scholarly journals Urban Geology for the Enhancement of the Hypogean Geosites: the Perugia Underground (Central Italy)

Geoheritage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Melelli ◽  
Fabio Silvani ◽  
Maurizio Ercoli ◽  
Cristina Pauselli ◽  
Grazia Tosi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Laser Scanner ◽  
Urban Geology ◽  
Sedimentary Deposits ◽  
Multidisciplinary Study ◽  
Point Of Interest ◽  
Umbria Region ◽  
Abiotic Component ◽  
Ground Penetrating

AbstractUrban geology analyses natural risks and promotes geoheritage in urban areas. In the cities, characterized by a high cultural value, the hypogean artificial cavities, often present in the downtown, offer a unique opportunity to show the geological substratum. Moreover, these places could be a point of interest in urban trekking with the abiotic component of the landscape as a topic (geotourism). To investigate these areas, rigorous bibliographic research and a geomorphological assessment are the first steps, but, besides, non-invasive methods are new techniques increasingly in demand. In this paper, we present a multidisciplinary study on the Etruscan Well (third century B.C.), one of the most important Etruscan artefacts in Perugia (Umbria region, Central Italy). The characteristics of the sedimentary deposits outcropping along the perimeter walls have been collected. Moreover, to show the underground geoheritage, we provide a 3D model of the well and the surrounding area integrating a georeferenced laser scanner survey with ground-penetrating radar prospecting. We aim to obtain a tridimensional mapping of accessible internal rooms to depict the geological characteristics of the Etruscan Well, also revealing a surrounding network of buried galleries. The results are not only a meaningful advancement in the archaeological, geological and historical knowledge of the downtown of Perugia but are a hint for the geoheritage promotion and dissemination, providing images and 3D reconstruction of underground areas.

Underground city as a record for past geodiversity: a multi-approach for geoheritage promotion in urban areas

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Melelli
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Test Area ◽  
Historical Evolution ◽  
Urban Geology ◽  
Wide Audience ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
History Of ◽  
Chronological Sequence

<p>The “geological reason” of a city is always a proper starting point to understand the historical evolution of urban areas. However, where the human presence modified and covered the initial natural location is quite difficult to find outcrops for understanding the original geological and geomorphological arrangement. For this reason the underground cities is sometimes the unique opportunity to have meaningful records of the geological history of an area.</p><p>To have numerous and well-distributed anthropic underground cavities allows us to understand the palaeogeographic conditions preceding urbanization in an areal extent (spatial correlation). Moreover, if the excavation walls exhibit sufficiently complete and undisturbed vertical stratigraphic structures, the chronological sequence is present (timeline). Thus underground cities are ideal sites to learn the local geodiversity in space and in (past) time.</p><p>In addition, considering that in historical cities the most meaningful hidden cavities are focused in the downtowns, it is common to find a strong correlation between the geological value with the archaeological, architectural and historical ones. The union of different aspects increases the capability of these sites to be used as cultural attractors. With the aim to disseminate the concepts of geodiversity and geoheritage toward a wide audience, the underground cities became one of the best tool for scientists, administrators, teachers or touristic guides.</p><p>In this paper the Perugia city (Umbria, central Italy) is proposed as the test area, furthermore a conceptual scheme, in order to illustrate the best practice to use geodiversity as connection between urban geology and geoheritage promotion, is proposed.</p>

scholarly journals An Epigravettian hypogeal site in the Grotta del Fiume Cave at Frasassi (northeastern Apennines, Italy): Environmental and geochronologic assessments

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-105
Author(s):  
Alessandro Montanari ◽  
◽  
Artur Adamek ◽  
Angelo Curatolo ◽  
Marco Ferretti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Laser Scanner ◽  
Terrestrial Laser Scanner ◽  
Marche Region ◽  
Late Fall ◽  
The One ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Archeological Site

In the late fall of 1986, a team of cavers from the Gruppo Speleologico Marchigiano of Ancona reported to the regional Archeological Superintendence their discovery in a room of the Grotta del Fiume Cave (Marche region of central Italy) of archeological finds such as the charcoal remains of a bonfire, a number of ibex bones, and four chert artifacts. However, since the discovery and archival of all this material, no further research or focused studies were carried out about this important archeological site. Therefore, we engaged in a thorough re-examination of this site by mapping this part of the Grotta del Fiume Cave with modern surveying approaches, including terrestrial laser scanner and ground penetrating radar. Moreover, we have radiocarbon dated a few ibex bones and also charcoal samples from the main fireplace and other smaller charcoal deposits we found scattered around the room’s floor. The chert artifacts were examined in detail and their typology classified accordingly. U-Th dating of calcite from speleothems helped us reconstruct this hypogeal environment at the time it was frequented by man. We also studied a puzzling deposit of speleothem crust slabs piled up in a corner of the cave, which may represent a funeral earthen mound. All in all, the absence of artifacts other than the four chert blades, the few ibex bones, the one main fireplace and three other minor charcoal deposits in the room, and the probable earthen mound located tens of meters underground from a now debris-sealed entrance, lead us to hypothesize that this cave room does not represent a residential dwelling but rather a worship place sporadically utilized by few representatives of a local Epigravettian hunter community.

