Site effects and risk assessment for the preservation of cultural heritage in the city of Augusta (Italy)
Site effects and risk assessment for the preservation of cultural heritage in the city of Augusta (Italy)
Recent severe earthquakes (e.g. the 2016-2017 Central Italy seismic sequence, the 2020 Greece earthquake and the 2020 Croatia seismic event) show that South-East Mediterranean countries have the highest seismic risk in Europe, because of their high structural vulnerability and significant seismic hazard. In particular, cultural heritage sites suffered the most devastating damage. For this reason, the evaluation of the seismic hazard and risk is a key aspect for the preservation of cultural heritage. In this work, ground response analyses were performed for cultural heritage sites located in the city of Augusta, which is situated on the eastern cost of Sicily (Italy). Eastern Sicily was characterised in the past by destructive earthquakes (e.g. 1169, 1542, 1624, 1693 and 1818). The last significant seismic event (Mw = 5.6) occurred in this area on December 13, 1990, with the epicentre located in the sea offshore the city of Augusta. In the framework of Seismic Microzonation (SM) studies, the city was divided into Seismically Homogeneous Microzones (SHMs), that are expected to have similar effects in case of earthquakes, and the main cultural heritage sites were identified in the SHMs Map. Then, specific site response numerical analyses were performed for each SHM where the cultural heritage sites were located. The methodology applied in this study gives crucial information for the engineers and planners in developing strategies for the preservation of cultural heritage on a large scale.
Francesco Castelli; Grasso Salvatore; Valentina Lentini; M. S. V. Sammito
4th International Symposium on the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Sites
Geohazards and Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment for Cultural Heritage
https://doi.org/10.53243/tc301-2026-3