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The survey and structural analysis of surface coseismic ruptures are essential tools for characterizing seismogenic structures. In this work, a procedure to survey coseismic ruptures using satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data, directing the survey using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), is proposed together with a field validation of the results. The Sentinel-1 A/B Interferometric Wide (IW) Swath TOPSAR mode offers the possibility of acquiring images with a short revisit time. This huge amount of open data is extremely useful for geohazards monitoring, such as for earthquakes. Interferograms show the deformation field associated with earthquakes. Phase discontinuities appearing on wrapped interferograms or loss-of-coherence areas could represent small ground displacements associated with the fault's ruptures. Low-altitude flight platforms such as UAV permit the acquisition of high resolution images and generate 3D spatial geolocalized clouds of data with centimeter-level accuracy. The generated topography maps and orthomosaic images are the direct products of this technology, allowing the possibility of analyzing geological structures from many viewpoints. We present two case studies. The first one is relative to the 2016 central Italian earthquakes, astride which the InSAR outcomes highlighted quite accurately the field displacement of extensional faults in the Mt. Vettore–M. Bove area. Here, the geological effect of the earthquake is represented by more than 35 km of ground ruptures with a complex pattern composed by subparallel and overlapping synthetic and antithetic fault splays. The second case is relative to the Mt. Etna earthquake of 26 December 2018, following which several ground ruptures were detected. The analysis of the unwrapped phase and the application of edge detector filtering and other discontinuity enhancers allowed the identification of a complex pattern of ground ruptures. In the Pennisi and Fiandaca areas different generation of ruptures can be distinguished, while previously unknown ruptures pertaining to the Acireale and Ragalna faults can be identify and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigated ground motion directional amplification and horizontal polarization using ambient noise measurements performed in the northern sector of Ischia Island which suffered damage (VIII EMS) during the 21 August 2017, Md 4.0 earthquake. Over 70 temporary seismic stations were installed by the INGV EMERSITO task force, whose aim is to monitor site effects after damaging earthquakes in Italy. To investigate ground motion directional amplification effects, we have applied three different techniques, testing their performance: the HVSR calculation by rotating the two horizontal components, the covariance matrix analysis, and time–frequency domain polarization analysis. These techniques resulted in coherent outcomes, highlighting the occurrence of directional amplification and polarization effects in two main sectors of the investigated area. Our results suggest an interesting pattern for ground motion polarization, that is mainly controlled by recent fault activity and hydrothermal fluid circulation characterizing the northern sector of the Ischia Island.

The survey and structural analysis of surface coseismic ruptures are essential tools for characterizing seismogenic structures. In this work, a procedure to survey coseismic ruptures using satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data, directing the survey using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), is proposed together with a field validation of the results. The Sentinel-1 A/B Interferometric Wide (IW) Swath TOPSAR mode offers the possibility of acquiring images with a short revisit time. This huge amount of open data is extremely useful for geohazards monitoring, such as for earthquakes. Interferograms show the deformation field associated with earthquakes. Phase discontinuities appearing on wrapped interferograms or loss-of-coherence areas could represent small ground displacements associated with the fault’s ruptures. Low-altitude flight platforms such as UAV permit the acquisition of high resolution images and generate 3D spatial geolocalized clouds of data with centimeter-level accuracy. The generated topography maps and orthomosaic images are the direct products of this technology, allowing the possibility of analyzing geological structures from many viewpoints. We present two case studies. The first one is relative to the 2016 central Italian earthquakes, astride which the InSAR outcomes highlighted quite accurately the field displacement of extensional faults in the Mt. Vettore–M. Bove area. Here, the geological effect of the earthquake is represented by more than 35 km of ground ruptures with a complex pattern composed by subparallel and overlapping synthetic and antithetic fault splays. The second case is relative to the Mt. Etna earthquake of 26 December 2018, following which several ground ruptures were detected. The analysis of the unwrapped phase and the application of edge detector filtering and other discontinuity enhancers allowed the identification of a complex pattern of ground ruptures. In the Pennisi and Fiandaca areas different generation of ruptures can be distinguished, while previously unknown ruptures pertaining to the Acireale and Ragalna faults can be identify and analyzed.

