Sedimentology and composition of sands injected during the seismic crisis of May 2012 (Emilia, Italy): clues for source layer identification and liquefaction regime

Fontana, Daniela; Lugli, Stefano; Dori, Simona Marchetti; Caputo, Riccardo; Stefani, Marco

doi:10.1016/j.sedgeo.2015.06.004

Cited by 25 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…As a consequence, the piezometric level in the levee body was reasonably much higher than the one measured during the summer 2012 (Figure a) [ Papathanassiou et al ., ]. This peculiar hydrogeological setting, corresponding to a greater pore pressure within the aquifer, certainly favored the occurrence of widespread liquefaction phenomena in the identified source layer (unit 7 in Figure ) [ Fontana et al ., ], the consequent triggering of macroscopic lateral spreading sliding, the opening of fractures, the subsequent injection of an overpressured sand‐water mixture, and the formation of thick dikes. These 1570 coseismic structures, and particularly dikes and ground offsets, were then sealed by younger deposits, associated with the latest aggradational phases that occurred on top of the levee body in the early eighteenth century.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This sand body belongs to the lower portion of the FCU (see section 2.1). Systematic granulometry and composition analyses confirm that both the grain size distribution and mineralogy of this unit perfectly match those of the trench dikes, while they markedly differ from those characterizing the deeper sands that belong to the upper Pleistocene PAPU deposits [ Fontana et al ., ]. Due to the stratigraphic setting and hydrogeological framework, the source layer represents a semiconfined aquifer, which is characterized by a high degree of liquefaction susceptibility, according to the summer 2012 piezometric level [ Papathanassiou et al ., ].…”

Section: Palaeoseismological Trenchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Medium‐to‐coarse sand unit outcropping at the base of the trench (7.0–7.5 m from surface), which represents the source layer of the dikes infilling, as confirmed by granulometric and compositional analyses [ Fontana et al ., ]. Note the mixing up of the sands ( sd ) with clays ( cl ) and clay‐silts ( cl‐st ) due to a high mobilization, during the liquefaction process.…”

Section: Palaeoseismological Trenchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Palaeoseismological evidence for the 1570 Ferrara earthquake, Italy

Caputo

Poli

Minarelli³

et al. 2016

Tectonics

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In May 2012, two earthquakes (Mw 6.1 and 5.9) affected the Po Plain, Italy. The strongest shock produced extensive secondary effects associated with liquefaction phenomena. Few weeks after the earthquakes, an exploratory trench was excavated across a levee of the palaeo‐Reno reach, where a system of aligned ground ruptures was observed. The investigated site well preserves the geomorphic expression of a fluvial body that mainly formed in the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries as historical sources and radiometric data testify. In the trench several features pinpointed the occurrence of past liquefaction events: (i) dikes filled with overpressured injected sand and associated with vertical displacements have no correspondence with the fractures mapped at the surface; (ii) thick dikes are buried by the plowed level or even by fluvial deposits; (iii) although some of the 2012 ground fractures characterized by vertical displacement and opening occurred in correspondence of thick dikes observed in the trench, sand and water ejection did not occur; (iv) some seismites (load casts) were observed in the trench well above the 2012 water level. The results strongly suggest that shaking has locally occurred in the past producing a sufficient ground motion capable of triggering liquefaction phenomena prior to, and likely stronger than, the May 2012 earthquake. Historical seismicity documents three seismic events that might have been able to generate liquefaction in the broader investigated area. Based on the analysis of their macroseismic fields, the 17 November 1570 Ferrara earthquake is the most likely causative event of the observed palaeoliquefactions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Palaeoseismological Trenchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Palaeoseismological Trenchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Palaeoseismological evidence for the 1570 Ferrara earthquake, Italy

