We present a novel three‐dimensional anisotropic seismic tomography model of the Mediterranean region, achieved through the simultaneous inversion of P‐wave travel‐times and SKS splitting intensity. This dual approach has allowed us to obtain a comprehensive tomographic model that not only delineates the primary structural features of the area but also sheds light on its tectonic evolution. Our findings reveal that the isotropic component of the model is dominated by fast anomalies associated with retreating, stagnant, and detached slab segments including the Alboran, Apennine, and Alpine slabs in the central and western Mediterranean, and the Dinaric, Carpathian, and Hellenic slabs in the east. Slower mantle structures are associated with slab windows and back‐arc basin formation, such as those observed in the Tyrrhenian, Apennine and Hellenic regions. The recovered anisotropic patterns provide crucial insights into the tectonic history of the Mediterranean, highlighting periods of collision and tectonic relaxation. Notably, we observe a range of plunge angles, with both near‐horizontal and steeply dipping anisotropic fabrics present in different regions, reflecting the influence of horizontal and vertical asthenospheric flow. By interpreting the high‐velocity zones as subducting lithosphere, we construct a detailed 3‐D model of the main slabs and analyzed the surrounding P‐ wave anisotropic patterns. This work represents the first comprehensive anisotropic tomography study of the entire Mediterranean region.

Investigating crustal stress beneath volcanoes is critical to understanding the dynamics of eruptions. To this end, seismology represents a powerful monitoring tool. The opening of fluid-filled fractures due to the interplay of different stress sources produces elastic anisotropy within the crust, affecting the propagation of seismic waves. Here we use probabilistic imaging for the inversion of P-wave travel times to map elastic anisotropy of the magmatic system beneath Mt. Etna (Italy). These images provide localized information about fracture orientations and stress below this active volcano. Comparing inferred stress with independent observations and geodynamic modeling, we show evidence of a pressurized magma storage in a radial dike network between 6 and 16 km depth under the volcano. The radial network of vertical dikes constitutes a system of oriented pathways for the upward migration of magma from the depths, leading to eruptive activity from the summit craters and lateral vents at Mount Etna.

The Campi Flegrei caldera has been experiencing volcanic unrest since 2005, rising concern in the population and in local and national authorities. On May 20, 2024, the largest local earthquake ever instrumentally recorded up to that time produced substantial damage, forcing the evacuation of tens of buildings west of the epicenter. At Campi Flegrei, M > 4 earthquakes are rare and their analysis is crucial to understand the unrest dynamics and the relation between rupture and ground shaking pattern, which is essential to mitigate the damage of future earthquakes. We analyse seismic waveforms at local to regional distances to reconstruct the source geometry and kinematics. We estimate millimetric to submillimetric coseismic surface subsidence– below the sensitivity of any standard geodetic technique– which, compared to the general uplift, highlights the crucial role of deep pressurized fluids in earthquakes’ generation. Our results also indicate that rupture directivity and local amplification determined the damage distribution.

The Campi Flegrei caldera has been experiencing volcanic unrest since 2005, rising concern in the population and in local and national authorities. On May 20, 2024, the largest local earthquake ever instrumentally recorded up to that time produced substantial damage, forcing the evacuation of tens of buildings west of the epicenter. At Campi Flegrei, M > 4 earthquakes are rare and their analysis is crucial to understand the unrest dynamics and the relation between rupture and ground shaking pattern, which is essential to mitigate the damage of future earthquakes. We analyse seismic waveforms at local to regional distances to reconstruct the source geometry and kinematics. We estimate millimetric to submillimetric coseismic surface subsidence– below the sensitivity of any standard geodetic technique– which, compared to the general uplift, highlights the crucial role of deep pressurized fluids in earthquakes’ generation. Our results also indicate that rupture directivity and local amplification determined the damage distribution.

Open-conduit basaltic volcanoes are susceptible to sudden transitions from mild activity to violent explosive eruptions with little to no warning. Such was the case at Stromboli in the summer of 2019, when two paroxysmal explosions occurred within approx- imately two months (July 3 and August 28). We apply coda wave interferometry to identify possible transitions in behavior in the build-up to these events, computing seismic velocity changes using five broadband seismic stations on the volcano between 2013–2022. This timeframe encompasses a range of volcanic activity including effusive activity, major explosions and parox- ysms. Cross-correlation functions are computed both between pairs of stations and single-station cross-components in multiple frequency bands that allow the sampling of different depths (between approximately 100–1000 m) within the plumbing system. Shallow velocity changes (1–2 Hz and 2–4 Hz) reveal mid-to-long term precursors prior to the paroxysms in 2019. For example, we observe that 2–4 Hz velocities recorded at the station closest to the active crater show an increase of 0.2–0.3 % relative to velocities recorded at other stations. This increase is largely accumulated from mid-2017, coinciding with previously observed heightened activity at the volcano, peaking approximately one month prior to the first paroxysm. A long-term decrease is also observed in deeper velocity changes (0.5–1.0 Hz) during the same time interval. It is hypothesized that these changes represent greater magma overpressure from increased volatile input from depth. The different response in the shallow subsurface may reflect a local response due to the same source within the vicinity close of the crater terrace. These findings illustrate how coda wave interferometry can provide meaningful insights into the evolving dynamics of open-conduit basaltic volcanoes.

