A mud volcano located in central Sicily (Caltanissetta) was used as an analogue to understand active tectonic phenomena at a regional scale. This site provides the ideal conditions for quantitative morphology studies. It was possible to quantify the variations of the hydrographic network in a very short transient phases. The rapid vertical movement of the surface induced by the activity of the mud volcano, the lithological uniformity (only argillaceous deposit) and the small size of this structure represent the best conditions for applying morphometric analysis. An accurate surface model of the mud volcano was obtained by aerophotogrammetric surveys using the “Structure for Motion” (SfM) technique. The products of this method are: high resolution DEMs (average cell size 0,017 m) and orthophotos. These products were developed on the GIS platform, where the basins and hydrographic networks of the structure were carried out. The morphometric parameters (linear, areal and landform properties) of the various basins have been calculated by specific software. The comparison between the data acquired since October 2016 highlighted the variations in the landscape forms from a quantitative view. In general, we can state that all the morphometric parameters, compared to the theoretical values, respond faithfully to the transient phases immediately subsequent to deflection and inflection of the sedimentary volcanic complex. The hydrographic network evolution caused by mud volcano vertical deformation can be compared to the regional morphometric variations due to active tectonic processes.
Mud volcano in Santa Barbara village (Caltanissetta, Sicily) - an “open air” morphometry laboratory. Relationship between vertical deformations and evolution of the hydrographic network
De Guidi G.;Brighenti F.;Carnemolla F.;
2018-01-01
Abstract
A mud volcano located in central Sicily (Caltanissetta) was used as an analogue to understand active tectonic phenomena at a regional scale. This site provides the ideal conditions for quantitative morphology studies. It was possible to quantify the variations of the hydrographic network in a very short transient phases. The rapid vertical movement of the surface induced by the activity of the mud volcano, the lithological uniformity (only argillaceous deposit) and the small size of this structure represent the best conditions for applying morphometric analysis. An accurate surface model of the mud volcano was obtained by aerophotogrammetric surveys using the “Structure for Motion” (SfM) technique. The products of this method are: high resolution DEMs (average cell size 0,017 m) and orthophotos. These products were developed on the GIS platform, where the basins and hydrographic networks of the structure were carried out. The morphometric parameters (linear, areal and landform properties) of the various basins have been calculated by specific software. The comparison between the data acquired since October 2016 highlighted the variations in the landscape forms from a quantitative view. In general, we can state that all the morphometric parameters, compared to the theoretical values, respond faithfully to the transient phases immediately subsequent to deflection and inflection of the sedimentary volcanic complex. The hydrographic network evolution caused by mud volcano vertical deformation can be compared to the regional morphometric variations due to active tectonic processes.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
