Funded by the INGV and co-coordinated by the University of Bologna and the INGV, the new SAKURA research project aims to closely study the part of the Earth's mantle that lies between 80 and 200 kilometers below the planet's surface, with a particular focus on the Mediterranean area and a focus on both the Tyrrhenian Sea, including the regions of Campi Flegrei and Ischia, and the Adriatic Sea.
The asthenosphere, a portion of the Earth's mantle located between 80 and 200 kilometers beneath the planet's surface, influences plate kinematics and dynamics, and thus also the generation of earthquakes and volcanic activity. But how does this part of the Earth's mantle influence geological phenomena on the surface? To answer this question, a new research project was launched—called SAKURA – co-coordinated byUniversity of Bologna, with the Department of Physics and Astronomy "Augusto Righi", and fromNational Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), Bologna section.
SAKURA is a research line of the project ROSE (Reinforcement of the Observational Systems of the Earth), financed by the Fund for Infrastructure Construction and Research of the Ministry of University and ResearchThis interdisciplinary project, which brings together 10 Italian and international research teams, aims to answer fundamental questions about the functioning of planet Earth and to improve our ability to observe it, from its depths to the ionosphere.
"Today we know that the asthenosphere plays a fundamental role in Earth's geological processes, but many questions still remain about its composition, its physical properties, the heat sources within it, and how these elements change in different regions of the planet.", explains Luca De Siena, professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy "Augusto Righi" of the Alma Mater and co-coordinator of the project together with Dr. Irene Molinari of the INGV Bologna. "With SAKURA we want to better understand all these aspects and also clarify the role of the asthenosphere in the heat transfer within the Earth's mantle, in the interactions between plates and in the generation and migration of magma.".
The project will also focus on strengthening infrastructure to provide geophysical data in the Mediterranean, with experiments planned in the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Seas, including the Campi Flegrei and Ischia regions.
"With SAKURA we will launch new geophysical monitoring activities in the Mediterranean“, explains Irene Molinari, researcher at INGV Bologna and co-coordinator of the project.We will install seismic and geodetic stations in previously under-covered areas, conduct an experiment with seabed seismometers (OBS) in the Adriatic, begin construction of innovative gravity measurement instruments, and conduct magnetotelluric surveys in the Campania region. Furthermore, we will collect new paleomagnetic data in the Mediterranean and develop advanced tomographic techniques. These new data will improve our ability to observe and interpret the deep-sea processes that fuel earthquakes and volcanoes.".
Combining geology, geophysics, volcanology, physics, and mathematics, SAKURA researchers will combine seismic and geophysical data collection with the study of igneous rocks, which will be analyzed from both a petrological and geochemical perspective. Furthermore, advanced physical-numerical models will simulate the interactions between the asthenosphere, lithosphere, and magma.
"The goal is to analyze the chemical and physical properties of the asthenosphere, including its viscosity, temperature and composition.”, adds Luca De Siena. “We will thus be able to better understand how this part of the Earth's upper mantle influences plate dynamics, the birth of magma and the generation of earthquakes.".
Subduction processes, which cause one plate to slide beneath another, ocean floor spreading, and plate tectonic transformations will be studied. The information obtained (data and models) will then be used to create simulations of the behavior of the Earth's mantle and the deformation of the lithosphere, the Earth's rigid outer layer, which lies above the asthenosphere.
"Thanks to the results of this project, we will be able to collect data in poorly sampled areas of the Mediterranean and create more accurate models of the behavior of the asthenosphere. This will allow us to better understand both how magma is formed and moves, as well as the dynamics that drive seismic and volcanic processes.", says De Siena again. "This knowledge could contribute to a better management of geological risks and to a more solid understanding of the evolutionary history of the Earth.".