We present a 1:10,000 scale map of the coseismic surface ruptures following the 26 December 2018 Mw 4.9 earthquake that struck the eastern flank of Mt. Etna volcano (southern Italy). Detailed rupture mapping is based on extensive field surveys in the epicentral region. Despite the small size of the event, we were able to document surface faulting for about 8 km along the trace of the NNW-trending active Fiandaca Fault, belonging to the Timpe tectonic system in the eastern flank of the volcano. The mapped ruptures are characterized in most cases by perceivable opening and by a dominant right-oblique sense of slip, with an average slip of about 0.09 m and a peak value of 0.35 m. It is also noteworthy that the ruptures vary significantly in their kinematic expression, denoting locally high degree of complexity of the surface faulting.

During the Mw 4.9 earthquake of December 26, 2018, an 8 km long arc‐shaped coseismic fracture belt formed along the southeastern flank of Etna Volcano (Sicily, Italy). We performed prompt field mapping of the 2018 coseismic fracture field, integrated with structural measurements in about 600 sites. The fracture belt comprises a northern, 3‐km‐long N130° striking segment, and a southern, 5‐km‐long N150°–170° portion. Along the former segment our data document a dextral shear zone, geometrically and kinematically coherent with the focal mechanism of the earthquake and indicating N170‐oriented compression. This shear zone shows a distinctive ground signature affecting lava flows of different ages, suggesting progressive growth of the structure through repeated coseismic cycles. The coseismic strain migrated to the NNW‐oriented segment, along which the strike‐slip deformation changed into N100–120°‐trending extension. The deformation along this segment is derived from the reactivation of a Late Quaternary tectonic boundary separating two adjacent compressional and extensional domains. The overall coseismic deformation is the result of these two different kinematics, consistent with the long‐term dynamics of both adjacent domains. The growth rate of recent cumulative morphotectonic features along the remobilized NNW‐striking fault demonstrates that the structure is still deforming at a rate comparable to the long‐period estimate. Our study points out that the 2018 seismic event, even if triggered by volcano‐tectonic processes, represents the expression of the composite regional dynamics, which are well constrained by large scale geodetic data. Key Points: The study is based on field mapping of the 2018 Mount Etna coseismic fracture field and on 600 structural in situ measurementsWe compared the kinematics along the composite coseismic fracture belt to the Late Quaternary regional kinematicsThe seismic event is coherent with the active dynamics at the regional scale [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a 1:25,000 scale map of the coseismic surface ruptures following the 30 October 2016 Mw 6.5 Norcia normal-faulting earthquake, central Italy. Detailed rupture mapping is based on almost 11,000 oblique photographs taken from helicopter flights, that has been verified and integrated with field data (>7000 measurements). Thanks to the common efforts of the Open EMERGEO Working Group (130 people, 25 research institutions and universities from Europe), we were able to document a complex surface faulting pattern with a dominant strike of N135°-160° (SW-dipping) and a subordinate strike of N320°-345° (NE-dipping) along about 28 km of the active Mt. Vettore–Mt. Bove fault system. Geometric and kinematic characteristics of the rupture were observed and recorded along closely spaced, parallel or subparallel, overlapping or step-like synthetic and antithetic fault splays of the activated fault systems, comprising a total surface rupture length of approximately 46 km when all ruptures were considered.

