Caffarella Valley, located in eastern Rome within the Appia Antica Regional Park, extends over approximately 200 ha and represents a frequented urban green area. Since Roman times, the site has been exploited for underground quarrying of pyroclastic pozzolans and lithified tuffs using the room-and-pillar method. The quarry systems, developed within pozzolanic units, form extensive networks reaching up to three superimposed levels. These cavities were later reused for catacombs, livestock shelters, and mushroom cultivation. Following abandonment, roof degradation led to formation of more than 120 anthropogenic sinkholes, with depths up to 25 m and diameters from 5 to 40 m. Their occurrence within a densely visited park represents a significant geohazard, confirmed by collapse events. To delineate the subsurface quarry network and assess subsidence susceptibility, an integrated survey of cave entrances and accessible galleries was performed. High-resolution three-dimensional mapping was achieved using GeoSLAM technology, integrating LiDAR and photogrammetric data within a mobile platform. Four sectors were surveyed, and datasets were processed and incorporated into a GIS for spatial analysis. Results enabled reconstruction of the quarry network and generation of a sinkhole susceptibility map, providing a basis for hazard assessment and risk mitigation in urban protected areas and supporting effective management strategies.
Natural sinkholes are a widespread geohazard in Italy, complicating landuse planning and risk reduction. This study develops the first national-scale susceptibility map for natural sinkholes using an updated inventory and data-driven modelling. Building on the ISPRA National Sinkhole Database, we assembled more than 14,000 documented features from literature, historical records, imagery and regional datasets. Geological, geomorphological, structural, hydrogeological and geochemical factors were converted into gridded predictors and combined with the inventory through a machine-learning regression framework estimating a continuous susceptibility score. The calibrated model, evaluated on a held-out 20% test subset, produces a susceptibility surface for the Italian territory. Interpretation tools emphasize the importance of soluble rocks, fault-controlled permeability, deep gas emissions and mineralized springs, consistent with previous studies. High-susceptibility zones align with major karst and evaporitic provinces, including the Friuli-Veneto piedmont, northern Apulia, Latium travertine basins and central Sicilian evaporites, whereas western Alpine sectors and Sardinia show very low scores. The map offers a coherent national overview of where natural sinkholes are more likely to occur and provides an operational basis for prioritizing surveys, monitoring programmes and planning measures, while the methodology can be refined to incorporate time-dependent drivers and multi-hazard interactions. These advances support more resilient and sustainable territorial development.
This paper presents a preliminary census of artificial cavities within the municipal territory of Sutri (Latium, Italy). The census, based on a review of historical sources and technical documentation, combined with direct field observations, led to the identification and mapping of more than 120 cavities. The lithological and geotechnical characteristics of the rock mass in which the cavities were excavated, together with the instability mechanisms affecting them, were investigated through field observations and a review of the relevant literature. This analysis led to the development of a conceptual geomechanical model of the rock mass, which was subsequently validated through numerical modelling applied to a representative case study. The results address the lack of a systematic survey of the artificial cavities within the municipal territory of Sutri and propose a simplified approach for assessing the stability conditions of the surveyed cavities.
This study provides a general overview of geomorphological, sedimentological, and tectonic processes which affected the principal peri-Tyrrhenian coastal plains of the Campania Region: the Garigliano, Volturno, and Sele Plains. The primary objective is to compare the long-term evolution of these three alluvial systems by using the Unconformity-Bounded Stratigraphic Units (UBSU) method. Although these depressions originated from synchronous, eastward-migrating back-arc extension and crustal thinning, they are governed by distinct processes. The Garigliano and Volturno Plains exemplify prolonged Quaternary subsidence, where stratigraphic architecture was significantly shaped by large-scale explosive volcanism. In contrast, the Sele Plain exhibits a more complex history, marked by a critical Middle Pleistocene tectonic reversal from a subsiding to a slightly uplifting domain. This comparative analysis, supported by a vast subsurface dataset (approximately 1,200 boreholes), and field mapping, demonstrates how differing evolutionary paths result from the interplay between regional tectonics, eustatic oscillations and sedimentary inputs.
Urban anthropogenic sinkholes are increasingly reported in Messina (Sicily, Italy), where culverted torrents, legacy underground works, and dense utilities intersect a Holocene coastal/alluvial plain. We present an updated, georeferenced inventory of sinkholes within the municipal urban area, built from local press/ web sources and field cross-checks, and we assess spatial relationships with culverted drainage and known urban cavity entrances. To frame site-effects in a seismic setting, we consult the Italian catalogue of earthquake-induced ground failures (CEDIT) and the Italian catalogue of earthquake environmental effects (EEE), which document widespread ground cracking, settlement and liquefaction during major historical earthquakes, notably the 1908 Messina event. Our results highlight clusters along culverted stream corridors and in zones influenced by underground legacy, supporting future scenario-based prioritization of inspections and post-event checks.
