The study of research institutes on soil deformations and the identification of the geological structures that generated the earthquake of August 24, 2016, through the use of satellite data, continues. The analysis is enriched by the new radar images of the sensors of the Italian COSMO-SkyMed constellation which provide information on the deformation field with great spatial detail thanks to the high resolutions of the system. A deformation linked to a slope instability phenomenon has been highlighted in an area of about 800 meters by 600, located on the side of Monte Vettore
The study of ground deformations and seismic sources linked to the events of 24 August 2016 continues. This activity is coordinated by the Department of Civil Protection (DPC) and is carried out by a team of researchers from the National Research Council (Institute for Electromagnetic Detection of the Environment, CNR-IREA of Naples) and of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), centers of expertise in the fields of satellite radar data processing and seismology, with the support of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) . Following the first results obtained by the CNR-INGV team thanks to the use of radar data from the Japanese satellite ALOS 2 and the European Sentinel-1 satellites of the European Copernicus Programme, the analysis is also enriched by the results obtained thanks to the sensors (operating in band X) of the Italian COSMO-SkyMed constellation, developed by ASI in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence. In particular, by exploiting the Differential SAR Interferometry technique, which is based on the comparison between radar images acquired before the earthquake and images following the event, it was possible to detect ground deformations with centimeter accuracy. In this regard, the co-seismic deformation map was generated, obtained from the radar images acquired by the COSMO-SkyMed satellites from descending orbits on 20 August 2016 (pre-event) and 28 August (post-event). "These results provide information on ground deformations with great spatial detail, thanks to the high resolutions of the COSMO-SkyMed system, and can therefore be particularly relevant for the study of ongoing geological and geophysical processes", explains Riccardo Lanari, director of the CNR- IRE. "The improved resolution of deformation measurement provided by the COSMO-SkyMed satellites allows us to identify localized effects (landslides, reactivated faults) which are continuously checked in the field by our emergency teams", continues Stefano Salvi, INGV technologist manager. To confirm this, the figure shows the deformation map obtained from COSMO-SkyMed data, relating to the area that extends from the Tufo and Pescara del Tronto areas to the Castelluccio area, which thanks to the high resolution of the data elaborated shows very well a localized deformation (identified by the arrow) which is probably linked to a slope instability phenomenon. It is an area that extends for about 800 meters by 600, on the side of Monte Vettore.
"For the acquisition frequency, number of images and resolution, COSMO-SkyMed confirms itself as a national asset of fundamental importance, also for the European and international synergies in emergency management", concludes Alessandro Coletta of ASI, director of the Cosmo- SkyMed.