Studying a Subsiding Urbanized Area from a Multidisciplinary Perspective: The Inner Sector of the Sarno Plain (Southern Apennines, Italy)
Defining the origin of ground deformation, which can be a very challenging task, may be approached through several investigative techniques. Ground deformation can originate in response to both natural (e.g., tectonics) and anthropic (e.g., groundwater pumping) contributions. These may either act si...
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doaj-f17d94f371de4d54959e37e0d5c908a92021-08-26T14:18:02ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922021-08-01133323332310.3390/rs13163323Studying a Subsiding Urbanized Area from a Multidisciplinary Perspective: The Inner Sector of the Sarno Plain (Southern Apennines, Italy)Ettore Valente0Vincenzo Allocca1Umberto Riccardi2Giovanni Camanni3Diego Di Martire4Department of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 21, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 21, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 21, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 21, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 21, 80126 Naples, ItalyDefining the origin of ground deformation, which can be a very challenging task, may be approached through several investigative techniques. Ground deformation can originate in response to both natural (e.g., tectonics) and anthropic (e.g., groundwater pumping) contributions. These may either act simultaneously or be somewhat correlated in space and time. For example, the location of structurally controlled basins may be the locus of enhanced human-induced subsidence. In this paper, we investigate the natural and anthropic contributions to ground deformation in the urbanized area of the inner Sarno plain, in the Southern Apennines. We used a multidisciplinary approach based on the collection and analysis of a combination of geomorphological, stratigraphical, structural, hydrogeological, GPS, and DInSAR datasets. Geomorphological, stratigraphical, and structural data suggested the occurrence of a graben-like depocenter, the Sarno basin, bounded by faults with evidence of activity in the last 39 ka. Geodetic data indicated that the Sarno basin also experienced ground deformation (mostly subsidence) in the last 30 years, with a possible anthropogenic contribution due to groundwater pumping. Hydrogeological data suggested that a significant portion of the subsidence detected by geodetic data can be ascribed to groundwater pumping from the alluvial plain aquifer, rather than to a re-activation of faults in the last 30 years. Our interpretation suggested that a positive feedback exists between fault activity and the location of area affected by human-induced subsidence. In fact, fault activity caused the accumulation of poorly consolidated deposits within the Sarno basin, which enhanced groundwater-induced subsidence. The multidisciplinary approach used here was proven to be successful within the study area and could therefore be an effective tool for investigating ground deformation in other urbanized areas worldwide.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/16/3323active faultfault-controlled landformGNSSDInSARgroundwater pumpingSarno basin |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Ettore Valente Vincenzo Allocca Umberto Riccardi Giovanni Camanni Diego Di Martire |
spellingShingle |
Ettore Valente Vincenzo Allocca Umberto Riccardi Giovanni Camanni Diego Di Martire Studying a Subsiding Urbanized Area from a Multidisciplinary Perspective: The Inner Sector of the Sarno Plain (Southern Apennines, Italy) Remote Sensing active fault fault-controlled landform GNSS DInSAR groundwater pumping Sarno basin |
author_facet |
Ettore Valente Vincenzo Allocca Umberto Riccardi Giovanni Camanni Diego Di Martire |
author_sort |
Ettore Valente |
title |
Studying a Subsiding Urbanized Area from a Multidisciplinary Perspective: The Inner Sector of the Sarno Plain (Southern Apennines, Italy) |
title_short |
Studying a Subsiding Urbanized Area from a Multidisciplinary Perspective: The Inner Sector of the Sarno Plain (Southern Apennines, Italy) |
title_full |
Studying a Subsiding Urbanized Area from a Multidisciplinary Perspective: The Inner Sector of the Sarno Plain (Southern Apennines, Italy) |
title_fullStr |
Studying a Subsiding Urbanized Area from a Multidisciplinary Perspective: The Inner Sector of the Sarno Plain (Southern Apennines, Italy) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Studying a Subsiding Urbanized Area from a Multidisciplinary Perspective: The Inner Sector of the Sarno Plain (Southern Apennines, Italy) |
title_sort |
studying a subsiding urbanized area from a multidisciplinary perspective: the inner sector of the sarno plain (southern apennines, italy) |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Remote Sensing |
issn |
2072-4292 |
publishDate |
2021-08-01 |
description |
Defining the origin of ground deformation, which can be a very challenging task, may be approached through several investigative techniques. Ground deformation can originate in response to both natural (e.g., tectonics) and anthropic (e.g., groundwater pumping) contributions. These may either act simultaneously or be somewhat correlated in space and time. For example, the location of structurally controlled basins may be the locus of enhanced human-induced subsidence. In this paper, we investigate the natural and anthropic contributions to ground deformation in the urbanized area of the inner Sarno plain, in the Southern Apennines. We used a multidisciplinary approach based on the collection and analysis of a combination of geomorphological, stratigraphical, structural, hydrogeological, GPS, and DInSAR datasets. Geomorphological, stratigraphical, and structural data suggested the occurrence of a graben-like depocenter, the Sarno basin, bounded by faults with evidence of activity in the last 39 ka. Geodetic data indicated that the Sarno basin also experienced ground deformation (mostly subsidence) in the last 30 years, with a possible anthropogenic contribution due to groundwater pumping. Hydrogeological data suggested that a significant portion of the subsidence detected by geodetic data can be ascribed to groundwater pumping from the alluvial plain aquifer, rather than to a re-activation of faults in the last 30 years. Our interpretation suggested that a positive feedback exists between fault activity and the location of area affected by human-induced subsidence. In fact, fault activity caused the accumulation of poorly consolidated deposits within the Sarno basin, which enhanced groundwater-induced subsidence. The multidisciplinary approach used here was proven to be successful within the study area and could therefore be an effective tool for investigating ground deformation in other urbanized areas worldwide. |
topic |
active fault fault-controlled landform GNSS DInSAR groundwater pumping Sarno basin |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/16/3323 |
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