The Earthquakes Department is responsible for seismic monitoring on a national scale and for tsunamis that occur in the Mediterranean basin, on which it provides timely information to government bodies and society. It publishes bulletins and detailed reports on seismic activity, manages freely accessible seismological databases with information on historical and instrumental earthquakes. The collected data are used to study the nature and distribution of seismic activity, the causes and the geodynamic context of reference, to improve the understanding of seismic risk. The information obtained from the recorded seismic waves is used to imagine the interior of the Earth and develop models of the Earth's structure.
The research activities embrace a plurality of skills and methods and are grouped into eight thematic areas, in some cases strongly interconnected and in continuous dialogue with each other.
• Structure of the Earth
• Active crustal deformation
• Seismic source
• Seismicity of Italy
• Seismology, geophysics and geology for seismic engineering
•Seismic and tsunami hazard studies
• Variations of crustal characteristics and seismic precursors
• Real Time Seismology
From research that is constantly developing, products and activities are born that have such an impact on society that they become continuous services. The Line of Business Services and Research for the Society takes care of it, promoting its continuous updating, as a link between basic research and society.