PUGLIA – The network for the monitoring and study of earthquakes and tsunamis has been strengthened in Puglia, from Gargano to Salento: this region, in fact, is characterized by a peculiar seismicity that is still little understood and is particularly vulnerable to tsunamis given the extensive coastal area and its central location in the Mediterranean. The strengthening and implementation of new instruments throughout the territory is therefore fundamental, and was made possible by the close collaboration between the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, the University of Bari and the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research.
«Gargano earthquakes occur at greater depths, up to 25 kilometers, compared to the seismicity that characterizes the Apennines, which is usually confined to the first 12 kilometers of the earth’s crust», says Andrea Tallarico of the University of Bari and head of the seismic network Apulian Otrions. “The reason why this happens and the consequences, in terms of seismic danger, are still not clear and there are various hypotheses.” In order to obtain new information, broadband seismometers were installed in the localities of Manfredonia, Rignano Garganico, Chieuti and Ischitella, in the province of Foggia, while in Lucera the monitoring station was replaced and implemented with a sensor placed at 30 meters deep.
Tsunami monitoring is also fundamental for the Apulian territory. For this reason, alongside the tide gauge stations of Monopoli and Barletta managed by the University of Bari and the ISPRA tide gauges already active in Otranto, Vieste, the Tremiti Islands and Taranto, a new tide gauge has now been added (again by ISPRA) located in Santa Maria di Leuca. The next step will be the installation on the high seas in the southern Ionian Sea of two buoys located at 2,500 and 3,000 meters deep, which will allow real-time signaling of the arrival of a tsunami.
