The Earth is a dynamic continually evolving system, made up internally of rocks of different density and material characteristics subject to different pressures and temperatures. This great lack of internal homogeneity causes forces to develop in the layers nearer the surface, which tend to rebalance the system by pushing the masses of rock against each other, deforming them. The earthquakes are an expression and a consequence of this continual evolution, which occurs over hundreds of thousands and even millions of years.
\nAn earthquake manifests itself as a violent rapid earth tremor and happens unexpectedly without prior notice.
\nSeismic activity only concerns the Earth’s layers nearest the surface, crust and upper mantle. The solid outer layer of the planet’s surface, the lithosphere, is made up of plates that move, collide and push each other and rise up to form wedges.
\nThe movements of the plates cause strain and energy to accumulate deep down below. When the strain is greater than the shear strength, the rocks break to form deep cracks called faults, the accumulated energy is freed and an earthquake occurs. The freed energy travels through the earth in the form of waves that, having reached the surface, manifest themselves as rapid movements of the land that strike people, buildings and the surroundings.
\nAn earthquake, especially a strong one, is characterised by a series of tremors called seismic period, which at times precede and almost always follow the main tremor. The swaying due to the passage of seismic waves causes buildings to be pushed backwards and forwards and causes serious damage or even collapse if the buildings have not been constructed to anti-seismic criteria. Earthquakes also generate secondary effects, such as landslides, tidal waves, land liquefaction and fires that sometimes cause more damage than the tremor itself. At the same distance from the fault where the earthquake was generated (hypocentre) the shaking of building will depend on local conditions, in particular on the kind of surface ground and the shaping of the landscape.
\nTwo different quantities are used to define the force of an earthquake: magnitude and macroseismic intensity. Magnitude is the unit of measurement that expresses the energy released by the earthquake as a number on the Richter scale. Macroseismic intensity is the unit that measures the effects caused by an earthquake, expressed in degrees on the Mercalli scale.
\nTo calculate the magnitude, the earthquake must be recorded on a seismograph, an instrument that records the shaking of the earth during a seismic tremor even at a very great distance from the hypocentre. Whereas, macroseismic intensity is attributed to each place where the earthquake is felt, after having observed its effects on man, buildings and the environment. They are therefore different quantities and cannot be compared.
\n"},"fields":{"slug":"/approfondimento/seismic-risk-phenomenon/"},"field_tabella":null,"relationships":{"field_sottodominio":{"name":"Rischi"},"field_riferimento_traduzione":{"fields":{"slug":"/approfondimento/rischio-sismico-il-fenomeno/"}},"field_immagine_singola":null,"field_mappa":null,"field_accordion":[],"field_tab":[],"field_immagine_dettaglio":{"field_alt":"Fenomeno Rischio sismico","field_didascalia":"Fenomeno Rischio sismico","field_titolo_esteso":"Fenomeno Rischio sismico","relationships":{"image":{"localFile":{"publicURL":"/static/8e62c241d2bde2d8791220af939e214a/sism.jpg","childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"aspectRatio":1.5027322404371584,"src":"/static/8e62c241d2bde2d8791220af939e214a/7bc87/sism.jpg","srcSet":"/static/8e62c241d2bde2d8791220af939e214a/cf463/sism.jpg 275w,\n/static/8e62c241d2bde2d8791220af939e214a/7bc87/sism.jpg 376w","sizes":"(max-width: 376px) 100vw, 376px"}}}}}},"field_immagine_anteprima":null,"field_galleria_flickr":null,"field_galleria_foto":null,"field_galleria_video":null,"field_allegati":[],"field_correlazioni":[{"__typename":"node__approfondimento","title":"Seismic Classification","field_titolo_esteso":"Seismic Classification","body":{"processed":"In order to reduce the effects of an earthquake, the State has concentrated its action on territorial classification, based on past earthquakes' intensity and frequency, and on the application of special regulations of buildings in areas classified as seismic.
\nItaly's anti-seismic regulations, alined with the most modern ones at international level, establishes technical rules according to which a building should bear minor earthquakes without serious damages, and major ones without collapsing, first of all safeguarding human lives.
Up to 2003 the national territory was classified in three seismic categories with different forces. Ministerial Decrees issued by the Ministry of Public Works between 1981 and 1984 had classified totally 2,965 Italian municipalities on 8,102, that correspond to the 45% of the national territory, in which the 40% of the population lives.