scholarly journals The Impact of Probability Density Functions Assessment on Model Performance for Slope Stability Analysis

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 322
Author(s):  
Evelina Volpe ◽  
Luca Ciabatta ◽  
Diana Salciarini ◽  
Stefania Camici ◽  
Elisabetta Cattoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Probability Density ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Probability Density Functions ◽  
Slope Instability ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Density Functions ◽  
Umbria Region ◽  
Input Variables ◽  
The Impact

The development of forecasting models for the evaluation of potential slope instability after rainfall events represents an important issue for the scientific community. This topic has received considerable impetus due to the climate change effect on territories, as several studies demonstrate that an increase in global warming can significantly influence the landslide activity and stability conditions of natural and artificial slopes. A consolidated approach in evaluating rainfall-induced landslide hazard is based on the integration of rainfall forecasts and physically based (PB) predictive models through deterministic laws. However, considering the complex nature of the processes and the high variability of the random quantities involved, probabilistic approaches are recommended in order to obtain reliable predictions. A crucial aspect of the stochastic approach is represented by the definition of appropriate probability density functions (pdfs) to model the uncertainty of the input variables as this may have an important effect on the evaluation of the probability of failure (PoF). The role of the pdf definition on reliability analysis is discussed through a comparison of PoF maps generated using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations performed over a study area located in the Umbria region of central Italy. The study revealed that the use of uniform pdfs for the random input variables, often considered when a detailed geotechnical characterization for the soil is not available, could be inappropriate.

scholarly journals Estimating Environmental Contamination and Element Deposition at an Urban Area of Central Italy

Urban Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Loppi ◽  
Adelmo Corsini ◽  
Luca Paoli
Keyword(s):  
Urban Area ◽  
Environmental Contamination ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Evernia Prunastri ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Economic Constraints

Air quality monitoring in many urban areas is based on sophisticated and costly equipment to check for the respect of environmental quality standards, but capillary monitoring is often not feasible due to economic constraints. In such cases, the use of living organisms may be very useful to complement the sparse data obtained by physico-chemical measurements. In this study, the bioaccumulation of selected trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Ce, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, S, Sb, Zn) in lichen samples (Evernia prunastri) transplanted for three months at an urban area of Central Italy was investigated to assess the main environmental contaminants, their sources, and the fluxes of element depositions. The results pinpointed Cu and Sb as the main contaminants and suggested a common origin for these two elements from non-exhaust sources of vehicular traffic, such as brake abrasion. Most study sites were, however, found to be subjected to low or moderate environmental contamination, and the lowest contamination corresponded to the main green areas, confirming the important protective role of urban forests against air pollution. Ranges of estimated mean annual element deposition rates in the study area were similar or lower than those reported for other urban areas.

scholarly journals Delineating the Urban Areas of a Cross-Boundary City with Open-Access Data: Guangzhou–Foshan, South China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2930
Author(s):  
Pengfei Ban ◽  
Wei Zhan ◽  
Qifeng Yuan ◽  
Xiaojian Li
Keyword(s):  
Urban Area ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
City Size ◽  
Border City ◽  
Point Of Interest ◽  
Nighttime Light Data ◽  
Profile Line ◽  
Point Analysis ◽  
Nighttime Light ◽  
Single Data

Cities defined mainly from the administrative aspect can create impact and problems especially in the case of China. However, only a few researchers from China have attempted to identify urban areas from the morphology dimension. In addition, previous studies have been mostly based on the national and regional scales or a single prefecture city and have completely ignored cross-boundary cities. Defining urban areas on the basis of a single data type also has limitations. To address these problems, this study integrates point of interest and nighttime light data, applies the breaking point analysis method to determine the physical geographic scope of the Guangzhou–Foshan cross-border city, and then compares this city with Beijing and Shanghai. Results show that Guangzhou–Foshan comprises one core urban area and six suburban counties, among which the core urban area extends across the administrative boundaries of Guangzhou and Foshan. The urban area and average urban radius of Guangzhou–Foshan are larger than those of Beijing and Shanghai, and this finding contradicts the city size measurements based on the administrative division system of China and those published on traditional official statistical yearbooks. In terms of urban density value, Shanghai has the steepest profile followed by Guangzhou–Foshan and Beijing, and the profile line of Guangzhou–Foshan has a bimodal shape.

