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| Geological Map of Italy | |
|---|---|
| Name | Geological Map of Italy |
| Caption | Simplified schematic of Italian geology |
| Country | Italy |
| Scale | variable |
| Author | Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale |
| Year | ongoing |
Geological Map of Italy
The Geological Map of Italy is a cartographic synthesis representing the spatial distribution of rock units, structural features, and Quaternary deposits across the Italian Peninsula, Sardinia, Sicily, and adjacent seas. It integrates data from national agencies such as the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, regional bodies like the Regione Sicilia and Regione Sardegna, research institutes including the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia and the CNR, and international programs such as the European Geological Surveys and the International Union of Geological Sciences.
The map synthesizes lithological and chronostratigraphic information from field campaigns, boreholes, seismic reflection by firms and institutions including ENI, Schlumberger, and universities like the University of Bologna, Sapienza University of Rome, and University of Padua. It displays Alpine, Apennine, Po Plain, Tyrrhenian, Adriatic and Mediterranean domains recognized by studies from laboratories at Gran Sasso Science Institute, INGV Osservatorio Vesuviano, and museums such as the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci. Major cartographic milestones involve collaborations with the Commissione Geologica d'Italia, the European Commission, and projects funded by the European Research Council.
The map subdivides Italy into Mesozoic carbonate platforms, Paleogene flysch, Neogene syn-orogenic basins, and Quaternary continental and marine deposits as described in monographs from the Accademia dei Lincei, the Società Geologica Italiana, and treatises by geologists like Giuseppe Seguenza and Cesare Emiliani. Units include the Alpine nappes with metamorphic complexes mapped near Aosta Valley and South Tyrol, the Apennine chain with its pelagic limestones and turbidites exposed in Abruzzo and Marche, and the Variscan basement of Sardinia and Sicily. The Po Basin stratigraphy ties to work at University of Milan, while the Pliocene-Pleistocene sequences of the Rome area connect to research by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica.
Tectonic interpretations on the map reflect the convergence between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate, subduction of the Adriatic microplate, and the back-arc extension of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Structural elements include thrust systems documented in the Alps and Apennines, strike-slip faults such as the Garfagnana Fault and regional deformation linked to the Messinian Salinity Crisis and the Alpine orogeny. Mapping integrates kinematic data from campaigns associated with institutes like the INGV, the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale, and international collaborations with the US Geological Survey and GEOMAR.
Volcanic provinces shown include the Campi Flegrei, Mount Vesuvius, Etna, and the Aeolian arc with studies by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia and the Università di Catania. Seismic hazard mapping references earthquake catalogs maintained by INGV and historical records such as the 1693 Sicily earthquake, the 1908 Messina earthquake, and the 1783 Calabrian earthquakes. The map links volcanological data to petrological studies from the Osservatorio Vesuviano, geochemical analyses by groups at the Università di Napoli Federico II, and tephrochronology calibrated against cores from the Mediterranean Sea recovered during expeditions by the International Ocean Discovery Program.
Historic contributors include geoscientists associated with the Grand Tour era collections, cartographers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in South Tyrol, and national efforts by the Istituto Geografico Militare and the Servizio Geologico d'Italia. Twentieth-century production involved lithological mapping initiatives at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche and regional geological surveys in Lombardy, Piedmont, and Basilicata. Modern digital compilations are delivered by the ISPRA national geological map portal, enriched by datasets from the European Soil Data Centre, EMODnet, and projects like OneGeology.
Users include urban planners from municipalities such as Milan and Naples, infrastructure agencies like Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, heritage bodies including Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo, and emergency managers at the Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Applications span landslide susceptibility studies in Liguria and Calabria, groundwater resource assessments in the Po Plain and Maremma, hydrocarbon exploration in the Po Basin and offshore Adriatic by companies like ENI, and geothermal prospecting in Tuscany promoted by regional governments and companies such as Enel Green Power.
Production integrates field mapping standards from the International Commission on Stratigraphy, borehole logs from entities like the Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Ambientale, seismic reflection profiles acquired by ENI and academic surveys, and remote sensing from Copernicus satellites and airborne LiDAR campaigns. Geospatial frameworks rely on the European Terrestrial Reference System 1989, national geodatabases managed by ISPRA and the Istituto Geografico Militare, and interoperability through standards promoted by the Open Geospatial Consortium and the INSPIRE directive.