Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Stress‐induced temperature variations in groundwater of the Monferrato area (north‐western Italy)

2011; Hindawi Publishing Corporation; Volume: 12; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1468-8123.2011.00348.x

1468-8123

Sofia De Gregorio, Cinzia Federico, Santo Cappuzzo, Rocco Favara, Gaetano Giudice, Sergio Gurrieri, E. Boschi,

Earthquake Detection and Analysis

Abstract Although characterized by low seismicity, the Monferrato area of north‐western Italy was affected by earthquakes, of magnitude M 5.1 and M 4.8, in 2000 and 2001. At the same time, marked changes were recorded in water temperature and chemistry in several wells within the epicentral area. In May 2004, an automatic network for the continuous monitoring of groundwater was installed in selected wells to study the phenomenon. Here, we report on data collected during a 3‐year period of groundwater monitoring. During the first year, episodes of water heating (by up to 20°C) were observed in one monitored well. The temporal analysis of the seismic activity recorded in the area revealed as almost all seismic events occurred during the period of elevated water temperatures. The similar timing of earthquakes and groundwater‐temperature anomalies suggests that both may be triggered by the same processes acting in the crust.