Caputo

Poli

Minarelli³

et al. 2016

Tectonics

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“…In the Emilia area most of the superficial sandy deposits (fluvial ridges, paleochannels and crevasse splays) were formed by Apennine rivers; thus it was assumed that all the ejected sand derived from superficial the Apennine sediments. This hypothesis however has never been confirmed for the entire area, and only few studies on the origin and provenance of erupted sands were carried out notwithstanding the evidence in some cases, that the sand rose through wells impinging in the first confined aquifer, i.e. at a depth of about 22 m, where sediments are most probably originated from the Po river.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple X‐ray approaches to discriminate the origin of liquefied sand erupted during the 2012 Emilia Romagna earthquake

et al. 2015

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Geochemical, mineralogical and sedimentological analyses were carried out on sands erupted from sand volcanoes and soil cracks\ud during the 2012 Emilia earthquakes with the aim of determining their origin and depth of provenance in a complex stratigraphic\ud plain generated by different fluvial contributions. Geochemical, mineralogical and sedimentological analyses were performed by\ud wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence, X-ray powder diffraction and Sedigraph and Settling tube, respectively.\ud Distinct textural features, as well as Ni/MgO and Cr/Al2O3 ratios, allow discriminating two populations: an A-area located close\ud to San Carlo village and a B-area nearby Scortichino village. Sediments from A-area show chemical and mineralogical characteristics\ud well comparable with those of the sediments derived from the Apennine rivers, whereas sands from B-area have strong\ud similarities with the sediments from the Po river.\ud In the earthquake crater area most of the liquefaction phenomena were related to superficial sandy deposits (fluvial ridges,\ud paleochannels and crevasse splays) generated by Apennine rivers. The Po river sediments in the B-area derive from a layer at a\ud depth at which liquefaction phenomena were excluded, because of the greater lithostatic load. These sediments thus shed a\ud new light on the mechanisms that may induce liquefaction during an earthquake or even without a seismic triggering.\ud It is suggested that a gas phase (mainly methane), which is commonly found below the Po plain, could have been dissolved in the\ud water, near to the saturation threshold or already exsolved, increasing the interstitial overpressure and facilitating the liquefaction\ud and the eruption of the sandy sediments

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“…For several decades, alluvial, deltaic and coastal dune systems have been recognised worldwide as liquefaction‐prone settings (Alfaro, Estevez, Moretti, & Soria, ; Amick et al., ; Holzer, Noce, & Bennett, ; Moretti, ; Moretti, Pieri, & Tropeano, ; Tinsley et al., ; Tuttle, ; Youd & Hoose, ; Youd & Perkins, ). The CES studies (Almond et al., , ; Bastin, Quigley, & Bassett, ; Quigley, Bastin, & Bradley, ; Tuttle et al., in prep; Villamor et al., , ), together with studies from other recent liquefaction events (Alessio et al., ; Civico et al., ; De Martini et al., ; Fontana, Lugli, Marchetti Dori, Caputo, & Stefani, ), have focussed on the alluvial setting. Liquefaction features in the coastal setting of the Canterbury Plains have not been the subject of detailed study.…”

Section: Introduction and Geological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

When the earth blisters: Exploring recurrent liquefaction features in the coastal system of Christchurch, New Zealand

et al. 2017

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The 14 February, or Valentine's Day, 2016 earthquake located offshore of Christchurch produced a new generation of liquefaction in the coastal environment of Christchurch, an environment of recurrent liquefaction during the 2010-2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. The Valentine's Day earthquake occurred while trenches were open at a site in the coastal environment for studying the 2010-2011 liquefaction features. Observations in the 2016 trenches provided insights into the formation of a suite of surface and subsurface liquefaction features characteristic of the dune deposits, related to the persistent shallow water table, well-sorted sands within the liquefiable layer and the soil above. Given these conducive conditions, there is a high potential that all earthquakes capable of inducing liquefaction may have been recorded during formation of the dunes near Christchurch. However, overprinting by subsequent generations of liquefaction features may be common and present challenges in unravelling the event history.

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Sedimentology and composition of sands injected during the seismic crisis of May 2012 (Emilia, Italy): clues for source layer identification and liquefaction regime

Cited by 25 publications

References 24 publications

Palaeoseismological evidence for the 1570 Ferrara earthquake, Italy

Palaeoseismological evidence for the 1570 Ferrara earthquake, Italy

Multiple X‐ray approaches to discriminate the origin of liquefied sand erupted during the 2012 Emilia Romagna earthquake

When the earth blisters: Exploring recurrent liquefaction features in the coastal system of Christchurch, New Zealand

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