The recent Ordinance of the Gallipoli Harbour Office and the Coast Guards with the consequent interdiction for any activities along more than 50 km of the Adriatic Salento coasts brought the widespread instability processes to the attention of the public opinion. The coastal morphology is characterized by vertical rock cliffs, locally with overhanging blocks, articulated in caps and promontories, stacks, inlets and beaches. The evolution of the coastal morphology of the Southern Apulian coasts is mainly related to the rock mass movements, erosion and weathering phenomena due to the abrasive action of the marine spray and the wave action at the cliff foots. A predisposing factor of the instability processes of the cliffs is represented by the outcropping geological formations made of poorly cemented Pleistocenic calcarenites and by the presence of ancient coastal quarries. The instability processes are represented by rock falls, block slidings and toppling. This paper is aimed at exploring the different causes that promote the instability processes and the possible landsliding kinematics, also by means of numerical modelling techniques. The knowledge of the cliff behavior may provide a valuable support for predicting the possible failure occurrence and modeling the coastal morphological evolution.

Rock cliff instability mechanisms and erosional processes along the Adriatic Salento coast (Southern Italy)

ANDRIANI, Gioacchino Francesco;
2014-01-01

Abstract

The recent Ordinance of the Gallipoli Harbour Office and the Coast Guards with the consequent interdiction for any activities along more than 50 km of the Adriatic Salento coasts brought the widespread instability processes to the attention of the public opinion. The coastal morphology is characterized by vertical rock cliffs, locally with overhanging blocks, articulated in caps and promontories, stacks, inlets and beaches. The evolution of the coastal morphology of the Southern Apulian coasts is mainly related to the rock mass movements, erosion and weathering phenomena due to the abrasive action of the marine spray and the wave action at the cliff foots. A predisposing factor of the instability processes of the cliffs is represented by the outcropping geological formations made of poorly cemented Pleistocenic calcarenites and by the presence of ancient coastal quarries. The instability processes are represented by rock falls, block slidings and toppling. This paper is aimed at exploring the different causes that promote the instability processes and the possible landsliding kinematics, also by means of numerical modelling techniques. The knowledge of the cliff behavior may provide a valuable support for predicting the possible failure occurrence and modeling the coastal morphological evolution.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11586/182806
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