Role of Inherited Tectonic Structures on Gravity-Induced Slope Deformations: Inference from Numerical Modeling on the Luco dei Marsi DSGSD (Central Apennines)

Abstract

A pre-existing and inherited geostructural setting plays a fundamental role in preparing and developing large-scale slope deformational processes. These structures affect the kinematics of the process, the geometrical characteristics, and the geomorphological evolution. In the Apennine Belt, several deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs) that have evolved under a clear structural control have been recognized during the last decades, but none with a continuous and well-defined basal shear zone (BSZ). The structurally-controlled DSGSD of Luco dei Marsi represents the first case of a DSGSD in the Apennine Belt with a well-defined BSZ. Starting from a detailed study of the process and the reconstruction of a morpho-evolutionary model of the slope, a series of numerical modelings were performed for the study of the DSGSD. The analyses allowed us to reconstruct: (i) the mechanism of the process, (ii) the rheological behavior of the rock mass, and (iii) the main predisposing factors of the gravitational deformation. Numerical modeling has demonstrated the significant role played by the inherited structures on the DSGSD and, in particular, the importance of an intensely jointed stratigraphic level in the development of the BSZ.