In 2016, the Mt. Vettore‐Mt. Bove normal fault system (VBFS) broke during three earthquakes (Mw 6.0, Mw 5.9, and Mw 6.5), associated with clear coseismic ruptures. Based on high‐resolution topography and geological field data, we determined the displacements of the VBFS. The distributions of the coseismic and postglacial displacements exhibit similar asymmetric shapes, suggesting self‐similar slip profiles over the last 18 kyr. The highest displacement during the 2016 events is localized on the southern Mt. Vettore segments, the southern tip of the VBFS, which also showed the maximum throw of 32 m over the last 18 kyr yielding to a very fast throw rate of 1.6 ± 0.5 mm/yr. Assuming a constant throw rate, the geological displacement we determined suggests an inception age of 200–250 kyr for the surface rupturing faults that ruptured in 2016 on the Mt. Vettore sector. This value can be interpreted as the minimum age for the onset of those faults in the Mt. Vettore and might result from a southward shift of VBFS activity with a change of the fault system pattern. We infer that the observed slip distribution, maximum at Mt. Vettore and tapering‐off southward, might be due to the VBFS lengthening processes towards the Laga Fault and its interaction with pre‐existing structure such as Olevano‐Antrodoco‐Sibillini thrust that might play a key role in controlling the VBFS's evolution. Key Points: 2016 coseismic ruptures along the Mt. Vettore fault system are compared with Holocene offsets on fault scarps and Quaternary geological throwsMaximum fault throw has been localized at the system southern tip over the last 18 kyrPre‐existing thrust acts as a transversal barrier for the southward fault system's evolution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a high-resolution survey of the coseismic ground ruptures due to the 2016 Central Italy seismic sequence, performed through a dedicated software installed on a digital device, is strengthened by the analysis of a set of drone-acquired images. We applied this integrated approach to two active sections of the Mt Vettore active fault segment which, in the Castelluccio di Norcia plain (central Italy), were affected by surface faulting after the most energetic events of the sequence: the 24 August, Mw 6.0, Amatrice and 30 October, Mw 6.5, Norcia earthquakes. The main aim is to establish the range in which the results obtained measuring the same structures using different tools vary. An operating procedure, which can be helpful to map extensive sets of coseismic ground ruptures especially where the latter affects wide, poorly accessible, or dangerous areas, is also proposed. We compared datasets collected through different technologies, including faults attitude, dip-angles, coseismic displacements, and slip vectors. After assessing the accuracy of the results, even at centimetric resolutions, we conclude that the structural dataset obtained through remote sensing techniques shows a high degree of reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a 1:10,000 scale map of the coseismic surface ruptures following the 26 December 2018 Mw 4.9 earthquake that struck the eastern flank of Mt. Etna volcano (southern Italy). Detailed rupture mapping is based on extensive field surveys in the epicentral region. Despite the small size of the event, we were able to document surface faulting for about 8 km along the trace of the NNW-trending active Fiandaca Fault, belonging to the Timpe tectonic system in the eastern flank of the volcano. The mapped ruptures are characterized in most cases by perceivable opening and by a dominant right-oblique sense of slip, with an average slip of about 0.09 m and a peak value of 0.35 m. It is also noteworthy that the ruptures vary significantly in their kinematic expression, denoting locally high degree of complexity of the surface faulting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a high-resolution survey of the coseismic ground ruptures due to the 2016 Central Italy seismic sequence, performed through a dedicated software installed on a digital device, is strengthened by the analysis of a set of drone-acquired images. We applied this integrated approach to two active sections of the Mt Vettore active fault segment which, in the Castelluccio di Norcia plain (central Italy), were affected by surface faulting after the most energetic events of the sequence: the 24 August, Mw 6.0, Amatrice and 30 October, Mw 6.5, Norcia earthquakes. The main aim is to establish the range in which the results obtained measuring the same structures using different tools vary. An operating procedure, which can be helpful to map extensive sets of coseismic ground ruptures especially where the latter affects wide, poorly accessible, or dangerous areas, is also proposed. We compared datasets collected through different technologies, including faults attitude, dip-angles, coseismic displacements, and slip vectors. After assessing the accuracy of the results, even at centimetric resolutions, we conclude that the structural dataset obtained through remote sensing techniques shows a high degree of reliability.

