Providing students with the methodological basis for the study of active, capable and seismogenic faults, in order to assess seismic hazard and risk, the risk related to surface faulting, with emphasis to the building of significant engineering works. Moreover, the course provides information on the procedures of seismic microzonation in areas affected by capable faults for the correct planning of the land use in seismic areas. Students will be stimulated to analyze the problems and propose the relative solutions.
teacher profile teaching materials
- Definition of seismic risk; geology for seismic hazard, general aspects.
- Active and capable faults: definitions related to the local geological framework; possible definitions of active
and capable faults for the different tectonic domains of the Italian territory; recent tectonic evolution of the
Italian territory and characterisation of active and capable faults; chronological framework of interest for the
study of active and capable faults; applications in the engineering field: from high risk plants to the planning
of the land use; geomorphological effects of surface faulting and the impact on the engineering works.
- Quaternary geology, geomorphology and paleoseismology for the identification and characterisation of
active and capable faults; geomorphological evidence of the recent fault activity: fault scarps; the
displacements of Quaternary units and their dating; geological methods to define the evolution of fault
activity during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene; concepts of recurrence time, elapsed time since the last
activation, rate of movement; methods to identify evidence of historical displacements: archaeological
information and historical seismology.
- Definition of seismogenic source; from surface geological data to subsurface data: from the active fault to
the seismogenic fault; case studies of integration of surface and subsurface data to define source
geometries; definition of magnitude and source dimension; applications in the engineering field: seismic
hazard assessment, shaking scenarios, damage scenarios.
- Other geological aspects of interest for seismic risk: deep seated gravitational slope deformations,
liquefactions and sinkholes; their geological and geomorphological characterisation; problems related to
engineering works.
Programme
Geology for seismic risk- Definition of seismic risk; geology for seismic hazard, general aspects.
- Active and capable faults: definitions related to the local geological framework; possible definitions of active
and capable faults for the different tectonic domains of the Italian territory; recent tectonic evolution of the
Italian territory and characterisation of active and capable faults; chronological framework of interest for the
study of active and capable faults; applications in the engineering field: from high risk plants to the planning
of the land use; geomorphological effects of surface faulting and the impact on the engineering works.
- Quaternary geology, geomorphology and paleoseismology for the identification and characterisation of
active and capable faults; geomorphological evidence of the recent fault activity: fault scarps; the
displacements of Quaternary units and their dating; geological methods to define the evolution of fault
activity during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene; concepts of recurrence time, elapsed time since the last
activation, rate of movement; methods to identify evidence of historical displacements: archaeological
information and historical seismology.
- Definition of seismogenic source; from surface geological data to subsurface data: from the active fault to
the seismogenic fault; case studies of integration of surface and subsurface data to define source
geometries; definition of magnitude and source dimension; applications in the engineering field: seismic
hazard assessment, shaking scenarios, damage scenarios.
- Other geological aspects of interest for seismic risk: deep seated gravitational slope deformations,
liquefactions and sinkholes; their geological and geomorphological characterisation; problems related to
engineering works.
Core Documentation
There are no available texts on the subject. The professor provides educational materials, including scientific articles, during the lessons.Attendance
Attendance is preferably compulsory.Type of evaluation
The written test involves formulating responses to questions related to issues of geology applied to seismic risk, with the aim of assessing the candidate's comprehension of the lessons. During the oral examination, what emerges from the written elaborations is discussed. The oral examination ends with the interpretation of geological maps in order to identify active and capable faults.