Seminar - Monitoring the temporal evolution of fault properties and the preparatory phase of large earthquakes

Speaker Prof. Matteo Picozzi, Centro di Ricerche Sismologiche - Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (CRS-OGS) | Thursday 10 October 2024 | 4,30 pm - Arduino Classroom

10.10.2024

How, when and where large earthquakes are generated remain fundamental unsolved scientific questions. Intercepting when a fault system starts deviating from its steady behavior by monitoring the spatio‐temporal evolution and dynamic source properties and ground motion of micro‐to‐small earthquakes can have high potential as tool for identifying the preparatory phase of large earthquakes.

In this contribution, results of studies concerning the spatio‐temporal evolution of source properties and ground motion of small magnitude earthquakes occurred during the preparatory phase of the Mw 6.3 earthquake that hit L’Aquila on 6 April 2009 and those of the three main earthquakes occurred in central Italy between 2016 and 2017 will be presented.

Results suggest that micro‐to‐small earthquakes can be exploited as beacons of stress change and help to monitor the mechanical state of the crust and the nucleation of large earthquakes