A geodatabase of historical landslide events occurring in the highly urbanized volcanic area of Campi Flegrei, Italy
<p>The analysis of geological processes threatening people and properties in a populated region should be based on a comprehensive knowledge of historical events and related characteristics. This type of information is essential for predisposing event scenarios, validating prediction models, a...
Main Authors: | , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2023-03-01
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Series: | Earth System Science Data |
Online Access: | https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/15/1133/2023/essd-15-1133-2023.pdf |
Summary: | <p>The analysis of geological processes threatening people
and properties in a populated region should be based on a comprehensive
knowledge of historical events and related characteristics. This type of
information is essential for predisposing event scenarios, validating
prediction models, and planning risk mitigation measures. Such activities
may be more complex in some geological settings, where urban settlements are
exposed to multi-hazard conditions. This is the case of the densely
populated Campi Flegrei volcanic area located in the Campania region,
southern Italy. Here, volcanic and seismic hazards are associated with
landslides, floods, and coastal erosion, which are playing a relevant role
in the landscape modification. The CAmpi Flegrei LAndslide Geodatabase
(CAFLAG), here presented, provides information related to 2302 landslides
that occurred in the continental, coastal, and insular sectors of the study
area during the 1828–2017 time interval. Data associated with the collected
landslide events highlight the characteristics of both landslides and of the
affected sites. Most of the cataloged mass movements consist of rock falls
affecting rocky slopes formed by lithified volcanic rocks, such as tuff or
ignimbrite. In addition, rainfall-induced earth and debris slides
translating into debris avalanches or rapid flows are widespread along steep
slopes mantled by weakly welded pyroclastic airfall deposits, similarly to
other areas of the region. The highest density of landslides is concentrated
along the coastline, where mass movements are contributing to the retreat of
coastal cliffs, and along inland slopes exposed towards the western
directions, where most of the storm systems come from. Temporal
information shows peaks of landslides in the years 1986, 1997, and 2005. A total
of 127 people lost their lives as a consequence of 53 cataloged landslides,
with a frequency of deadly events observed however to have decreased since the
early 1980s. This information will be useful to analyze mortality and risk
conditions still affecting the population of the Campi Flegrei caldera, which should be fully addressed with advanced knowledge and accurate
scenarios. The full database is freely available online at
<a href="https://doi.org/10.4121/14440757.v2">https://doi.org/10.4121/14440757.v2</a> (Esposito and Matano, 2021).</p> |
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ISSN: | 1866-3508 1866-3516 |