\nNew criteria for seismic classification were published in 2003. They are based on recent studies and processing regarding seismic dangerousness of the territory, i.e. the analysis of the likelihood that a territory may be affected, during a given time interval - generally 50 years - by an event that exceeds a given intensity or magnitude threshold.
\nThe Order of the President of the Council of Ministers no. 3274 of 20 March 2003 was published for this purporse on the Official Gazette no. 105 of 8 May 2003.
The legal measure contains the main principles according to which the Regions, appointed by the State to adopt the territorial seismic classificiation (Legislative Decree no 122 of 1998 and Decree of the President of the Republic no. 380 of 2001 - \"Testo Unico delle Norme per l’Edilizia”), have filled out a list of municipalities with the zone each of them belongs to, with a decreasing standard of dangerousness. The entire national territory has been classifiied according to it.
\nZone 1 - It the most dangerous area, where major earthquakes may occur.
Zone 2 - Municipalities in this area may be affected by quite strong earthquakes.
Zone 3 - Municipalities in this area may be subject to modest shocks.
Zone 4 - It is the least dangerous. Municipalities of this area have a low probability of seismic damages.
De facto, there is no such thing as an “unclassified” area, that becomes zone 4 here, within which the Regions have the power of making the antiseismic planning mandatory. Moreover, each zone has a value of the seismic action useful for the above planning, expressed in terms of maximum acceleration in rock (zone 1=0,35 g, zone 2=0,25 g. zone 3=0,15 g, zone 4=0,05 g).
\nThe carrying out of the ordinance no.3274 of 2003 allowed to reduce considerably the distance between scientific knowledge and its application in regulatory tools and to project and build safer buildings, thanks also to innovative technologies.
\nNovelties introduces by the ordinance have been refined further on, thanks also to the studies carried out by the competence centres (Ingv, Reluis, Eucentre). An update of the study of dangerousness at national level (Gruppo di Lavoro, 2004), provided for by the Opcm 3274/03, was adopted with the Ordinance of President of the Council of Ministers no. 3519 of 28 April 2006.
\nThe new study, attached to the Opcm no. 3519, supplied the Regions with an updated tool for territorial classification, introducing intervals of acceleration (ag), with a probability of exceeding the threshold equal to 10% in 50 years, to be assigned to the 4 seismic areas.
Division of the seismic areas according to the acceleration of peak on rigid ground (OPCM 3519/06 attached) - see the chart below
\nBased on addresses and criteria established at national level, some Regions have classified the territory in four zones, as described in the table, and some other have classified it by adopting three zones, and introducing, in some cases, subzones to better adapt regulations to seismicity features.
\nDetails and meanings of zonation according to each Region are contained in the regulatory regional dispositions (ita) (15 Kb).
\nRegardless of the regional choice, each zone or subzone has a core dangerousness value, expressed in terms of maximum acceleration on rigid ground (ag). This value does not influence planning.
Current Technical Regulations for Buildings (Ministerial Decree of 14 January 2008), in fact, have indeed modified the role that seismic classification had for planning purposes: for each zone – and thus municipal territory – a value of peak acceleration, and consequently a spectrum of elastic response, was previously supplied to calculate seismic actions.
\nAs of 1 July 2009, 2008 Technical Regulations for Buildings came into force: each building has its own acceleration, according to geographical coordinates of the project area and to the nominal design life of a building: the degree of core dangerousness, then, can be defined for each point of the national territory, within an area of 5 sq. metres, regardless of local administrative borders.
\nSeismic classification (which seismic zone a municipality belongs to) is thus useful only for planning management and territorial control by relevant boards (Region, Genio, etc.).
In order to reduce the effects of an earthquake, the State has concentrated its action on territorial classification, based on past earthquakes' intensity and frequency, and on the application of special regulations of buildings in areas classified as seismic.
\r\nItaly's anti-seismic regulations, alined with the most modern ones at international level, establishes technical rules according to which a building should bear minor earthquakes without serious damages, and major ones without collapsing, first of all safeguarding human lives.
\r\n
\r\nUp to 2003 the national territory was classified in three seismic categories with different forces. Ministerial Decrees issued by the Ministry of Public Works between 1981 and 1984 had classified totally 2,965 Italian municipalities on 8,102, that correspond to the 45% of the national territory, in which the 40% of the population lives.
\r\nNew criteria for seismic classification were published in 2003. They are based on recent studies and processing regarding seismic dangerousness of the territory, i.e. the analysis of the likelihood that a territory may be affected, during a given time interval - generally 50 years - by an event that exceeds a given intensity or magnitude threshold.
