Groundwater and Dissolved Gases Geochemistry in the Pesaro-Urbino Province (Northern Marche, Central Italy) as a Tool for Seismic Surveillance and Sustainability

Lorenzo Chemeri (), Marco Taussi, Jacopo Cabassi, Francesco Capecchiacci, Antonio Randazzo, Franco Tassi, Alberto Renzulli and Orlando Vaselli
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Lorenzo Chemeri: Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Via Ca’ Le Suore 2/4, 61029 Urbino, Italy
Marco Taussi: Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Via Ca’ Le Suore 2/4, 61029 Urbino, Italy
Jacopo Cabassi: Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources (IGG), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via G. La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy
Francesco Capecchiacci: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via G. La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy
Antonio Randazzo: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via G. La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy
Franco Tassi: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via G. La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy
Alberto Renzulli: Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Via Ca’ Le Suore 2/4, 61029 Urbino, Italy
Orlando Vaselli: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via G. La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 12, 1-26

Abstract: The Pesaro-Urbino province (PUP) (northern Marche, central Italy) is one of the most seismically active areas in Italy, with the most recent earthquakes (5.2 and 5.5 Mw) having occurred on 9 November 2022 with an epicenter located in the Adriatic Sea. A detailed geochemical and isotopic characterization of 87 groundwaters (and dissolved gases) circulating in the PUP was carried out to (i) unravel the geochemical processes controlling the water circulation, (ii) investigate the interplay between deep originated fluids and shallow aquifers, (iii) evaluate the reliability of specific geochemical parameters as tracers for seismic activity, and (iv) select the most suitable sampling sites to deploy a monitoring network to highlight possible compositional changes related to the regional and local tectonic activity. The geochemical dataset includes waters showing five different hydrochemical compositional facies: (i) calcium bicarbonate with low Total Dissolved Solids (TDS); (ii) calcium bicarbonate with relatively high concentrations of sulfate (>200 mg/L); (iii) sodium bicarbonate with pH > 8.8; (iv) calcium sulfate; (v) sodium chlorine. Two distinct groups of dissolved gases can be recognized: (a) N 2 -dominated gases with N 2 /Ar ratios similar to those of Air-Saturated Water (ASW); (b) CO 2 - and CH 4 -rich gases associated with high TDS and springs rich in S-bearing reduced species. The isotopic values of δ 13 C-CO 2 and δ 13 C-CH 4 suggest a predominant biogenic origin for both species with a negligible contribution from deep-seated fluids. The Ca-HCO 3 (SO 4 ), Ca(Na)-SO 4 (Cl), and Na-HCO 3 waters, being likely related to deep hydrological pathways, are the best candidates to be included in the monitoring network in the Pesaro-Urbino province. This will be of paramount importance in addressing the challenge of unravelling fluid geochemical precursors of earthquakes, thus increasing and improving seismic surveillance practices and hazard mitigation.

Keywords: Northern Apennines; hydrogeochemistry; seismic tracers; earthquakes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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