TaskForceMajella

Mainly, six basic arguments are used to explain why the Majella Mountain structure was chosen as the study object of the TFM Project:

The Majella Mountain structure is located in central Italy, in an area of the National Park; numerous roads and mountain tracks provide access to 60% of the area, excluded the high mountain central sectors. The area is close to the Rome-Pescara highway, with less than 1 hour drive to the nearby international airport of Pescara, and 2 hours drive to the Roma airports.

The tectonic structure of the Majella is similar to many broad foreland anticlines in various hydrocarbon provinces, both in size, dimension and structural characteristics (few tens of kilometres long and wide).

Some aspects of the Montagna della Majella anticline were previously studied by some scientific research groups, partly also in collaboration with oil companies such as Exxon, Lasmo and British Gas. A huge data base is present in literature regarding its sedimentary evolution, in studies by French and Swiss research groups. Previous to the TFM Project, in Italy, Torino and Pisa Universities have conducted ten years of geological research in the area during the nineties of the twentieth century, focussing mainly on sedimentary and stratigraphic aspects of the area.

The presence inside the mountain of a major E-W trending platform-basin transition provides the possibility of evaluating fault and fracture networks in many different carbonate facies, ranging from tight platform carbonates to marl-chalk interbedded sequences and porous bioclastic grainstones, present inside the same tectonic structure, and therefore having gone through the same geological evolution.

Previous studies, conducted by research consortia mentioned above and during scouting field trips by Eni-Agip experts, had shown that a large amount of data regarding fracture and fault systems and their characteristics can easily be acquired in the area due to the excellent degree of outcropping.

The northern part of the Majella Anticline is locally filled with hydrocarbon which indicates that the "Majella Petroleum System" was active throughout the Neogene and the Majella Anticline can thus be considered as an aborted hydrocarbon reservoir. The chemical characteristics of this oil was previously and extensively studies by Eni experts, and compared with source rocks of nearby oil fields (van Dijk et al.) harv error: no target: CITEREFvan_DijkABC (help).[16] The oil in the Pescara Valley has been dug in open mines since ancient Roman times,[18] and Eni is exploring and producing from subsurface satellite anticlines since the fifties of the previous century. Most of these small oil fields are at present depleted. See below for the description of one of the study sites of the Projects.

The University components were divided into five working groups (Mapping, Stratigraphy, Structure, Fracture and Modelling), each composed of various Universities representatives in a way that each University was part of different Working Groups. The Universities that were involved directly and indirectly are:

• Torino University (Italy) (Prof. Livio Vezzani, Dott. Andrea Festa, Dott.ssa Anna D’Atri, Dott. Daniele Giordan, Dott.ssa Maria Estefania Sanchez Palomo, Dott. Giuseppe Mancari, Dott. Ivan Vanzo, Dott. Mojca Battistini, Dott.ssa Stefania Lucchesi)
• D'Annunzio University of Chieti–Pescara (Italy) (Prof. Uberto Crescenti, Prof. Fernando Calamita, Dott. Alberto Pizzi, Dott. Giovanni Rusciadelli, Rusciadelli, Dott.ssa Maria Luisa Milia, Dott.ssa Camilla De Girolamo, Dott. Raffaele Montefalcone, Dott. Gabriele Pugliese, Dott.ssa Loretta Finocchio, Dott. Giuseppe Palmitesta, Dott. Michele Morsilli, Dott.ssa Giada Vighi, Dott. Vittorio Scisciani, Dott. Pino Catavitelli, Dott. Fiorenzo Fumanti, Prof. Sergio Rusi, Prof. Enrico Miccadei, Dott.ssa Chiavaroli)
• Roma 1 University "La Sapienza" (Italy) (Prof. Ernesto Centamore, Dott.ssa Sabina Bigi, Dott. David Rossi, Dott.ssa Patrizia Costa Pisani, Dott.ssa Rinalda Di Stefano, Dott. Mario Del Castello, Dott. Joannes Pignatti, Dott. Raffaele Di Bella)
• University Roma 3 (Italy) (Late Prof. Renato Fiuniciello, Prof. Maurizio Parotto, Prof. Domenico Cosentino, Dott.ssa Paola Cipollari, Dott.ssa Sveva Corrado, Dott. Giorgio Pipponzo, Dott. Vincenzo Pasquali, Dott. C. Fattori, Dott. T. Piacentini, Dott. S. Gambini, Dott. C. Berti, Dott. P. Pitzianti, Dott. P. Robustini, Dott. E. Gliozzi, Dott. L. Di Bella)
• Pisa University (Italy) (Prof. Etta Patacca, Prof. Paolo Scandone, Dott. Donato Merola, Dott. Antonio Cascella, Dott. Ermanno Danese)
• Camerino University (Italy) (Late Prof. Giuseppe Cello, Dott. Emanuele Tondi, Dott.ssa Maria Chiara Invernizzi, Dott. Luca Micarelli, Dott. Alessandro Zanni, Dott. Bruno Prugni, Dott. Leonardo Marchigiani, Dott.ssa Giordana Bellezza)
• Perugia University (Italy) (Late Prof. Pialli, Prof. Giorgio Minelli, Dott. Mauro Foglietta (see below), Dott. Cristina Pauselli, Dott. Federico Costanzo, Dott.ssa P.T. Brunozzi, Dott. J. Braun, Dott. A. Frigeri)
• CNR (Research Centre) Roma (Italy) (Dott. Gian Paolo Cavinato, Dott.ssa Francesca Giardina, Dott. Emiliano Di Luzio, Dott. Mario Tozzi, Dott. Alberto Di Ludovico, Dott. Davide Scrocca) Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - CNR
• CNR (Research Centre) Milano (Italy) (Dott. Corrado Magistroni)
• ETH Zurich (Switzerland) (Prof. Dr. Daniel Bernoulli)
• Free University of Amsterdam (VU) (the Netherlands) (Prof. Dr. Sierd Cloetingh,[25] Prof. Dr. Dick Nieuwland[26]
• Stanford University (USA) (Prof. Dr. Atilla Aydin, Dr. Brita Graham, Dr. Marco Antonellini, Dr. Fabrizio Agosta)
• Montpellier University (France) (Prof. Jean-Pierre Petit,[27] Dott. Pascal Cortes, Dott. Loïc Bazalgette)
• Liverpool University (United Kingdom) - Dublin University[28] (Ireland) (Prof. Dr. John Walsh,[29] Dr. Chris Bonson)
• Various Universities - Mauro Foglietta (Reading University)

Group Photo of the TaskForceMajella, 2000

Group Photo of the TaskForceMajella, 2001

The Project benefitted from collaborations and support from regional and local administrations:

• the "Regione Abruzzo",
• three Provinces (Aquila, Pescara, Chieti),
• the National Nature Park Majella ("Ente Parco Nazionale Majella"),
• the Majella Park Mountain Rangers ("il Corpo Forestale"),
• and various local administrations such as the Local Fireman Corps Section.

A synergie was created with the technical activities performed in the Stanford Rock Fracture Project ("RFP", ran by Stanford University),[30] and the GeoFracNet consortium ("GFN", ran by Montpellier University)[31] and supported by the company GeoTER.[32] These two projects had overlaps in research objectives though run in a completely different manner: The RFP tackled questions related to fault and fracture zones in different tectonic regimes but mainly in clastic sedimentary rocks, and was sponsored by a considerable amount of Oil Companies, whereas the GFN was sponsored by only a few companies and focussed on specific genetic relationships in different selected sites. Furthermore, between the three projects there was an overlap in industrial sponsors and stake holders (though Eni was in the privileged position of being the only company involved in all three of them). In this way, the Projects could mutually benefit from the results obtained, and provide suggestions for steering of their relative research activities.

A technical office of the TFM was founded and is supported by the Ortona District Office of Eni (DORT) and based in the harbour area of Ortona in the SAF (Deep Water Survey Project) building.

The web site https://web.archive.org/web/20051024074759/http://www.taskforcemajella.com/ was set up and was managed by Temars - Eni-Data, the former software company of Eni, based in Bologna. It was designed by Dott. Luca Benvenuti, and remained active until some years after the closure of the Project in 2006 (van Dijk 2002c).[33]

The logistic service of the Project was performed by Maria Lanzellotti, and was vital for the contacts with local, regional and national administrations for authorisations, contacts with supporting companies, logistics, organisations of meetings of Working Groups and conferences, public relations, etc. Furthermore, in the second stage of the Project, the Association SFERA[34] managed numerous organisational aspects. The TFM web site and a special brochure designed to provide visibility to the Project, played important roles in the organisation and the success of the Project on local, regional and international scales.

The project was monitored by the sponsors through a steering committee, and accompanied and guided by a scientific committee (the president of the steering committee was Prof. U. Crescenti, in this period also the president of the Italian National Geological Society (SGI)).

