RICERCA ITALIANA     

Blending geophysics, space techniques, geochemistry and petrology for a reference geodynamical model of the Italian region

Università degli Studi di Milano

Abstract

The present project integrates geophysical, geodetic, petrological, geochemical methodologies and space techniques in order to comprehend and to model the geodynamical processes of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system in the central Mediterranean and in the closest part of Eurasia. These processes leave their signatures on a broad spectrum of time scales, from the active deformation one, comparable to the life time of human beings, to the long time scale one, ruling the main phases of the geological history. The complexity of the structure and of the composition of the investigated domain and of its time evolution, require the proposed multidisciplinary approach to unravel their key features. Petrology and geochemistry will constrain geophysical data, such as the seismological and the heat-flow ones, allowing us the mapping of the lithosphere in 4-dimensions, space plus time. Geochemically distinct types of Plio-Quaternary igneous rocks will be studied, their regional distribution, high-pressure mantle xenoliths entrained in volcanic rocks, the nature and location of the important boundaries (crust-mantle and lithosphere-asthenosphere boundaries), depth and lateral extent of magma sources, and the compositional variations in the lithospheric mantle through time, constituting our 4-D approach. Within this multiscale point of view, finite element models will be implemented, in order to better exploit the models cross-checked by geophysics, geochemistry and petrology. The geometry and rheology of the crustal and lithospheric structures of the finite element models will be obtained from seismic tomography, from heat flow data and from petrological data. New finite element implementations will be targeted towards an improvement in the comparison between the strain rate patterns obtained from the geophysical models and those obtained from permanent GPS receivers. The integrated methodology of the present project will thus allow us to gain a deep quantitative insight into the geodynamical and seismogenetic processes active in the Italian peninsula and surrounding regions. The mathematical models, constrained by means of seismological, petrological and geodetic data, will also permit to estimate the time evolution of the active processes, in regard to the strain rates and stress variation, with obvious implication for the mitigation of some natural hazards. The present project will thus have application in the field of seismic zonation, whose accuracy will be improved thanks to the quantitative estimate of stress accumulation rates in the studied seismogenic regions. A fundamental charactersitics of the present project thus stands on the multiscale spatial approach, underlying the geophysical modelling, the geodetic component, with small scale GPS survey of the seismogenic regions (Umbria-Marche, Friuli Venezia-Giulia, Emilia-Romagna, Calabria) and large scale permanent GPS analyses, which frame the kinematics and dynamics of the central Mediterranean. Available GPS permanent station data will be collected and checked to estimate reliable time series which will be the starting point for non-standard analyses. The seismogenic zones studied in the project will become sites of interest for developing new DInSAR methodologies. We will thus have the opportunity to make use within an integrated approach of the DInSAR and GPS results and methodologies, so that to validate the results, to calibrate the geophysical models and to develop quasi real time methodologies for the monitoring of the co-, inter- and post-seismic phases. <<<