We present a 1:25,000 scale map of the coseismic surface ruptures following the 30 October 2016 Mw 6.5 Norcia normal-faulting earthquake, central Italy. Detailed rupture mapping is based on almost 11,000 oblique photographs taken from helicopter flights, that has been verified and integrated with field data (>7000 measurements). Thanks to the common efforts of the Open EMERGEO Working Group (130 people, 25 research institutions and universities from Europe), we were able to document a complex surface faulting pattern with a dominant strike of N135°-160° (SW-dipping) and a subordinate strike of N320°-345° (NE-dipping) along about 28 km of the active Mt. Vettore-Mt. Bove fault system. Geometric and kinematic characteristics of the rupture were observed and recorded along closely spaced, parallel or subparallel, overlapping or step-like synthetic and antithetic fault splays of the activated fault systems, comprising a total surface rupture length of approximately 46 km when all ruptures were considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform the finite-extent fault inversion of the three main events of the 2016 Central Italy seismic sequence using near-source strong motion records. We demonstrate that both earthquake nucleation and rupture propagation were controlled by segmentation of the (N)NW-(S)SE trending Quaternary normal faults. The first shock of the sequence (24 August, M w 6.0) ruptured at the relay zone between the Laga Mts (LF) and the Cordone del Vettore (CVF) normal faults. The second shock (26 October, M w 5.9) nucleated at a minor relay zone within the Mt. Vettore-Mt. Bove fault (VBF), while the third and largest one (30 October, M w 6.5) initiated at the relay zone between the VBF and CVF, triggering the multiple rupture of the VBF, CVF, and probably LF. We show that this latter relay zone corresponds to the deeper, high-angle, fault zone of the Sibillini Mts cross structure, a thrust-ramp inherited from the Miocene-Pliocene contractional phase of the Apennines. This structure acted as a barrier to rupture propagation of the first two events thus defining an area of large stress concentration until it acted as the initiator of the rupture originating the largest M w 6.5 event that crossed the barrier itself. We suggest that the 'young' CVF have started to cut through the barrier acting as a soft-linkage between the two long-lived LF and VBF. The evidence that coseismic cumulative slip shows a maximum at the CVF, provided by both slip inversion and original surface rupture data, suggests that the CVF is growing faster than the adjacent faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This work highlights how surface geological data can integrate and complete a fault characterization including its seismogenic depth. We investigated the area struck by the November, 1999, Mw 7.1 earthquake that ruptured the Düzce segment of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) after the August, 1999, Mw 7.4 Izmit earthquake. To explore the persistency or evolution of the active fault setting at the surface, we compared detailed coseismic surface expressions with the long-term morphology and structural architecture of the Düzce zone. We identified a simple 1999 coseismic fault trace (CFT) and an older complex fault system (RFS) involving a wider zone of deformation. Two different parts of the Düzce segment were recognized. A western section presents a staircase trajectory of the coseismic fault trace that reactivated part of the older fault system. An eastern section presents a straight coseismic fault trace that cross-cuts the older and complex fault system. The western Düzce fault segment splays out from the Izmit counterpart of the NAFZ, forming a releasing fault junction. By comparing a model of its coseismic surface deformation field with the long-term morphology, we observed that the present topography of this western section results from the NAFZ activity by repeating coseismic deformations like those in 1999. The mechanical interaction in the release fault junction produces local transtension across the western Düzce fault and justifies its stable complexity. It does not evolve into a straight trace. The surface boundary between the Düzce fault sections also separates at depth two fault sections: one with low slip to the west, and another with a big asperity to the east. Thus, the Izmit/Düzce interaction (1) may produce an unfavorable setting for a build-up of asperities in the western Düzce segment and (2) could delay the propagation of the Izmit rupture along the Düzce segment that nucleates mainshocks only on its eastern section. In other words, the arrangement of the fault junction may permanently control how the two sections of the Düzce fault behave and rupture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]