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The use of HVSR measurements for investigating buried tectonic structures: the Mirandola anticline, Northern Italy, as a case study

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Abstract

The Mirandola anticline represents a buried fault-propagation fold which has been growing during Quaternary due to the seismogenic activity of a blind segment belonging to the broader Ferrara Arc. The last reactivation occurred during the May 2012 Emilia sequence. In correspondence with this structure, the thickness of the marine and continental deposits of the Po Plain foredeep is particularly reduced. In order to better define the shallow geometry of this tectonic structure, and hence its recent activity, we investigated in a depth range which is intermediate between the surficial morphological observations and seismic profiles information. In particular, we carried out numerous passive seismic measurements (single-station microtremor) for obtaining the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio. The results of a combined analysis of the peak frequency and its amplitude nicely fit the available geological information, suggesting that this low-cost geophysical technique could be successfully applied in other sectors of wide morphologically flat alluvial plains to investigate blind and completely buried potential seismogenic structures.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Luca Martelli and Silvia Castellaro for their valuable and helpful suggestions. The pre-events microzonation study was financially supported by the Municipality of Mirandola and the Italian Dipartimento di Protezione Civile in the frame of an agreement with the regional administrations (OPCM 3907/2010, DGR 1051/2011).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143, Rome, Italy

    G. Tarabusi

  2. Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Ferrara University, Via Saragat 1, 44122, Ferrara, Italy

    G. Tarabusi & R. Caputo

  3. Research and Teaching Center for Earthquake Geology, Tyrnavos, Greece

    R. Caputo

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  1. G. Tarabusi
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  2. R. Caputo
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Correspondence to G. Tarabusi.

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Tarabusi, G., Caputo, R. The use of HVSR measurements for investigating buried tectonic structures: the Mirandola anticline, Northern Italy, as a case study. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 106, 341–353 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-016-1322-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-016-1322-3

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