Principal Investigator

Roberto SABADINI Università degli Studi di MILANO

Research Objectives

The general objective of the present project, based on the synergic use of geophysical and space technique methodologies with petrological and geochemical ones, is to constrain the structure of the Earth and to model the geodynamic processes affecting peninsular Italy and surrounding regions, that leave their signatures on a broad spectrum of time scales: from the short one of present-day active deformation, responsible for the seismicity in Italy, to the long time scale one, ruling the main phases of the geological history. The complexity of the region under investigation is expressed by the strong heterogeneities of the crust-mantle system and the wide variety of Plio-Quaternary magmatic rocks and is the result of the geodynamic evolution, which affected the Mediterranean during the Neogene and Quaternary times. The generated mosaic of compositionally and structurally distinct mantle domains, that have undergone different evolutionary histories in terms of compositional and structural modifications, requires a multidisciplinary approach to unravel its key features. The implementation of the forward geophysical models targeted towards the imaging of the geometries of the deep structures obtained from seismic tomography, joint with gravimetry, the simulation of active tectonics, and the comprehension of the geodynamical processes affecting the Italian peninsula and surrounding regions greatly benefit and require a strong input from petrological and geochemical data. Thus we will integrate petrological, geochemical and geophysical information to construct models of the lithospheric stratigraphy and its physical state. This is made necessary by the intrinsic non-uniqueness of the inverse problem that must be solved to infer physico-chemical properties of the Earth interior. The intersection of the solutions consistent with each of the fields investigated will allow us to delimit a space of parameters sufficiently narrow to map the lateral extent of known mantle domains and to constrain the end, integrated product, in a way that makes it suitable and stringent for modelling the geodynamic evolution, forward and backward in time. A prerequisite of our research programme is the evidence from the petrology and geochemistry of mafic magmas and of their hosted high-pressure xenoliths and xenocrysts. A wealth of experimental studies demonstrates that the variable degrees of silica saturation and petrochemical affinity of mafic igneous rocks depend on the pressure (i.e. depth) of magma origin and on the mineralogical and geochemical compositional features of parent peridotite. These, in turn, are related to the petrologic and geodynamic history suffered by various mantle domains (i.e. episodes of melt extraction, mantle metasomatism, etc.). The wide range of magma types in the Tyrrhenian area allow us the investigation of lateral and vertical compositional variations of the upper mantle over a wide region. The xenolith-derived geotherms will be compared with data on surface heat flow. Integration of xenolith studies and petrological-geochemical evidence from magmas will allow us to define the composition and evolution of the upper mantle and crust in the zones of recent and active volcanism. These data will be combined with the geophysical ones to provide a 3-dimensional picture of the composition, structure and thermal state of the lower crust and upper mantle. The geophysical data will supply models of the Earth interior with a multiscale resolution, retrieved through robust and joint inversions of tomographic images, from surface, P- and S- waves. Our study may provide new petrophysical parameters that can constrain geophysical interpretations and directly link seismic wave velocities with rock types. The geophysical modelling will be integrated with the interpretation of gravity data in the areas under investigation. The models obtained from seismic tomography will be cross-checked by comparing the observed gravity with the gravity computed using those models. This will imply the conversion from velocity into density applying standard linear models and the computation of the forward gravity effect at the earth surface level: a second step aiming at a simultaneous inversion of seismic and gravity will be accomplished. The project will take advantage from the wealth of structural models so far formulated, blending structural geology and geophysical data. The data synthesis and integration will greatly improve the zonation of the Tyrrhenian and Italian Peninsula in terms of lithosphere-asthenosphere architecture. In this respect, previously implemented finite element models will be improved in order to better exploit the models cross-checked by geophysics, geochemistry and petrology and to include the effects of the faults and of the sphericity of the Earth. The geometry and rheology of the tectonic structures used in the finite element models will be coherent with the results of seismic tomography and petrological studies obtained within the framework of the project. This modelling, performed for the central Mediterranean and part of Eurasia, will allow us to deal with lateral rheological variations in the crust and uppermost mantle. The boundary conditions will be based on new global GPS solutions. These new finite element implementations are targeted towards an improvement in the comparison between the strain rate patterns obtained from the geophysical models and those obtained from the permanent GPS receivers managed by the Centre of Space Geodesy of the Italian Space Agency (CGS-ASI) and from those managed directly by the research units involved in the project. In this respect, particular attention will be devoted to the in-depth variability of the stress regime. The geodetically retrieved velocities of permanent GPS sites, the variations of the baselines connecting pairs of sites and the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the strain rate tensor within triangular zones delimited by three permanent GPS sites will be compared and cross checked with their modelled and seismically retrieved counterparts, in order to gain a complete comprehension of the deformation pattern. We will combine the GPS permanent network covering the whole peninsula with local and regional networks (Umbria-Marche, Friuli Venezia-Giulia, Emilia-Romagna and Calabria) developed in the framework of previously funded projects, by MIUR and other Agencies. Available GPS permanent station data will be collected over Italy and checked to estimate reliable time series which will be the starting point for a non-standard analysis. A careful validation will be done in terms of site and signal quality for each considered permanent GPS station. Outliers rejection will be carried out and daily solutions will be re-computed by using different scientific softwares (e.g. Bernese and GAMIT) and taking into account existing auto and cross correlations. A deeper link between non-permanent networks and the closest GPS permanent stations will be studied in order to integrate the two data sets to give the best possible multi-scale description of the geophysical phenomena in the investigated area. The seismogenic zones studied in the project will become sites of interest for developing new DInSAR methodologies. We thus have the opportunity to make use within an integrated approach of the DInSAR and GPS results and methodologies, with the two-fold objective of cross-validating the results and calibrating the geophysical models proposed for the spatial scale of the seismogenic fault. The combined GPS and SAR solutions will provide us with a multiscale resolving power of the undergoing continental deformation and near real time monitoring of the intermediate-term middle-range preparation of a strong earthquake (M>5.4), to set up a procedure, based on appropriate physical models of the Earth crust and of the fault zones that reveals how stress is accumulated and released during the seismic cycle. <<<