\r\nThe Order of the President of the Council of Ministers no. 3274 of 20 March 2003 was published for this purporse on the Official Gazette no. 105 of 8 May 2003.
\r\n
\r\nThe legal measure contains the main principles according to which the Regions, appointed by the State to adopt the territorial seismic classificiation (Legislative Decree no 122 of 1998 and Decree of the President of the Republic no. 380 of 2001 - \"Testo Unico delle Norme per l’Edilizia”), have filled out a list of municipalities with the zone each of them belongs to, with a decreasing standard of dangerousness. The entire national territory has been classifiied according to it.
Zone 1 - It the most dangerous area, where major earthquakes may occur.
\r\nZone 2 - Municipalities in this area may be affected by quite strong earthquakes.
\r\nZone 3 - Municipalities in this area may be subject to modest shocks.
\r\nZone 4 - It is the least dangerous. Municipalities of this area have a low probability of seismic damages.
De facto, there is no such thing as an “unclassified” area, that becomes zone 4 here, within which the Regions have the power of making the antiseismic planning mandatory. Moreover, each zone has a value of the seismic action useful for the above planning, expressed in terms of maximum acceleration in rock (zone 1=0,35 g, zone 2=0,25 g. zone 3=0,15 g, zone 4=0,05 g).
\r\n\r\nThe carrying out of the ordinance no.3274 of 2003 allowed to reduce considerably the distance between scientific knowledge and its application in regulatory tools and to project and build safer buildings, thanks also to innovative technologies.
\r\n\r\nNovelties introduces by the ordinance have been refined further on, thanks also to the studies carried out by the competence centres (Ingv, Reluis, Eucentre). An update of the study of dangerousness at national level (Gruppo di Lavoro, 2004), provided for by the Opcm 3274/03, was adopted with the Ordinance of President of the Council of Ministers no. 3519 of 28 April 2006.
\r\nThe new study, attached to the Opcm no. 3519, supplied the Regions with an updated tool for territorial classification, introducing intervals of acceleration (ag), with a probability of exceeding the threshold equal to 10% in 50 years, to be assigned to the 4 seismic areas.
\r\n
\r\nDivision of the seismic areas according to the acceleration of peak on rigid ground (OPCM 3519/06 attached) - see the chart below
Based on addresses and criteria established at national level, some Regions have classified the territory in four zones, as described in the table, and some other have classified it by adopting three zones, and introducing, in some cases, subzones to better adapt regulations to seismicity features.
\r\nDetails and meanings of zonation according to each Region are contained in the regulatory regional dispositions (ita) (15 Kb).
\r\nRegardless of the regional choice, each zone or subzone has a core dangerousness value, expressed in terms of maximum acceleration on rigid ground (ag). This value does not influence planning.
\r\n
\r\nCurrent Technical Regulations for Buildings (Ministerial Decree of 14 January 2008), in fact, have indeed modified the role that seismic classification had for planning purposes: for each zone – and thus municipal territory – a value of peak acceleration, and consequently a spectrum of elastic response, was previously supplied to calculate seismic actions.
\r\nAs of 1 July 2009, 2008 Technical Regulations for Buildings came into force: each building has its own acceleration, according to geographical coordinates of the project area and to the nominal design life of a building: the degree of core dangerousness, then, can be defined for each point of the national territory, within an area of 5 sq. metres, regardless of local administrative borders.
\r\nSeismic classification (which seismic zone a municipality belongs to) is thus useful only for planning management and territorial control by relevant boards (Region, Genio, etc.).
The Italian National Accelerometric Network - Ran is the monitoring network of the seismic response of Italian territory, based on ground acceleration.
\nRecorded data allow to describe the shaking in epicentral area in detail and to estimate expected effects on constructions and infrastructures. Moreover, they are useful for seismology and seismic engineering studies, and can help defining seismic actions to be applied in structural calculations for the reconstruction.
\nThe Ran is distributed across the Italian territory, and more densely in high seismicity zones. The network is managed by specialized technicians of the Italian Civil Protection Deptartment.
\nConfiguration. The Ran network consists of over 700 digital stations equipped with an accelerometer, a digitizer, a modem/router with an antenna to transfer digitized data via GPRS, and a GPS receiver to associate UTC universal time with the data and measure the station's latitude and longitude. Some of these are located inside Enel Distribuzione electrical substations, while others are located on public land.
