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In this study, we combined regional geology and geostatistical analytical processing to model the top surface of the Variscan basement in Italy. This surface, which is overlain by the preAlpine sedimentary cycle (Upper Carboniferous – Permian) followed by the Alpine Mesozoic and Tertiary cycles, covers a significant portion of the Italian peninsula and the Adriatic Sea. We integrated crustal seismic profiles, deep well litho-stratigraphic information and small-scale geological maps of Italy. A regional scale map of the depth of the investigated surface was thus produced using geostatistical processing. The level of reliability of our map varies depending on the distribution of subsurface data from wells and seismic profiles. However, this method is easily replicable, providing quick updates when new data become available. The map can help to identify areas with high potential for natural deep georesources and guide the exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geoelectrical features of the Travale geothermal field (Italy), one of the most productive geothermal fields in the world, have been investigated by means of three-dimensional (3D) magnetotelluric (MT) data inversion. This study presents the first resistivity model of the Travale geothermal field derived from derivative-based 3D MT inversion. We analyzed MT data that have been acquired in Travale over the past decades in order to determine its geoelectrical dimensionality, directionality, and phase tensor properties. We selected data from 51 MT sites for 3D inversion. We carried out a number of 3D MT inversion tests by changing the type of data to be inverted, the inclusion of static-shift correction at some sites where new time-domain electromagnetic soundings (TDEM) were acquired, the grid rotation, as well as the starting model in order to assess the connection between the inversion model and the geology. The final 3D model herein presents deep elongated resistive bodies between the depths of 1.5 and 8 km. They are transverse to the Apennine structures and suggest a correlation with the strike-slip tectonics. Comparison with a seismic velocity model and well log data suggests a highly-fractured volume of rocks with vapor-dominated circulation. The outcome of this study provides new insights into the complex geothermal system of Travale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]