The Geological Cartography Project (CARG) of the Italian National Geological Survey (SGN) of the Ministry of Environmental Control of the Italian national administration[35][36] (Dott. B. Compagnioni, Dott. F. Galluzzo) was officially involved in the geological mapping group of the TFM Project in order to follow national standards of cartography and integrate the surface data with the official national geological map sheets of the area. Furthermore, and on the other hand, the project CARG benefitted from the technical specifications and experiences of the G-Map tool of the TFM Project. Other sinergies were created with the Italian National Seismic Monitoring Service (Dott.ssa Daniela di Bucci, Dott. Giuseppe Naso, Dott.ssa Roberta Giuliani, Dott.ssa Annamaria Blumetti).

Eni E&P Division, based in San Donato Milanese (Italy), was technically involved in the Project in order to provide regional subsurface data sets (non sensible seismic and well data) for the construction of the regional geological model. Furthermore, the data were confronted with the deep crustal seismic profile which passed through the area, acquired in the CROP the Italian National CROP Project,[37] which data were integrated in the construction of the regional geological model (Profile CROP 11a, 11b, 11c; Civitavecchia - Vasto; CROP references: Prof. Castellerin, Prof. Maurizio Parotto). The photogrammetrical survey engineering group of Eni was heavily involved in the three-dimensional monitoring of sites with specific interest and the analysis of three-dimensional fracture and faults networks at different scales (see below). A number of technical support companies provided the necessary local service.

Two main supporting items were set up which function and the technical work base for the project data base:

1. The digital topographic cartography (by CGR Parma)
   • During the year 2000 a new stereophotogrammetrical digital topography was acquired by the Company CGR ("Compagnia Generale Ripreseaeree"[38]), based in Parma (Italy). It is composed of a unique 1:10.000 topographic 3D digital vector based survey of the area, with accompanied high resolution colour Geotiff georeferenced aerial photographs.
2. The data base management software: G-MAP (by TEMARS-ENI-Data Bologna)
   • A new GIS based system, called G-MAP (application tool in ESRI’s ArcView environment, now called ArcGIS), was designed by Dott. Luca Benvenuti of the Eni ITC Company Temars-Eni Data, based in Bologna (Italy), to incorporate all geological data collected in the project, and accompanied by a web-browse release. The software can be viewed as a forerunner of nowadays digital geological mapping systems and online map based storage environments like Google Earth and similar.

All Working Groups of the Project have contributed to a completely new geological mapping of the Majella anticline. Each single outcrop was separately mapped and all data relative to the mapping are stored in the digital data base system G-MAP, especially designed for the Project. The working group 'Stratigraphy' coordinated the stratigraphic aspects of the mapping, whereas the working group 'Structure' coordinated the collection of structural data. The working group 'Fracture' provided the structural field data collected, integrating them with other structural geological data.

A geological map of the Majella Mountain was compiled on a 1:25,000 scale which showed the distribution of the main stratigraphic units (Patacca, Scandone & 2006, in press.).[39]

In addition to these field data, the G–MAP data base (see above) comprised all cartographic material (digital maps on various scales), location of all data collected in the Project such as the stereophotogrammetrical sites, sample sites, stratigraphic and sedimentological logs, and the various interpreted geological maps.

Parallel to these structural cartography activities, a three-dimensional model was constructed based on the geological map of the area by (Donzelli 1969).[4] This map was vectorised and calibrated in three dimensions, using geological profiles available. The work was performed in Milan, by the architects Pasquale Femia and Antonio Sergi, in collaboration with Eni E&P and Interservice. The outcome was a complete 3D model of the area constructed in the software AutoCad of AutoDesk, and a series of 1:25,000 scale geological maps. The work can be regarded as the first step in the industrial process known as "Seismic to simulation", where from the available geophysical and geological information a model is constructed which is the basis of a dynamic reservoir simulation.

The working group 'Stratigraphy', led by Pisa University and coordinated by Pisa and Rome-I Universities, constructed a stratigraphic map of the Majella Mountain focussing on the carbonate succession. A new sequence stratigraphic scheme was built based on the field work, 25 sections were logged in detail (see e.g. (Cippolari et al. 2003), [40]) and about 4000 spot samples were analysed. The stratigraphic map was constructed in collaboration with the members of the field mapping working group 'Structure', using the main structural elements as a geometrical framework.

The codification of the new stratigraphic framework was used in the G-MAP data base system in order to define the stratigraphic reference for all structural geological data collected.

