The new Structural Map of Seas Surrounding Italy aims to provide an organic representation of the main tectonic units and geological structures present in the seas surrounding Italy, from the abyssal depths to the submerged ridges, offering an updated and integrated picture of the geological setting of the submerged areas; This is the objective of the new Structural Map of Seas Surrounding Italy, now available online, a fundamental tool for understanding the geological structures that characterise the seabed around Italy. 

The University of Trieste contributed to the creation of the map by collecting and systematising the data available in the scientific literature on the Sardinian-Provençal Basin and integrating them with geophysical information. It also contributed to the study of the southern Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea.

Created by the Department for the Geological Survey of Italy of the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-ISMAR), the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) and the Universities of Genoa, Palermo, Roma Tre and Trieste, the map is the result of years of joint research between public research bodies and Italian universities. 

The Italian peninsula is almost entirely surrounded by sea basins of different ages, depths and geological characteristics. Beneath the surface of the Mediterranean Sea lies a complex system of mountains and submerged volcanoes, escarpments and faults which, over millions of years, have shaped the seabed, generating a wide variety of environments, fundamental for the development of biodiversity, as well as major eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis. In this context, mapping submerged areas represents a crucial step to increase knowledge of the geological evolution of the Mediterranean and of the processes that govern its dynamics.

To produce the map, data available in the literature was integrated in order to provide an overall description of the submerged areas and to improve understanding of the geological relationships between the different areas into which the earth's crust is divided in relation to the types of plates that compose it and their mutual contacts. The map identifies foreland areas, subduction zones, volcanic systems, back-arc basins and Mesozoic ocean basins. The harmonisation and systematisation of the information currently available makes it possible to rely on a scientific reference tool, useful not only for research, but also for planning and managing the marine environment.

The data collected are of strategic value for environmental protection, for the planning and sustainability of offshore infrastructure – such as cables, pipelines and energy installations – and for safety in relation to the risks associated with volcanic and seismic activity, including earthquakes, tsunamis and submarine landslides. The map may also contribute to the exploration of the geo-resources present in the basins surrounding the Italian peninsula, closely linked to the geological history of each basin and to contributions from adjacent land areas and deeper regions of the Earth’s crust.

The new Structural Map of Seas Surrounding Italy stands as a reference document for the scientific community and as a solid basis for the development of further studies and future research. The project is part of the European Marine Strategy, promoting the sharing of open and interoperable data to support scientific research and the ‘blue economy’, including the search for alternative energy sources, for example in identifying sites for wind farms and geothermal plants, as well as for the search for drinking water and other applications. 

The project was developed within the EMODnet Geology programme, part of the European Marine Observation and Data Network, which collects and makes accessible, through a web portal, a large amount of marine geological data acquired over decades in European seas.

https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/en/projects/soil-and-territory/emodnet-geology?set_language=en

https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/use-case/emodnet-geology-helps-characterise-structural-settings-seas-surrounding-italy