\nData reach the central RAN server in the headquarters of the Italian Civil Protection Department, where they are stored and automatically processed in order to get an estimate of the main parameters describing the seismic event.
\nData from other publicly owned accelerometer networks flow into the Ran database in near real time, based on programmatic agreements and conventions. The parameters and waveforms are automatically stored in the central database and then made available on this website: ran.protezionecivile.it.
\n","value":"The Italian National Accelerometric Network - Ran is the monitoring network of the seismic response of Italian territory, based on ground acceleration.
\r\n
\r\nRecorded data allow to describe the shaking in epicentral area in detail and to estimate expected effects on constructions and infrastructures. Moreover, they are useful for seismology and seismic engineering studies, and can help defining seismic actions to be applied in structural calculations for the reconstruction.
\r\n
\r\nThe Ran is distributed across the Italian territory, and more densely in high seismicity zones. The network is managed by specialized technicians of the Italian Civil Protection Deptartment.
\r\n
\r\nConfiguration. The Ran network consists of over 700 digital stations equipped with an accelerometer, a digitizer, a modem/router with an antenna to transfer digitized data via GPRS, and a GPS receiver to associate UTC universal time with the data and measure the station's latitude and longitude. Some of these are located inside Enel Distribuzione electrical substations, while others are located on public land.
\r\n
\r\nData reach the central RAN server in the headquarters of the Italian Civil Protection Department, where they are stored and automatically processed in order to get an estimate of the main parameters describing the seismic event.
\r\n
\r\nData from other publicly owned accelerometer networks flow into the Ran database in near real time, based on programmatic agreements and conventions. The parameters and waveforms are automatically stored in the central database and then made available on this website: ran.protezionecivile.it.
The Seismic Observatory of Structures (Oss) was conceived, designed, and managed by the technical staff of the Department's Seismic Risk Unit, which implemented it with own funds and European tenders. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Regions, Local and other Public Bodies co-operate to choose structures for the permanent Oss network and for the temporary emergency network, sometimes contributing financially and operationally. Through a special maintenance service, a very high efficiency rate is granted to the network (around 97%).
\nThrough the Oss national network, the Civil Protection Department monitors the oscillations caused by earthquake in 173 publicly owned buildings: 160 buildings (including 70 schools, equal to 44%, 46 municipal buildings and prefectures, equal to 29%, 29 hospitals, equal to 18%, and 15 other types, equal to 9%), as well as 7 bridges and 6 dams. These buildings are located in municipalities classified mainly in seismic zones 1 (35%) and 2 (54%).
\n","value":"The Seismic Observatory of Structures (Oss) was conceived, designed, and managed by the technical staff of the Department's Seismic Risk Unit, which implemented it with own funds and European tenders. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Regions, Local and other Public Bodies co-operate to choose structures for the permanent Oss network and for the temporary emergency network, sometimes contributing financially and operationally. Through a special maintenance service, a very high efficiency rate is granted to the network (around 97%).
\r\n\r\nThrough the Oss national network, the Civil Protection Department monitors the oscillations caused by earthquake in 173 publicly owned buildings: 160 buildings (including 70 schools, equal to 44%, 46 municipal buildings and prefectures, equal to 29%, 29 hospitals, equal to 18%, and 15 other types, equal to 9%), as well as 7 bridges and 6 dams. These buildings are located in municipalities classified mainly in seismic zones 1 (35%) and 2 (54%).
\r\n"},"field_abstract":null,"field_data":"2016-07-24T23:20:00+02:00","field_categoria_primaria":"approfondimento","field_codice_lingua":true,"fields":{"slug":"/approfondimento/oss-seismic-observatory-structures/"},"relationships":{"field_sottodominio":{"name":"Rischi"},"field_immagine_anteprima":null,"field_immagine_dettaglio":null}},{"__typename":"node__approfondimento","title":"Seismic microzonation","field_titolo_esteso":"Seismic microzonation","body":{"processed":"After an earthquake, the observation of damages on constructions and infrastructures often highlights substantial differences in different built-up areas, even at short distance among them. In some cases, noteworthy collapses and damages occurred in places lying at great distance from the epicentre.
\nIn occasion of L'Aquila earthquake of 6 April 2009, these type of situations were found both in the municipal territory of L'Aquila and in some distant municipalities, such as S.Pio delle Camere, the fraction of Castelnuovo (about 30 km SE of the epicentre). The quality of buildings definitely plays a major role in the damage entity, but often causes are linked to the local seismic dangerousness, determined also by the different earthquake propagation, or by the instability of the soil.
