Abstract
The large scale circulation of thermal waters in Italy is reviewed from both a chemical and an isotopic point of view. Two main areas are recognized: one in the Alpine region and the other in the central-southern Apennine region. The Alps are an area of very high hydraulic heads and low thermal gradients, where hot, deep-seated waters of meteoric origin rapidly reach the surface along active boundary fault systems. The Apennines, in contrast, are characterized by lower hydraulic heads and higher thermal gradients. All thermal springs in Italy (including those in active volcanic areas) originate essentially from meteoric waters, and most follow long pathways in Mesozoic carbonate-anhydritic aquifers before emerging, as indicated by relations among present hydrothermal activity in central-southern Italy, deep crustal structures and P CO 2 content in thermal waters.
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