Scanning earthquake landforms in Abruzzo, Italy

In central Italy, the Abruzzo region around L'Aquila experiences frequent and strong earthquakes due to tectonic activity in the Apennines. The most devastating earthquake in modern history occurred in 1915, killing approximately 32,000 people. Another major earthquake was recorded in 2009. In April 2024, we participated in an international expedition in the Gioia dei Marsi area near Avezzano, initiated by Prof. Eric Ferré from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Building on our 2018 collaboration in the French Pyrenees, the goal was to map tectonic mirrors formed by the friction of tectonic blocks. Using ground-based laser scanning and UAV photogrammetry, we recorded the micro-relief of these structures. Geologists collected rock samples and identified fracture directions and layer inclinations. Expedition members included Dr. Nina Zamani (University of Houston, USA), Prof. Sara Satolli (Università degli Studi "Gabriele d'Annunzio", Italy), Assoc. Prof. Ján Kaňuk (Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Slovakia), Dr. Bruno Pace (Università degli Studi "Gabriele d'Annunzio", Italy), and Prof. Eric Ferré (University of Louisiana at Lafayette, USA). The main research question was whether non-contact methods and radiometric analysis could identify metamorphic signs in limestone on tectonic mirrors. Detailed recordings of these mirrors will allow us to derive geomorphometric parameters to indicate the paleostress of tectonic blocks and their movement direction. These insights are crucial for understanding earthquake processes. Predicting the intensity and extent of earthquakes has significant societal impacts, providing valuable information for urban planning and crisis management. This research is part of the VEGA 1/0780/24 project, combining lidar and hyperspectral data with machine learning methods to improve land cover classification, funded by the project.