This large project combined numerous disciplines (tectonic reconstructions, geomorphology, geochronology, geodesy, and geophysics) in a program of studies aimed at understanding how the northern Apennines have formed, evolved and are presently supported. The key technical goal was a detailed investigation of a tectonic process (called slab rollback) that is commonly believed to operate in this area.

A geophysical component of the study involved the deployment and operation of a ~50 node passive broad band seismic array. This part of the work was performed in collaboration with Jeffrey Park (Yale), the staff of Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) (A. Amato, L. Margheriti, S. Pondrelli, F. P. Lucente, D. Piccinini, N. Piana Agostinetti, S. Salimbeni), and researchers from the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Geophysics (Jarka Plomerova & Vladislav Babuska).

Array operated continuously from October, 2003 through August, 2006, with variable configuration.

Data are presently stored in IRIS DMC archive, and are open to all. Photo-album of the array installation in October of 2004 is here.

RESULTS (to date)