Fault2SHA Central Apennines Lab

On Aug 24, 2016 a devastating earthquake occurred in Central Italy, with about 300 deaths, most of them in Amatrice (Rieti). In the following days, an initiative started, within the Fault2SHA Working Group, aimed at promoting the sharing of data, information and ideas related to field data collection campaigns, fault modellers questions and scientific debates.

The Central Apennines Natural Lab is the follow up of such efforts.

Castelluccio Plain, Copyright Russo Francesco

Core Members

Lucilla Benedetti, Paolo Boncio, Joanna Faure Walker*, Bruno Pace, Laura Peruzza, Gerald Roberts, Oona Scotti, Francesco Visini

*contact j.faure-walker (at ) ucl.ac.uk

Other Participants (up to Dec 2020)

Valentini Alessandro, Verdecchia Alessandro, Gee Robin, Chartier Thomas, Cowie Patience, Papanikolaou Ioannis, Cushing Edward, Baize Stephane, Pagani Marco, Shaw Bruce

Key Questions

  1. How do we ensure the appropriate use of fault surface data in probabilistic seismic hazard assessment?
  2. Which fault in Central Apennines threaten us most?

Specific Aims

  • To provide a forum within the Fault2SHA Working Group for discussions of key issues relating to the use of faults in seismic hazard assessments for those working in the Italian Apennines
  • Design a database structure for fault parameters required for a fault-based seismic hazard assessment 
  • Create a database of mapped fault locations and fault characteristics needed for input to seismic hazard calculations (such as displacement-rates) within the Italian Apennines
  • Perform fault-based seismic hazard calculations within the field area
  • Define a template for the inclusion of palaeoseismic data into the database structure applicable to multiple regions, and create an example using the central Italian Apennines

Funded project in progress

ANR EQTIME 2020-2024: Quantifying the temporal and spatial slip variability in the earthquake cycle spanning months to million years timescales.

Recent joint publications (last update Feb 2021)

Which fault threatens me most? Bridging the gap between geologic data-providers and seismic risk practitioners. Scotti et al (2021), Frontiers, 626401

Fault2SHA Central Apennines Database – Structuring active fault data for Seismic Hazard Assessment. Faure Walker, Boncio, Pace, Roberts, Benedetti, Scotti, Visini, and Peruzza (2021), Scientific Data, SDATA-20-00903

Other papers

1.Peruzza et al (2017) PSHA after a strong earthquake: hints for the recovery. ANNALS OF GEOPHYSICS, 59, FAST TRACK 5, 1-9, DOI: 10.4401/AG-7257
2.Perouse et al (2018) Coseismic slip vectors of 24 August and 30 October 2016 earthquakes in Central Italy: Oblique slip and regional kinematic implications. Tectonics, 37, https://doi.org/10.1029/ 2018TC005083
3.Verdecchia et al (2018) The role of viscoelastic stress transfer in long-term earthquake cascades:Insights after the Central Italy 2016-17 seismic sequence. Tectonics, 37/10, pp.3411-3428, DOI: 10.1029/2018TC005110
4.Baize et al (2019) A worldwide and unified database of surface ruptures (SURE) for fault displacement hazard analyses, Seismological Research Letters, 91(1), pp. 499-520
5.Visini et al (2020) Computational Tools for Relaxing the Fault Segmentation in Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Modelling in Complex Fault Systems, Pure and Applied Geophysics, 177(5), pp. 1855-1877
6.Gee et al (2022) The power of the little ones: computed and observed aftershock hazard in Central Italy. Earthquake Spectra, 38(1), pp.702–724, https://doi.org/10.1177/87552930211036913

Published Software

FAULT2RISK: Which fault threatens me most? Bridging the gap between geologic data-providers and seismic risk practitioners. Scotti et al (2020) Accepted December 2020 Frontiers, 626401 at Github.
SHERIFS: Open‐Source Code for Computing Earthquake Rates in Fault Systems and Constructing Hazard Models Chartier, Scotti, Lyon‐Caen – Seismological Research Letters, (2019) at Github.

Next steps

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