New methodologies of GPR Assessment for analysing water content in sedimentary deposits; Application to the Hospital Sant Pau Urban Area in Barcelona, Spain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mezgeen Rasol ◽  
Vega Perez-Gracia ◽  
Sonia Santos
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Seismic Behaviour ◽  
Soil Response ◽  
Site Analysis ◽  
Sedimentary Deposits ◽  
Centre Frequency ◽  
Soil Site ◽  
New Methodologies ◽  
Ground Penetrating

<p>Ground Penetrating Radar was used in this study as a non-destructive geophysical method. The main objective of this research is focused on enhancing the local seismic soil site analysis. The study employs GPR images to determine changes in the ground that can be associated with changes on the seismic soil response. To determine the GPR capacity in detecting changes in the ground materials and improve new methodologies of the radar data processing.</p><p>Results could be used to improve the selection of areas for more intensive scrutiny, enhancing the analysis of local seismic behaviour studies. Soil site studies are crucial in the analysis of seismic hazard in populated areas. This study and analysis will be carried out in an urban environment at the Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona city (Spain). Data were acquired in the field along with two different directions: parallel and perpendicular to the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea in Barcelona city.</p><p>The procedure is based in integrated data from the laboratory experiments by using 1600 MHz centre frequency and obtaining real GPR field images in the field by using 25 MHz centre frequency antenna in the Sant Pau Hospital. Therefore, radar data will be first processed using the commercial software ReflexW, followed by a more specific processing sequence (both in amplitude and frequency domains) with a specific algorithm developed with MATLAB.</p><p>Finally, the mathematical processing of the radargrams in terms of water content compared to the information based on historical maps. Results show that GPR is a promising method and compared to previous studies a good agreement was observed in this specific case study. </p>

scholarly journals MASONRY IN PARALLEL. A KNOWLEDGE BASED STRATEGY POST CENTRAL ITALY EARTHQUAKE 2016

2020 ◽  
Vol XLIV-M-1-2020 ◽  
pp. 3-9
Author(s):  
C. Braucher ◽  
E. Currà
Keyword(s):  
Central Italy ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Masonry Buildings ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Central Italy Earthquake ◽  
Survey Form ◽  
Umbria Region ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
New Form

Abstract. This research aims to propose a classification of masonry typologies in Central Italy after the earthquakes that in 2016 involved about 120 municipalities. This territory, since several decades, presents high fragility features due to the depopulation process that increase the vulnerability and risk degree. This condition affects even the maintenance practices of traditional buildings by the inhabitants and the extraordinary post-traumatic situation acts as an accelerating factor of the abandonment. In this article we will explain deeply the first part of the research, focusing in particular on methods and tools that were defined and used to carry out this study. The research highlights the need of a specific comparative tool for masonry facades classification. This was elaborated through the comparison of existed bibliography as the EMS-98, the Aedes schedules and the local classification by Umbria Region and the De Meo book. The result then is the production of another synoptic map that would simplifies the correlation between different approaches to classification and the censed facades. Moreover, it was elaborated a second synoptic map moving from the analyses of many survey forms already discuss in literature. The result of this comparison is a new survey form to carry out the field research on vernacular masonry buildings. This new form focuses on the characteristics of the buildings that the research aims to study in Central Italy. The two tools that are illustrate in the following paper were applied on one hundred survey of masonry buildings carried out during August 2018. The last part of this paper proposes a statistical analysis of the results of the field research.

Geophysical characterization of an engineering infrastructure: laboratory tests.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Fornasari ◽  
Luigi Capozzoli ◽  
Gregory De Martino ◽  
Valeria Giampaolo ◽  
Enzo Rizzo
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Reinforced Concrete Frame ◽  
The Public ◽  
Civil Infrastructures ◽  
Concrete Frame ◽  
Geophysical Application ◽  
Ground Penetrating

<p>The increase of the metropolises stresses the urban areas and intensive planning works is necessary. Therefore, the development of new technologies and methodologies able to explore the subsoil and manage its resources in urban areas becomes an important source in terms of saving time and money. In the last decade, a new subdiscipline in the Applied Geophysics started: Urban Geophysics (Lapenna, 2017). Urban Geophysics analyzes the contribute, in terms of limits and potentialities, that geophysical methodologies can give for providing useful information about the subsoil, environment, buildings and civil infrastructures and supporting the public administrations in planning interventions in urban scenarios.</p><p>This work introduces a laboratory test, that was performed at the Hydrogeosite CNR-IMAA laboratory of Marsico Nuovo (Basilicata region, Italy). The test consisted in a multisensor geophysical application on an analogue engineering model. Thanks to the possibility to work in laboratory conditions, a detailed knowledge of the structure was available, providing great advantages for assess the capability of the geophysical methodologies for analyze engineering issues, regarding the characterization of the infrastructural critical zone placed at the interface soil-structure. For this purpose, geoelectrical and electromagnetic methodologies, including Cross hole Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Ground Penetrating Radar, were used to characterize the geometry of the foundation structures and the disposition of the rebar for the reinforced concrete frame. Finally, new geophysical approaches were applied in order to define the corrosion rate of reinforcement.</p>

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