Cultural Heritage and Rockfalls: Analysis of Multi-Scale Processes Nearby the Lucus Angitiae Archaeological Site (Central Italy)

Iolanda Gaudiosi,Emiliano Di Luzio,Luca Schilirò

doi:10.3390/geosciences11120521

Iolanda Gaudiosi, Emiliano Di Luzio + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11120521

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Abstract

Archaeological areas in the mountain region of central Italy can be seriously threatened by geological hazards, and efforts are required to preserve cultural heritage. The Lucus Angitiae is a pre-Roman site located along the western edge of the Fucino Basin, the largest continental depression of central Apennines. The carbonate slope overhanging the area is affected by active rockfall processes from two main rock escarpments. In this paper, rockfall assessment was pursued through a 3D kinematic modelling, performed by adopting a probabilistic approach. Specific attention was dedicated to the choice and calibration of the input data, based on field evidence and a literature review. Two different sizes of wedge-shaped rock blocks were identified on rock escarpments, and specific stability analyses were performed. Sensitivity analyses accounting for possible triggering factors, such as water pressure increase and seismic action, were also carried out, together with an investigation of the seismological characteristics of the area. The results of the numerical simulations were used to design effective countermeasures in the framework of a mitigation plan for protection of the archaeological site. Finally, clues of gravity-driven slope deformations at the slope scale were documented, framing the rockfall process in a wider geological scenario.

Highlights

Natural hazards, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis, represent a major concern for the safety and development of human society but, at the same time, pose a serious threat to the conservation of tangible cultural heritage across the world [1].Even landslides may represent a hazardous phenomenon, since they can damage access roads and tourist paths to cultural heritage sites as recently observed, for instance, in theMachu Picchu archeological site [2] or the Cinque Terre area [3]
Results were compared with the rock blocks inventory map
Input data were defined based on geomorphological analysis and a critical review of the scientific literature

Summary

Introduction

Natural hazards, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis, represent a major concern for the safety and development of human society but, at the same time, pose a serious threat to the conservation of tangible cultural heritage across the world [1].Even landslides may represent a hazardous phenomenon, since they can damage access roads and tourist paths to cultural heritage sites as recently observed, for instance, in theMachu Picchu archeological site [2] or the Cinque Terre area [3]. Landslides can directly threaten the integrity of sites located in mountainous regions and relatively high relief areas [4,5,6,7]. For this reason, many efforts are being made for developing interdisciplinary approaches devoted to the assessment of landslide hazard in such areas [8,9,10], through new technologies such as remote sensing techniques [11,12,13,14], with the aim of improving specific management plans [15,16,17]. The archaeological area retains traces of prehistoric huts and graves dating back to the X century

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