The devastation caused by earthquakes in the Italian territory is unfortunately well known as in Italy the seismic risk is high as it was tragically demonstrated the recent earthquakes in L’Aquila (2009), Emilia (2012) and the latest event that has shattered the town of Amatrice in the Rieti district (2016).

Earthquakes cause human fatalities and significant economic losses. It is estimated that from 1968 (Belice earthquake) to present time, earthquakes have caused in Italy losses for 160 billion Euro (source Italian Department of Civil Protection). During “peace time”, mitigation of seismic risk also involves the dissemination of correct scientific information. It often happens that ordinary people does not understand the origin of some natural phenomena that occur during earthquakes. It happened with the extensive soil liquefaction phenomena caused by the 2012 Emilia earthquake. Other examples include seaquakes and tsunamis. The 1908 Messina earthquake caused 86,000 casualties most of them due to flooding caused by the tsunami that followed the seismic event.

Knowledge of the phenomena induced by earthquakes is an essential prerequisite for a responsible exploitation of the territory and of an understanding of its fragilities. In addition to the collapse of buildings and infrastructure caused by ground shaking, earthquakes can also cause geological and geotechnical destructive phenomena such as seismically-induced landslides, surface fault rupture, soil liquefaction. They also are capable of producing devastating effects on the territory and on the infrastructures.

The communication of Science to the general public is an important tool for the dissemination of knowledge of the physical phenomena associated with earthquakes and in general with natural disasters. In this regard, the academic world and the universities can play a leading role in this activity of popularization of Science by spreading correct, though accessible, scientific information.

The GEO EXPLORER PARK project fits into this framework since it is based on setting up a physical and virtual educational laboratory to reproduce and simulate what really happens on a territory during an earthquake. The realization of the lab will include the construction of a physical model in which will be placed at a small-scale reservoirs, roads, railways, bridges and other infrastructures. The effects of an earthquake will be reproduced through the action of a small shake table. The “quicksand” and soil liquefaction phenomena will be simulated jointly with their effects on the built environment. The set up of the laboratory will be completed by a PC connected to a large monitor in which to show phenomena that are difficult to reproduce with small physical models such as the generation of anomalous waves at the origin of tsunamis.

LINK

http://www.eucentre.it