"Moho Mission to the Foundation of Continents: The ICDP DIVE Drilling Project"
20/12/2024
It is more difficult to access the Earth's interior a few miles below our feet than it is to explore the surface of another planet hundreds of thousands to million miles away. Drilling has made it possible to explore the Earth's interior and thus, go deep. But the thrill to drill is quickly contrasted by the challenging pressure exerted by the rocks with increasing depth. Since Project Mohole in the 1960s, scientists have worked to reach the boundary between the crust and the mantle known as the Moho. This boundary representing the foundations of continents is usually beyond the reach of our present-day technology. However, in some places on Earth, it is possible to reach the crust-mantle frontier without going as deep. The Ivrea-Verbano Zone in the Italian Alps is the golden target to explore the crust-mantle transition zone in less than 1 mile depth. This is because the collision between tectonic plates that generated the European Alps brought the crust-mantle boundary to a shallow depth and thus, under conditions of low pressure, present-day drilling technology can sustain a borehole to this depth. Based on the collaborative effort led by more than 50 scientists, I will present the major outcomes of Phase 1 of the ICDP DIVE (Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE) project tackling key questions related to the chemistry and architecture of the crust-mantle transition, the geophysical signatures, and insights into the deep biosphere.
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Potential water scarcity in Central Italy due to Climate Change
18/12/2024
Presentazione della piattaforma geologica europea EGDI, realizzata dai Servizi Geologici Europei (Eurogeosurveys) per il progetto GSEU.
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How new techniques could improve passive seismic monitoring of the time-dependent mechanical properties of rocks
07/11/2024
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Microseismic response uncovering the effect of environmental stressors on ‘Tower’ rock stability in the AcutoFieldLaboratory"
18/10/2024
Long-term and seasonal variations in environmental factors can lead to the development and expansion of rock fractures, and even the rock instability, such as landslides, collapses, and rockfalls. To end these disasters, microseismic monitoring technology highly correlated with rock fracture activity can be employed to assess the stability of the 'Tower' rock at AcutoFieldLab, Italy. Using microseismic data collected over two years by 8 geophones arranged in different oritation, an automatic detection method for rock fracture microseismic events is developed. This method further explores the influence of environmental stressors on rock fracture behavior.
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Seminario Idrogeologia (Dr. Hunt e Feinstein) - 20 settembre
20/09/2024
Si segnala il seminario in oggetto, organizzato dal Prof. Petitta, che vede coinvolti il Dr. Randy J. Hunt e il Dr. Daniel T. Feinstein, entrambi provenienti dalla U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center.
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Seminario: Giovanni Aloisi "Stable isotope tracers from Earth System Science to human physiology"
18/06/2024
Stable isotopes are used as tracers of geo(bio)logical processes and are an effective
tool for deciphering the evolution of the Earth System over time. Key concepts in this approach
include isotopic mass balance, isotope mixing, and thermodynamic and kinetic isotope
fractionation. Recently, stable isotopes have been applied in human physiology—the study of
functions and processes in the human body—to investigate a wide range of pathologies, such as
osteoporosis, cancer, and kidney diseases. I will present examples from both the earth and medical
sciences to demonstrate how these fundamental isotope concepts bridge the gap between these
seemingly disparate disciplines. In the earth sciences, I will address the processes that led to the
late-Miocene emplacement of the Mediterranean Salt Giant, one of Earth’s largest and most recent
giant salt deposits. Chloride isotopes (37Cl/35Cl) in halite support the hypothesis that an exceptional
sea-level drawdown event (~2 km) was associated with the accumulation of the Mediterranean salt
layer, while multiple sulfur isotopes (34S/32S and 33S/32S) suggest microbial processes may have
contributed to the formation of marginal gypsum deposits in the Vena del Gesso (central
Apennines, Italy). In the medical sciences, I will show how calcium isotopes (44Ca/42Ca) are used to
deduce whole-body bone mineral balance, an elusive quantity crucial for the early diagnosis of
osteoporosis, and how dissolved chloride isotopes are used in exploratory studies to investigate
the nature of certain kidney diseases. These examples illustrate that the modern separation
between earth and medical sciences stems not from differences in underlying physical and
chemical laws but from the complexity of the studied systems, which require a highly specialized
training to be fully apprehended.
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Seminario visiting researcher – Alejandro Fernandez-Martinez. Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)
19/04/2024
AMD occurs in zones where pyrite formations are oxidized due to rock weathering, a phenomenon that is
accelerated in the presence of mining operations. AMD waters are highly acidic, mobilizing metals and
metalloids, among which many pollutants. These are present in many parts of the world, presenting
important environmental concerns. Here, an overview of the phenomenon, and a detailed analysis using
nanoscale techniques of the most important Fe and Al colloids formed in AMD, and their environmental
relevance, will be presented.
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Seminario visiting researcher – Alejandro Fernandez-Martinez. Mineral colloids in acid mine drainage: from toxic elements to critical elements
11/04/2024
The acid mine drainage present in the Rio Tinto site from the Tartessian times represent a legacy of metal
pollution of unprecedented importance due to the large volume and high concentrations of toxic elements
mobilized. Here, an overview of the phenomenon, and a detailed analysis using nanoscale techniques of the
most important Fe and Al colloids formed in AMD, and their environmental relevance, will be presented.
Moreover, the acidity of AMD waters facilitates the mobilization of rare earth elements and valuable metals
like copper, potentially paving the path for economically viable site restoration efforts.
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Seminario visiting researcher – Alejandro Fernandez-Martinez. Mineral nucleation and growth in aqueous systems: unveiling the secrets of crystallization
10/04/2024
In the last decade, the use of advanced characterization techniques at the nanoscale allowing to probe early
stages of formation of minerals in supersaturated aqueous solutions has allowed the discovery of non-
classical nucleation pathways. Here, an overview of old vs. new paradigms in the field of mineral formation
will be given, presenting a state-of-the-art of the current physico-chemical understanding of precipitation
phenomena.
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Seminario visiting researcher – Alejandro Fernandez-Martinez. Synchrotron nanoscale characterization techniques for the Earth sciences
03/04/2024
The Pair Distribution Function (PDF) technique, classically used to the study of liquids and amorphous
materials, has seen a renewal interest due to the ability to collect quickly scattering patterns using 2D
detectors at 4th generation synchrotron sources, with enough signal-to-noise ratio to be able to analyse the
diffuse scattering coming from the disordered component of a material. This technique will be introduced
and several examples in the field of mineral nucleation and growth, and of cement hydration, will be shown.
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