Useful preliminary findings from the earthquake sequence in central Italy unveiled by an Italy-US GEER team's engineering reconnaissance

Useful preliminary findings from the earthquake sequence in central Italy unveiled by an Italy-US GEER team's engineering reconnaissance.

From 5 to 9 September 2016, a multi-disciplinary Italy-US team deployed by the NSF-funded Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) association, carried out an engineering reconnaissance on afflicted regions by the M6.2 USGS earthquake sequence in central Italy on August 24 2016. A preliminary report  is now available by GEER to communicate interesting findings across the technical community, emergency responders and general public in just a few weeks after the Enceladus strike.

GEER team experts in geology, seismology, geomatics, geotechnical engineering, and structural engineering methodically combined traditional reconnaissance activities of on-ground field recording and mapping, with advanced aerial imaging technology from drone surveys and other mapping services. Several reconnaissance techniques tested on landslide and rockfall locations, bridge structures and building structures are discussed in the report, which provides opportunities for innovative future study.

Although this preliminary report unveils useful findings on the causative fault system, the surface fault rupture, the recorded ground motions, landslides and rockfalls, and damage spatial patterns on structures, a subsequent report is anticipated with more detailed results and conclusions on the consequences of this devastating event.