First Results

UNIMI
1) Implementation of the effects of the faults within the finite elements numerical models (thin-sheet) developed by the UR;
2) Implementation of dip-slip and strike-slip seismic sources within the analytical models at high spatial resolution for the modelling of co-seismic and post-seismic deformation, for a compressible crust;
3) Implementation of the methodology for the integration (data fusion) of GPS and SAR data;
4) Installation of permanent GPS receivers;
5) Implementation of automatic procedures for the acquisition, control and storage of the data for the permanent GPS receivers;
6) Contribution to the analysis of the data from the permanent GPS receivers managed by CGS-ASI and from those managed directly by the research units of the University and Politecnico of Milan.
POLIMI
1) At the end of the first year research, the design of the permanent GPS network at national scale will be fixed and the non-standard analysis of the time series of the sites belonging to the network will be accomplished.
2) The geodetic deformation pattern in the whole Italian area will be estimated in a more reliable way. This deformation pattern will be compared with the results coming from the geodynamical modelling defined by the other RUs of the project to validate the structural models over Italy and surrounding areas.
3) The non-permanent network GPS data will be processed using standard scientific programs. Deformation velocities in these seismogenetic areas will be derived by difference with respect to the previous campaign results.
4) The integration of seismic and gravity will lead to a refinement of the geophysical models thus allowing a more detailed definition of the deep structures related to the geodynamical processes of the Italian area.
UNIGE
1) Monitoring and analysis of seismicity (spatial distribution, seismic sequences, magnitudo-moment relation, focal mechanisms, seismic flux) and compilation of a database to eb used for tomographic inversion in the northern Apennines and surrounding areas;
2) Compilation of a terrestrial a heat flux database (from available data and new measurements, correction for terrain effects and paleoclimate) and modeling of tectono-thermal processes occurred or acting in the range and in the surrounding tectonic units (also in cooperation with the RU of Perugia).
UNITS
1) Updating, critical revision and integration of the available data;
2) Collection of new seismological data from the MEDNET stations;
3) Monitoring of the seismic flow and of the preparation of a strong earthquake;
4) Refining of the existing velocity models of the crust and uppermost mantle (mesosphere) through surface wave tomography and non-linear inversion;
5) Use of petrology and geochemistry to constrain a remotely-sensed geophysical model allowing the mapping of the lithosphere in 4-dimensions (space + time);
6) Local tomography and earthquake full moment tensor retrieval in specific test sites;
7) Geophysical zonation of the mesosphere in Italy and Tyrrhenian sea.
UNIPERUGIA
1) Databases for major and trace element compositions of Italian mafic Plio-Quaternary magmatic rocks. The databases will contain the analyses on the Italian volcanics published in last the two or three decades on easily accessible national and international journals. The database will be published, in an excel format, on the web page of Angelo Peccerillo http://www.unipg.it/~pecceang) or on the web page of the Italian Petrology Group.
2) New major and trace elements on an elevated number (some hundreds) of samples of mafic rocks from all the areas of recent volcanism around the Tyrrhenian Sea.
3) New sample collection from the selected areas (Ernici, Ventotene, Iblei) and, to a minor detail, from other zones of recent and active volcanism in Italy.
4) Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf isotopic data on representative samples, selected on the basis of their major and trace element compositions.
5) First draft of scientific papers based on both the new data and on those available from the literature.
6) Paper presentation to at least two national and international conferences.
UNISIENA
1) Detailed fieldwork aimed at sampling xenoliths and host lavas in the selected regions (Monti Iblei, Torre Alfina, Sardinia, Veneto Volcanic Province, Aeolian Islands) to complement existing samples.
