Environmental Geology Applied to Geoconservation in the Interaction Between Geosites and Linear Infrastructures in South-Eastern Italy

Abstract

Southern Italy includes a large variety of geological environments represented by sedimentary, metamorphic, and volcanic rocks. The understanding of the complex geological history leading to the present-day setting of Southern Italy has been achieved through a great number of geological studies carried out on key localities which show geological features of high scientific interest. Often, these key outcrops or geosites fall into highly sensitive and vulnerable areas, especially where linear infrastructures occur, and represented in most cases by railways, roads, and bridges. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the interaction between some significant geosites and linear infrastructures. Therefore, the study takes into account the guidelines provided by ISPRA (Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) and the experience arising from a series of activities and projects carried out by the SIGEA (Italian Society of Environmental Geology). As a first step, we have linked the principles and applications of “environmental geology” with the concept of “geoconservation.” Two case studies have been selected and described. The first case concerns the interaction between the Lagonegro Calabro-Lucana railway bridge (Basilicata Region, Southern Italy) and a deep-seated gravitational slope deformation (DSGSD) affecting the bridge. Thus, the landslide activity is recorded by the progressive deformation of the bridge. The second case is represented by the interaction between the Torre di Lesco cave (Apulia Region, Southern Italy) and Road no. 96 (Altamura-Bari) where the construction for the widening the road led to the discovery of an impressive, hitherto unknown, karstic cave.