Multi-disciplinary land-to-sea characterization of geometry, kinematics, recent activity and seismic hazard of the South Gargano Fault System
Progetto INTRAPLATE integrates onland and offshore geological and geophysical techniques to carry out a high- resolution investigation of recent and active tectonics of the Southern Gargano Fault System (SGFS), a belt of E-W trending, dextral strike-slip faults within the Apulia foreland of the Southern Apennines (Fig. 1).
The belt consists of individual fault segments (Fig. 1) that in the west are concealed beneath the Bradano foredeep, in the central part are exposed within the Gargano promontory, and in the east are submerged under the Adriatic Sea. There are limited constraints on the actual geometry, on the degree of linkage between individual segments, and on the recent activity of these faults, particularly of those that are concealed/submerged. The lateral discontinuity in the morphological fault expression and the relatively low tectonic rates limit the understanding of the seismic potential of these structures. However, because large-magnitude historical earthquakes (Fig. 2) and a moderate instrumental seismicity exhibiting strike- slip and subordinately reverse faulting kinematics (Fig. 3) characterize the SGFS, the existing uncertainties on geometry and seismic potential of the fault belt pose a severe drawback on its seismic hazard estimates and related applications.The proposed research blends high-resolution onshore/offshore seismic profiling and 2D/3D geoelectric surveys with field and remote structural geology and morphotectonics, complemented by seismologic data analysis and seismic hazard modelling. INTRAPLATE will yield:
● a multi-scale high-resolution characterisation and parametrisation of active structures forming the SGFS (Product 1); ● a seismotectonic model based on merging Product 1 with the results of seismicity data analysis (Product 2);● fault-based seismic hazard models for the studied area (Product 3).
INTRAPLATE involves three Research Units (RUs), two from Academic Departments and one from the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). The research activity is organised in thematic Work Packages (WPs) that involve interacting RUs. Individual WPs will provide thematic-specific deliverables, the latter three representing the final summary products quoted above.
The main deliverables and products will form the basis for publications in high-impact journals, update of national-scale active and seismogenic fault catalogues, and assisting in social education and environmental management actions. The strength and impact of the project lie not only in advancing the understanding of active tectonics and the seismic potential of the SGFS, but also in integrating the study of exposed, buried, and submerged fault systems that can be relevant in other context of active strike-slip faults cutting
through foreland blocks in Italy and elsewhere.