2) Sample preparation for fluid, mineral and isotope studies.
3) Petrographic and geochemical studies of the xenolith samples.
4) Microthermometric, chemical and eventually Raman study of melt inclusions present in mantle xenoliths.UNIMI
1) Analysis of the data from the permanent GPS receivers and evaluation of the residual velocities with respect to Eurasia and of the strain rate;
2) Integration of geodetic data (residual velocities, strain rate) within the fiducial Italian network and, eventually, of wider ones;
3) Development of new DInSAR methodologies to determine the coseismic, interseismic and postseismic phases in selected seismogenic zones;
4) Integration of DInSAR and GPS data (data fusion);
5) Development of new GPS softwares for Near Real Time monitoring (NRT);
5) Conclusive comparison between the finite element models with the seismological and geodetic deformation patterns, on the small and large spatial scales.
POLIMI
1) At the end of the second year project, estimates of the geodetic deformation pattern over the Italian area will be obtained. These estimates will be integrated with the deformations occurring in local areas which are of particular interest.
2) In the areas of point 1), GPS derived deformations will be integrated with InSAR deformation patterns to get reliable models to be compared with geodynamical model deformations estimated by the other RUs of the project.
3) Finally, the definition of non-standard adjustment methods to be applied to GPS data will lead to optimized velocity estimates which, hopefully, will be more reliable and precise than the ones coming from a standard data analysis.
UNIGE
1) Continuation of the seismic surveying and the analysis of seismicity; modeling of the crust and uppermost mantle by means of inversion techniques;
2) Modeling of the lithosphere based on seismic and thermal data (also in cooperation with the RU of Milan and Trieste), and analysis of the acting stress regime, deformation associated to the main seismic events and mechanical strength, in relation to the evolution of the area;
3) Definition of the regional pattern of the seismotectonic regime and the rheological structure, the relationship between seismogenetic and elastic thickness and the critical temperature, below which deformation occurs by brittle failure.
UNITS
1) Full waveform inversion for moment tensor retrieval of properly selected, recent instrumentally recorded, earthquakes of medium size;
2) Surface-wave inversion for moment tensor retrieval of properly selected,recent instrumentally recorded earthquakes, of medium size;
3) Update of the Italian fault plane solutions database;
4) Monitoring of the seismic flow and of the preparation of a strong earthquake;
5) Correlations among the geophysical and geochemical lithosphere zonation, the morphostructural zonation and the multiscale seismicity model;
6) Numerical modelling (block-model, finite element model) of the geodynamics;
7) Monitoring of the preparation of a strong earthquake.
UNIPERUGIA
1) New najor and trace element data on rock samples collected during the previous phase
2) New Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf isotopic data on rocks from Ernici, Ventotene and Iblei.
3) Integrated petrologica-geochemical-geophysical models of the upper mantle beneath the circum-Tyrrhenian area rrenica area, elaborated in collaboration with the other afferent Research Units, especially Siena and Trieste.
4) Scientific papers to submit on international journals on the genesis of the volcanism, and on the implications for the characteristics and evolution of sources, in collaboration with other Research Units involved in studies on mantle xenoliths and seismic tomography.
5) Paper presentation to at least two national and international conferences.
UNSIENA
1) Chemical-physical characterization of fluid phases of fluid inclusions present in mantle xenoliths (petrographic, microthermometric and Raman study).
2) Isotopic (stable isotopes) analyses of selected whole rock and mineral samples.
3) Discussion of obtained data, including manuscript writing and participation to national and international meetings. <<<