Most of the scientific literature on the Eastern Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ) mentions a very large earthquake occurring in 1513 or 1514, presumably in the Pazarcik segment. This earthquake could play an important role in the assessment of the EAFZ seismogenic potential, provided its parameters were reliable. However, these parameters have a flimsy historical basis: just a few words of a letter sent from Damascus to Venice in March 1514, reporting severe damage in three towns in south-eastern Anatolia, one of which is hundreds kilometres away from the other two. Despite extensive research into contemporary and later historical sources and the history of monumental buildings of the three towns, we have found no evidence of damage/restoration to monuments predating 1513/1514 in the affected sites. Nor are there mentions of earthquake effects elsewhere in Anatolia and surrounding countries. Contemporary reports—mostly concerned with the 1514/1517 wars between the Ottoman, Safavid and Mamluk empires—make no mention of this earthquake or of any hindrances which its aftermath might have caused to troops marching through the allegedly devastated region (e.g. with regard to procuring supplies and shelter, or to travel difficulties due to damage to road infrastructures, landslides and the like). At the current state of knowledge, we suggest that the only available earthquake description may be either unwittingly overestimated, or possibly a conflation of two smaller earthquakes, with different epicentral locations.

The Garisenda Tower in Bologna, standing 48 meters high with a significant inclination (~4°), is under continuous observation due to alerts from its monitoring system. The tower’s structural health has been the focus of numerous studies aimed at its conservation. This article enhances the understanding of the tower’s deformation state through laser scanning measurements, employing a novel approach. Unlike previous analyses that focused on individual façades, this study evaluates deformation patterns and their evolution from 2010 to 2023, considering the entire structure. The proposed method selects the statistically most reliable height bands for point cloud alignment, ensuring optimal co‑registration into a common reference frame. Difference maps between multitemporal point clouds reveal overall displacements and deformations, suggesting torsion and bending effects along the entire structure. The south side of the tower appears to be the most affected, and the overall condition in 2023 seems worse than in 2012, possibly due to the Emilia‑Romagna earthquake. This new information could be valuable for planning and designing restoration interventions.

Although not specifically conceived for tackling short‐term aftershock incompleteness (STAI), earthquake detection methods such as template matching (TM) and machine learning (ML) can help mitigate the under‐reporting of aftershocks after large earthquakes by detecting low‐magnitude events hidden in seismic noise. So far, the ability of TM and ML to address STAI has not been evaluated against benchmark data sets reconstructed by independent methods. In this study, we use events reconstructed by RESTORE (REal catalogs STOchastic REplenishment), a Python toolbox specifically designed to tackle STAI, as a stochastic benchmark to assess the ability of TM and ML in recovering the bulk statistical properties of aftershocks missed during STAI period. Our results show overall good compatibility between the TM/ML detections and the RESTORE benchmark in the space–time–magnitude domain, though some discrepancies in detection rates and in the upper bounds of magnitudes are noted. This study also highlights the complementary use of stochastic and enhanced detection techniques. Stochastic algorithms like RESTORE can be implemented for immediate STAI mitigation in short‐term forecasting and operational earthquake forecasting, whereas enhanced detection techniques can be used over longer time scales to precisely recover unrecorded events.

The 2020 MW 6.4 Petrinja (Croatia) earthquake induced extensive and diversified liquefaction and lateral spreading phenomena within ≈ 20 km radius from the epicenter. A detailed investigation from field and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveys was carried out by a European researcher team (EUTeam) in the months following the mainshock. This work focuses on 61 surveyed sites: field observations were coupled with laboratory tests for soil classification and sediment composition. The adopted procedure provides an in-depth geological and geotechnical characterization of the liquefied sites in the Petrinja region. The liquefaction evidences are mainly associated to alluvial plain environments, in particular to meander paleochannels, and the ejected material is predominantly siliciclastic, made up of very rounded quartz-rich lithics. Few sites are dominated by angular carbonate rock fragments, related to liquefaction in cataclastic deposits along tectonic fractures. The ejected sediment includes a wide range of grain-size from silt to gravel. The peculiar presence of gravel in the liquefied deposits (up to 28% in some samples) confirms the need of expanding the grain-size boundaries for liquefiable coarse-grained gravelly soils. The information gathered from the post-earthquake surveys and from the sedimentological and geotechnical analysis for each studied site were compiled in organized data sheets, providing a striking instrument for in-depth earthquake studies, both for geological and geotechnical engineering purposes. The format defined for the data sheet can be functional and applicable also in liquefaction studies from different geological and depositional settings.