These considerations are part of the studies of Seismic Microzonation (SM), though which it is possibile to pick out and characterize stable areas, stable areas susceptible to local amplification and areas subject to instability, such as landslides, surface fractures and soil liquefaction.
\nHistorical studies of Seismic Microzonation
\nIssues handled in the studies of Seismic Microzonation have had a strong development at scientific level over the last 40 years, although the importance of characteristics of resistance and soil seismic stability was highlighted also in the past. Starting from XVIII century, with the rise of the Enlightenment vision of natural phenomena, it was clear to experts that local conditions of foundation soils considerably affected the earthquake effects. Even one cenrury ago, informative criteria of the Technical Regulations approved with royal decree on 18 April 1909, no. 193, following the catastrophic earthquake of Messina and Reggio Calabria of 1908, reported the prohibition of new constructions and reconstructions “on soil above or close to ruptures, loose or o apt to fall, or to communicate to buildings vibrations and stresses depending on different geological constitution or different resistance of the single parts”.
\nInternationally, a 1969 study by American scholars of the 1957 S. Francisco earthquake pointed out that within the same city, a few hundred meters apart, the same earthquake had caused significantly different shaking depending on the thicknesses and geomechanical characteristics of the soils present in the more superficial layers. Since then, many studies have been carried out on severe earthquakes (e.g., Friuli, 1976; Irpinia, 1980; Mexico City, 1985; Kobe, Japan, 1992; Izmit, Turkey, 1999; San Giuliano di Puglia, 2002), and data have been collected showing how local land characteristics can dramatically alter seismic action.
The objectives of Seismic Microzonation
\nSeismic microzonation studies aim to streamline knowledge about the alterations that seismic shaking can experience on the surface, providing helpful information for land use governance, design, emergency planning, and post-earthquake reconstruction.
In territorial planning, depending on the several scales and levels of intervention, Seismic Microzonation studies are conducted on those areas for which the regulatory framework allows or foresees their use for building or infrastructure purposes, their potential transformation for these purposes, or anticipates their use for civil protection purposes.
\nMS studies are of paramount importance in the planning process to:
\n- direct the selection of areas for new settlements
\n- define allowable interventions in each area
\n- plan investigations and levels of depth
\n- determine guidelines and procedures for intervention in urbanized areas
\n- define priorities for intervention.
All these are the topics of Seismic Microzonation (MS) studies, through which it is possible to identify and qualify stable zones, stable zones susceptible to local amplification, and zones subject to instability, such as landslides, fault surface ruptures, and dynamic soil liquefaction.
\nIn emergency planning, whether at the municipal or provincial level, MS studies allow for better and more informed identification of an emergency plan's strategic elements and civil protection resources in general.
\nAwareness of the possible local effects induced by a seismic event on an area contributes to:
\n- select emergency areas and facilities and strategic buildings in stable areas
\n- identify \"critical\" sections of road and service infrastructure and relevant works for which specific safety evaluations might be needed in the event of a collapse.
In the reconstruction phase, Seismic Microzonation:
\n- contributes to the selection of areas for temporary housing
\n- provides elements to engineers and administrators on the suitability of reconstructing unusable buildings
\n- helps to choose new building areas.
\nIn planning new works or interventions on existing works, Seismic Microzonation studies emphasize the presence of phenomena of possible amplification of shaking linked to the lithostratigraphic and morphological characteristics of the area and phenomena of instability and permanent deformation activated by the earthquake. Seismic Microzonation studies, therefore, can offer relevant elements for the design of works, with different impacts depending on the level of depth and characteristics of the works, addressing the choice of detailed investigations.
The Seismic Microzonation study is a cognitive tool with different potentials, which has different costs depending on the desired level of in-depth study:
\n- level 1 is a preparatory level to the actual MS studies, as it involves a collection of pre-existing data, processed to divide the territory into qualitatively homogeneous micro areas
\n- level 2 introduces the quantitative element associated with the homogeneous zones, using additional and targeted investigations where necessary, and defines an accurate MS map
\n- level 3 provides an MS map with insights into particular issues or areas.
