GNGTS 2024 - Atti del 42° Convegno Nazionale

Session 3.2 GNGTS 2024 Detectng fault geometries through electrical methods along some actve faults of Mount Etna F. D’Ajello Caracciolo 1 , I. Nicolosi 1 , V. Sapia 1 , V. Materni 1 , G. Tusa 1 , M. Paratore 1 , R. Azzaro 1 1 Isttuto Nazionale di Geofsica e Vulcanologia (INGV) Introducton The Mt. Etna region is characterized by several actve faults that play a signifcant role in local geodynamic processes (Azzaro et al., 2013a). Simultaneously, these faults exert a profound impact on the lives of local communites, strongly infuencing land use across a substantal porton of the Etnean territory. The primary issue arising from the tectonic actvity of these faults is related to seismic hazard, with many of them capable of generatng strong earthquakes (Azzaro et al., 2013a). In the realm of earthquake geology, numerous studies have been conducted to map these actve tectonic features and characterize their seismotectonic behavior (Azzaro et al., 2012). Increasingly, local government authorites and professionals are considering the results of these research eforts for urban planning and infrastructure design, partcularly in the afermath of strong earthquakes causing signifcant damage to the building stock in the most densely populated areas of the volcano. This was evident in 2002 (Azzaro et al., 2010) following a fank erupton accompanied by an intense seismic crisis on the eastern fank of Etna. More recently, in 2018, a similar situaton unfolded afer the last erupton and a destructve earthquake (Azzaro et al., 2022). In 2022, the regional Civil Protecton Department initated a new project for the seismic microzonaton of 3 rd level at Etna, with the aim of providing a detailed characterizaton of issues related to the interacton among actve faults and urban planning. The goal is to improve and adapt to the Etnean territory, criteria and guidelines previously defned at a natonal level (Gruppo di lavoro MS, 2008). Currently, the scientfc community involved in the project is focused on the characterizaton of the “actve and capable faults” (hereinafer FAC), from both geological and geophysical points of view. Precise mapping and detecton of actve deformaton lines by indirect methods, is the common target of all the partcipants. In this framework, the INGV working group started a series of geophysical surveys in the eastern fank of Mount Etna in June 2023 (Fig.1). Specifcally, electrical tomography and capacitve geoelectrical surveys were carried out along the Pernicana Fault, S. Leonardello Fault, and Fiandaca Fault. Geoelectrical methods, as demonstrated by Porreca et al. (2016), Civico et al.