Timescale

24 months

National and international background

The proposed project has both national and international bases. The team from Milan has already obtained original results, published in the international literature, on the importance of lithospheric and mantle layering on the evaluation of post-seismic deformation following large earthquakes (C.N.R. project no. 96.00354.00354) (Sabadini and Vermeersen, 1997). In order to correctly estimate the effects of post-seismic deformation in seismogenetic regions, it is necessary in fact to account for rigidity and density discontinuities in the upper and lower crust. The stratification of the upper mantle plays an important role on post-seismic deformation at large distances from the fault. These results are relevant for the present project, the objectives of which are the modelling of the geodynamics of large areas of peninsular Italy and the monitoring of surface deformation in seismogenetic regions. This new class of stratified, viscoelastic Earth models has allowed to obtain the first estimate of post-seismic deformation rates for shallow, normal faulting and moderate size earthquakes, as those that striked the Umbria-Marche in 1997 (Riva, Aoudia, Vermeersen, Sabadini and Panza, 2000). This work is the result of the integrated approach and strong cooperation between the UR of Trieste and Milano, both University and Politecnico, during the project COFIN1998 supported by the Italian Ministry of the University and Research (M.U.R.S.T.). This reserch is carried on within the framework of a collaboration with the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering of the Delft University of Technology and with the Institute of Theoretical Geodesy of Graz (Austria). The collaboration between the UR of Trieste and Milano is also based on the usage within the mathematical models of the UR of the University of Milano, of the lithospheric models proposed by the UR of Trieste, for the lithospheric thickness in the Mediterranean region, on the broad scale. This lithospheric model has been realized by the UR of Trieste within the framework of the International project "Three dimensional modelling of the Earth tectosphere" of the International Lithosphere Program of the Inter-Union (IUGG-IUGS) Commission for the Lithosphere. The thickness of the lithosphere in the different regions of the Mediterranean has already been used by the Milano team within a thin-sheet finite element model in the horizontal plane, which represented the first step towards a fully three-dimensional finite element analysis. This preliminary numerical analysis of the geodynamics of the Mediterranean region has been carried out by the Milano team in collaboration with the University of Montpellier (Bassi, Sabadini and Rebai, 1997). The simultaneous inversion of gravimetric and seismic data, on the basis of original techniques from the Politecnico of Milan, will provide a detailed imaging of 2D and 3D anomalous crustal and lithospheric structures, completing the lithospheric model already available. In particular, these techniques will provide the input data on density anomalies, required by the finite element models of the Milano team. The collaboration between the Milano team and the Centre of Space Geodesy of the Italian Space Agency and Telespazio has been going on for several years; within the framework of a series of projects financed by ASI, geophysical techniques for the usage of GPS, VLBI and SLR data for the interpretation of a broad range of geodynamical processes(Vermeersen, Sabadini, Devoti, Luceri, Rutigliano, Sciarretta and Bianco, 1998) have already been set up. As far as the most recent results of this collaboration, the Milano team has built a first three-dimensional model of the central Mediterranean, which has provided the first estimates of the horizontal and vertical velocities in peninsular Italy and surrounding regions. The integration of VLBI data from ASI with the numerical models has in fact provided the estimates of sea-level changes along the Italian coasts and the horizontal velocities in areas where GPS data are not available yet. The first Italian solution (ASI-CGS 96) on the long wavelength temporal variation of the geopotential within the framework of a global earth model built by the Milano team, has been used in order to provide the most updated estimate of the viscosity profile of the mantle, which is used as an input parameter for tectonic models on the Mediterranean scale. As far as the international basis of the project, the central coordinator has been the scientific responsible of an EEC project (Geodynamic modelling of the western Mediterranean, no. CHRX-CT94-0607) which has provided a methodology based on the geophysical modelling of a variety of geodynamical processes that, integrated with seismological and geodetic data, allows to predict deformation and stress accumulation rates in tectonically active regions (Negredo, Sabadini and Giunchi, 1997). Within this project, researchers from the UR of the University of Milan have developed models for lithospheric unrooting, in order to interpret the changes from a compressional to an extensional tectonic style, often observed in the Mediterranean region (Marotta, Fernandez and Sabadini, 1999), including the Apenninic region under study in the present project. All the teams involved in the project have similar international experiences. Among the various techniques within this national project targeted towards a quantitative determination of crustal deformation, stress accumulation and release of seismic energy within particular areas of the Apennines, we need a precise seismological characterization of the seismogenic structures of the regions under study. For a detailed analysis of the coseismic deformation and of the patterns of the energy release, it is not sufficient to localize the seismogenic zones and to define the source mechanism for each zone, as it is usually done when seismicity is routinely analyzed. In order to reconstruct the geometry of a seismogenic zone, and to characterize the pattern of energy release, it is necessary to make use of more refined analyses. The availability of data recorded by high