\nWhen deciding on the execution of the study, the utility that can be gained from it should be kept in mind when determining the level of in-depth study to compare it with the costs to be faced. The improved knowledge produced by MS studies can contribute concretely, along with vulnerability and exposure studies, to optimizing resources available for interventions focused on seismic risk mitigation. The technical procedures for the execution and application of MS on the Italian territory are defined by the Guidelines for Seismic Microzonation, \"Indirizzi e Criteri per la Microzonazione Sismica,\" recently approved by the Civil Protection Department and the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces (MS Working Group, 2008).
After an earthquake, the observation of damages on constructions and infrastructures often highlights substantial differences in different built-up areas, even at short distance among them. In some cases, noteworthy collapses and damages occurred in places lying at great distance from the epicentre.
\r\nIn occasion of L'Aquila earthquake of 6 April 2009, these type of situations were found both in the municipal territory of L'Aquila and in some distant municipalities, such as S.Pio delle Camere, the fraction of Castelnuovo (about 30 km SE of the epicentre). The quality of buildings definitely plays a major role in the damage entity, but often causes are linked to the local seismic dangerousness, determined also by the different earthquake propagation, or by the instability of the soil.
\r\n
\r\nThese considerations are part of the studies of Seismic Microzonation (SM), though which it is possibile to pick out and characterize stable areas, stable areas susceptible to local amplification and areas subject to instability, such as landslides, surface fractures and soil liquefaction.
\r\n
\r\nHistorical studies of Seismic Microzonation
\r\nIssues handled in the studies of Seismic Microzonation have had a strong development at scientific level over the last 40 years, although the importance of characteristics of resistance and soil seismic stability was highlighted also in the past. Starting from XVIII century, with the rise of the Enlightenment vision of natural phenomena, it was clear to experts that local conditions of foundation soils considerably affected the earthquake effects. Even one cenrury ago, informative criteria of the Technical Regulations approved with royal decree on 18 April 1909, no. 193, following the catastrophic earthquake of Messina and Reggio Calabria of 1908, reported the prohibition of new constructions and reconstructions “on soil above or close to ruptures, loose or o apt to fall, or to communicate to buildings vibrations and stresses depending on different geological constitution or different resistance of the single parts”.
\r\nInternationally, a 1969 study by American scholars of the 1957 S. Francisco earthquake pointed out that within the same city, a few hundred meters apart, the same earthquake had caused significantly different shaking depending on the thicknesses and geomechanical characteristics of the soils present in the more superficial layers. Since then, many studies have been carried out on severe earthquakes (e.g., Friuli, 1976; Irpinia, 1980; Mexico City, 1985; Kobe, Japan, 1992; Izmit, Turkey, 1999; San Giuliano di Puglia, 2002), and data have been collected showing how local land characteristics can dramatically alter seismic action.
The objectives of Seismic Microzonation
\r\nSeismic microzonation studies aim to streamline knowledge about the alterations that seismic shaking can experience on the surface, providing helpful information for land use governance, design, emergency planning, and post-earthquake reconstruction.
In territorial planning, depending on the several scales and levels of intervention, Seismic Microzonation studies are conducted on those areas for which the regulatory framework allows or foresees their use for building or infrastructure purposes, their potential transformation for these purposes, or anticipates their use for civil protection purposes.
\r\nMS studies are of paramount importance in the planning process to:
\r\n- direct the selection of areas for new settlements
\r\n- define allowable interventions in each area
\r\n- plan investigations and levels of depth
\r\n- determine guidelines and procedures for intervention in urbanized areas
\r\n- define priorities for intervention.
All these are the topics of Seismic Microzonation (MS) studies, through which it is possible to identify and qualify stable zones, stable zones susceptible to local amplification, and zones subject to instability, such as landslides, fault surface ruptures, and dynamic soil liquefaction.
\r\n\r\nIn emergency planning, whether at the municipal or provincial level, MS studies allow for better and more informed identification of an emergency plan's strategic elements and civil protection resources in general.
\r\nAwareness of the possible local effects induced by a seismic event on an area contributes to:
\r\n- select emergency areas and facilities and strategic buildings in stable areas
\r\n- identify \"critical\" sections of road and service infrastructure and relevant works for which specific safety evaluations might be needed in the event of a collapse.
In the reconstruction phase, Seismic Microzonation:
\r\n- contributes to the selection of areas for temporary housing
\r\n- provides elements to engineers and administrators on the suitability of reconstructing unusable buildings
\r\n- helps to choose new building areas.
