EEE Catalogue managed by Ispra, Geological Survey of Italy). In this way, it is possible to carry out a more complete analysis of the local seismic hazard and the environmental effects induced by it; moreover, it is possible to compare the effects induced by this earthquake with those of other earthquakes, even in other dynamic contexts, contained in similar catalogs (e.g. Catálogo de los efectos geológicos de los terremotos en España).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