density seismic stations guarantees an appropriate characterization of the "macro-geometries" of the source. For a more detailed determination, the multiplets analysis has demonstrated its effectiveness in the localization of sources of limited dimensions. For a better determination of the sources, once the events due to a particular segment of the seismogenic source has been recognized, it is possible to make use of the seismograms of small magnitude events as empirical Green functions, and to obtain the apparent source function of the more energetic events by means of deconvolution, and to apply techniques of regularization, when it is necessary. Complementary to the empirical Green functions, is the usage of analytical Green functions that allows to verify the assumptions underlying the method of empirical Green functions when extended faults are considered ( e.g. Das e Suhadolc, 1996). At the same time, original methodologies based on analytical Green functions have been developed by the Trieste team and successfully applied to the study of low magnitude earthquakes (e.g. Panza et al., 1993). The recent events in the three seismogenic regions will be analyzed in terms of source characterization, by means of broad band seismic stations from Trieste, l'Aquila and Genova. The results obtained from the seismological analysis will be used to build a dynamic lithospheric block model of the seismogenic regions, which could produce the same seismicity pattern recorded in the surveyed areas. Both the geometry of the active structures and the kinematics of the seismic source represent an extremely detailed seismological feature, necessary to quantify the seismic component of the deformation. As far as the determination of the mechanisms of the various sources and the correlation of these mechanisms with the active tectonic field of the area, it is possible to obtain the regional stress field by inversion. In particular, for the inversion of the regional field, the Trieste team will make use of the most updated algorithms, based on the polarity of the single phases (Lander et al., 1993).
Within previous COFIN collaborations at the national level, the UR of the University of Milan has shown, by means of thin-shell tectonic models, that the northern sector of Adria is active. The ongoing Alpine collision contributes in fact to the widespread shortening observed in the ITRF2000 data (Marotta and Sabadini, 2002). Within the same COFIN collaborations, the UR of the University of Milan has developed the first global tectonic model of the Mediterranean, which represents the basic framework to constrain the kinematics and dynamics of the Adria plate at the global scale. From Gibraltar to Anatolia, the active tectonics in the Mediterranean has been studied by means of an integrated approach based on geophysical, geodetic and seismological methodologies. A deep insight into the kinematics and dynamics of the crustal and lithospheric processes affecting the Mediterranean has been gained. The counterclockwise rotation of the Africa plate with respect to Eurasia results into a NNW directed push against Eurasia, thus affecting the northern sector of the Adria plate, accompanied by lithospheric shortening in active subduction zones, in the Aegean Sea and in the Calabrian Arc. A thin-shell, steady-state finite element approach has allowed to simulate the deformation pattern in the Mediterranean (Jimenez-Munt, Sabadini, Gardi and Bianco, 2002). A systematic comparison between model results and the seismic strain rates obtained from the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) catalogue, the geodetic velocity field and the geodetic strain resulting from GPS, SLR and VLBI analyses performed by CGS-ASI-Telespazio and the World Stress Map (WSM2000), indicate that Africa/Arabia vs Eurasia convergence and subduction in the Aegean Sea and Calabrian Arc are the major tectonic mechanisms controlling the deformation style in the Mediterranean. The northern sector of the Adria plate is found to play a major role in the kinematics and dynamics at the junction of the Africa and Eurasia plate, along the Apenninic, Alpine and Dinaric chains. Due to the still open issues related to the western Mediterranean, in particular to the evolution of the Alboran Sea, the proposed project is closely linked to an ongoing NATO project, The Iberian-African Plate Boundary: Lithospheric Structure and Geodynamic Evolution (ref.: EST.CLG.978922). The Iberian-African plate boundary region is characterized by large lateral variations in the lithospheric structure, intermediate seismicity, and changes in the geometry and rheological behaviour of the plate boundary. Furthermore, during the Miocene, coeval extension and compression took plate in the eastern segment of the plate boundary, which gave rise to the formation of the Alboran Basin and the surrounding Betics and Rif-Tell cordilleras. Several attempts have been made to image the present-day lithospheric structure although a better resolution and a larger coverage is needed to improve its tectonic significance. Geophysical and geological observations have suggested several competing models to explain the Cenozoic evolution of the region and consensus on this point has not been reached yet. In this context, the main goal of the collaboration of the UR of the University of Milan with the colleagues from the C.S.I.C. of Barcelona is two-fold: a) to get a better image of the present-day lithospheric structure, and b) to check quantitatively the possible mechanisms responsible for the formation of the Alboran Sea.
As far as recent cooperation in Italy, the UR teams are involved in projects with italian industries active in the field of space techniques for land monitoring, namely Telespazio S.p.a., FMR Spazio and Space Engineering, finalized to the implementation of a complete chain from the detection of crustal deformation to quasi real time monitoring for the seismic hazard mitigation. As far as recent international cooperation, the UR teams are involved in a tight cooperation with the group from the Geomatics Institute of Barcelona, Spain, for the development of new methodologies in the treatment of DInSAR data. <<<