\r\nIn planning new works or interventions on existing works, Seismic Microzonation studies emphasize the presence of phenomena of possible amplification of shaking linked to the lithostratigraphic and morphological characteristics of the area and phenomena of instability and permanent deformation activated by the earthquake. Seismic Microzonation studies, therefore, can offer relevant elements for the design of works, with different impacts depending on the level of depth and characteristics of the works, addressing the choice of detailed investigations.
The Seismic Microzonation study is a cognitive tool with different potentials, which has different costs depending on the desired level of in-depth study:
\r\n- level 1 is a preparatory level to the actual MS studies, as it involves a collection of pre-existing data, processed to divide the territory into qualitatively homogeneous micro areas
\r\n- level 2 introduces the quantitative element associated with the homogeneous zones, using additional and targeted investigations where necessary, and defines an accurate MS map
\r\n- level 3 provides an MS map with insights into particular issues or areas.
\r\nWhen deciding on the execution of the study, the utility that can be gained from it should be kept in mind when determining the level of in-depth study to compare it with the costs to be faced. The improved knowledge produced by MS studies can contribute concretely, along with vulnerability and exposure studies, to optimizing resources available for interventions focused on seismic risk mitigation. The technical procedures for the execution and application of MS on the Italian territory are defined by the Guidelines for Seismic Microzonation, \"Indirizzi e Criteri per la Microzonazione Sismica,\" recently approved by the Civil Protection Department and the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces (MS Working Group, 2008).
Italy has an invaluable cultural heritage, made of our historic centers. Still today, it is not possible to quantify its consistency and quality. This led the Civil Protection Department to create with the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, a web application \"Centri Storici e Rischio Sismico - Csrs\" (Historical Centres and Seismic Risk - CSR) to share with all levels of government in the area.
\nWeb application
\nThe Csrs Historical Centers and Seismic Risk web page was created as a shared investigative tool to complete and update through a national network of information exchange between different levels of territorial government (Civil Protection Department, Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, Regions, Provinces, Local Authorities), the database \"Atlas of historical centers exposed to seismic risk\". The database is designed to support a model of analysis regarding the risk of \"cultural interest\" loss for historical centers exposed to earthquakes.
The census of historic centers exposed to risk draws on the results of collaborative activities provided for in the Agreement for the establishment, management, and development of databases of common interest for the purpose of assessing risks in the territory, signed on November 21, 2013.
\n","value":"Italy has an invaluable cultural heritage, made of our historic centers. Still today, it is not possible to quantify its consistency and quality. This led the Civil Protection Department to create with the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, a web application \"Centri Storici e Rischio Sismico - Csrs\" (Historical Centres and Seismic Risk - CSR) to share with all levels of government in the area.
\r\n
\r\nWeb application
\r\nThe Csrs Historical Centers and Seismic Risk web page was created as a shared investigative tool to complete and update through a national network of information exchange between different levels of territorial government (Civil Protection Department, Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, Regions, Provinces, Local Authorities), the database \"Atlas of historical centers exposed to seismic risk\". The database is designed to support a model of analysis regarding the risk of \"cultural interest\" loss for historical centers exposed to earthquakes.
The census of historic centers exposed to risk draws on the results of collaborative activities provided for in the Agreement for the establishment, management, and development of databases of common interest for the purpose of assessing risks in the territory, signed on November 21, 2013.
\r\n"},"field_abstract":null,"field_data":"2016-07-31T15:50:00+02:00","field_categoria_primaria":"approfondimento","field_codice_lingua":true,"fields":{"slug":"/approfondimento/census-historical-centres-exposed-seismic-risk/"},"relationships":{"field_sottodominio":{"name":"Rischi"},"field_immagine_anteprima":null,"field_immagine_dettaglio":null}},{"__typename":"node__approfondimento","title":"National Plan for seismic risk prevention","field_titolo_esteso":"National Plan for seismic risk prevention","body":{"processed":"The seismic risk prevention fund.
Article 11 of Law No 77 of June 24, 2009 converting Decree Law No. 39 of 28 April 2009 for the reconstruction of Abruzzo, provides that interventions for the prevention of seismic risk are financed throughout the country, by means of a fund established in the budget of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The authorized expenditure is 44 million euro for 2010, 145.1 million euro for 2011, 195.6 million euro for each of the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, 145.1 million euro for 2015 and 44 million euro for 2016. The implementation of Article 11 is entrusted to the Civil Protection Department and regulated by orders of the President of the Council of Ministers. The total amount is 965 million euros. However, although considerable compared to the past, it represents only a small percentage, less than 1% of the need that is necessary for the complete seismic adjustment of all buildings, public and private, and strategic infrastructure works. This operation will allow the safety of other public structures continuing the programs already started after the earthquake of S. Giuliano di Puglia and will encourage a decisive step forward in the growth of a seismic prevention culture by the population and public administrators.
\nWith order of the President of the Council of Ministers No. 3843 of 19 January 2010 a Commission of experts on seismic risk has been established, which has defined objectives and general criteria for an effective prevention action to be implemented with the funds made available by art. 11. The objectives identified by the Commission concern, in particular, the mitigation of seismic risk through actions and interventions only marginally developed in past years, such as: seismic microzonation studies for the selection of suitable places to build and interventions on private buildings, through direct economic contributions for the strengthening or improvement of seismic structures. The use of art. 11 funds is regulated by orders of the President of the Council of Ministers, in compliance with the objectives and criteria defined by the Commission of experts. Following the publication of the orders that regulate the use of funds from the seven annual installments, Order of the Head of Department No 675 of May 18, 2020, was issued and published in the Official Gazette on May 25, 2020. This order aims to optimize the actions initiated over the years by introducing flexibility mechanisms in the use of resources allocated to the regions.
\nThe seismic risk prevention fund, by Law No. 145 of December 30, 2018, has been refinanced for 50 million euros starting in 2019. The funds available and the related actions for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 annuities are governed by Order of the Head of Department No. 780 of May 20, 2021, published in the Official Gazette of June 17, 2021.
\nThe pages relating to the funds disbursed for each year contain: reference standards, documents and tools made available for the implementation of the planned prevention measures, in compliance with standards and criteria shared with the Regions and Autonomous Provinces.
\n> Visit the Q&A dedicated to general features of funding
> Visit the Q&A dedicated to interventions on buildings and public works
\n> Visit the Q&A dedicated to interventions on private buildings
The seismic risk prevention fund.
\r\nArticle 11 of Law No 77 of June 24, 2009 converting Decree Law No. 39 of 28 April 2009 for the reconstruction of Abruzzo, provides that interventions for the prevention of seismic risk are financed throughout the country, by means of a fund established in the budget of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The authorized expenditure is 44 million euro for 2010, 145.1 million euro for 2011, 195.6 million euro for each of the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, 145.1 million euro for 2015 and 44 million euro for 2016. The implementation of Article 11 is entrusted to the Civil Protection Department and regulated by orders of the President of the Council of Ministers. The total amount is 965 million euros. However, although considerable compared to the past, it represents only a small percentage, less than 1% of the need that is necessary for the complete seismic adjustment of all buildings, public and private, and strategic infrastructure works. This operation will allow the safety of other public structures continuing the programs already started after the earthquake of S. Giuliano di Puglia and will encourage a decisive step forward in the growth of a seismic prevention culture by the population and public administrators.
\r\n
\r\nWith order of the President of the Council of Ministers No. 3843 of 19 January 2010 a Commission of experts on seismic risk has been established, which has defined objectives and general criteria for an effective prevention action to be implemented with the funds made available by art. 11. The objectives identified by the Commission concern, in particular, the mitigation of seismic risk through actions and interventions only marginally developed in past years, such as: seismic microzonation studies for the selection of suitable places to build and interventions on private buildings, through direct economic contributions for the strengthening or improvement of seismic structures. The use of art. 11 funds is regulated by orders of the President of the Council of Ministers, in compliance with the objectives and criteria defined by the Commission of experts. Following the publication of the orders that regulate the use of funds from the seven annual installments, Order of the Head of Department No 675 of May 18, 2020, was issued and published in the Official Gazette on May 25, 2020. This order aims to optimize the actions initiated over the years by introducing flexibility mechanisms in the use of resources allocated to the regions.
The seismic risk prevention fund, by Law No. 145 of December 30, 2018, has been refinanced for 50 million euros starting in 2019. The funds available and the related actions for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 annuities are governed by Order of the Head of Department No. 780 of May 20, 2021, published in the Official Gazette of June 17, 2021.
\r\n\r\nThe pages relating to the funds disbursed for each year contain: reference standards, documents and tools made available for the implementation of the planned prevention measures, in compliance with standards and criteria shared with the Regions and Autonomous Provinces.
\r\n\r\n> Visit the Q&A dedicated to general features of funding
\r\n> Visit the Q&A dedicated to interventions on buildings and public works
\r\n> Visit the Q&A dedicated to interventions on private buildings