A new geological map of the Majella Mountain was compiled on a 1:25,000 scale which showed the distribution of these newly defined stratigraphic units (Patacca, Scandone & 2006, in press.).[39]

Numerical simulations were performed of the sedimentary evolution of the Carbonate Platform margin and slope (Morsilli et al.) harv error: no target: CITEREFMorsilliABC (help),[41] (Rusciadelli et al. 2003), [42] (Rusciadelli 2005).[43]

The working group 'Structure', led by Chieti University and coordinated by Chieti and Rome-III University, constructed a structural map of the Majella mountain. This structural framework is accompanied by five structural cross-sections of the anticline, which together provide an overview of the internal structure of the Majella mountain. The Working Group furthermore performed a systematic analysis of kinematic data collected on fault surfaces (indications for type of movement and timing of the fault network). This resulted in a detailed framework for the deformation history of the Majella anticline, which shows the style of movement on various sets of faults and their relationships in time. In order to obtain a constraint on the type of stress field responsible for the deformations observed, a paleostress analysis using numerical inversion techniques was performed on the same kinematic data, and a palaeo-stress map was constructed.

Connected to the structural cartography and mapping, analyses was conducted regarding the slope stability of the area and the occurrence of large scale land-slides that occurred in (pre-)historical times. Some results can be found in (Di Luzio et al. 2003a) harv error: no target: CITEREFDi_LuzioABC2003a (help),[44] (Di Luzio et al. 2003b),[45] and (Scarascia-Mugnozza et al. 2003).[46]

Another fundamental piece of research performed during the project concerns the analysis of present-day uplift and subsidence rates of the area using remote sensing techniques such as Radar Interferometric techniques. The first results of the research were published by (Pizzi 2003),[47] and (Pizzi & Pugliese 2004).[48]

Fault Zone in biocalcarenites exposed near the village Pennapiedimonte.

The working group 'Fracture', led and coordinated by Camerino University, has examined the fracture network of the Majella anticline on various scales using different acquisition and analysis techniques. About 50 vertical and horizontal outcrop surfaces were scanned and properties (orientation, dimension, surface texture, aperture) of about 4500 fractures were measured. Additionally, 25 scan lines on main faults were measured in order to analyse the properties of the fault zones and their relation to the stratigraphy and structural setting. Furthermore, in collaboration with Eni SpA and Serma SrL[49] personnel, data acquisition was performed on a number of selected sites using stereo-photogrammetrical techniques, which allowed the acquisition of three-dimensional data on the fault and fracture networks up to tens of metres scale. Using these techniques, about 120.000 fractures were measured at these selected sites. Some results of these analyses and modelling can be found in (Marchegiani et al. 2002),[50] (Cello et al. 2003),[51] (Tondi & Cello 2003),[52] (Marchegiani et al. 2006),[53] (Tondi et al. 2006),[54] and (Bazalgette et al. 2010).[55]

Hundreds of smaller and larger areas were studied during the TFM Project, and three sites of particular interest are mentioned here:

The ancient Madonna della Mazza stone Quarry, located on the eastern central side of the mountain massif near the village Pretoro, was extensively studied by the various members of the project, on various scales and applying different type of data acquisition and analyses techniques. The quarry was identified in 1993 by an Eni scouting field trip. In 1995 it was extensively described for the first time and its potential for fracture studies was outlined (van Dijk et al.) harv error: no target: CITEREFvan_DijkABC (help).[16] After these preliminary notes, the studies of the TaskForceMajella were performed (such as a complete 3D photogrammetrical survey), and the quarry became one of the favorite sites for a visit during many field excursions (van Dijk 2002c).[33] For this purpose, the quarry was extensively cleaned and made available for visiting and studying, will all kinds of instruments, as part of the logistics activities of the TFM Project. During these numerous visits, the results of the TaskForceMajella Project were illustrated, and the quarry became well known as the site where deformation bands in carbonate rocks had been discovered and described for the first time (van Dijk et al. 2002).[56] The first results of the fracture studies were published by (Tondi et al. 2006).[54] Studies on this quarry have continued throughout the following decades (see reference list below).

Bitumen occurrence in the Valle Romana Quarry, Lettomanoppello.

Another extensively studied site (where three-dimensional photogrammetrical surveys were also performed on various scales) regards the ancient Valle Romana bitumen quarry situated in the area of the village Lettomanoppello, where calcarenites partially impregnated with heavy oil testify that the Majella anticline can be regarded as a partially filled oil reservoir. This, still active quarry was identified in 1992 by an Eni field scouting as a potential study site. In 1995 it was extensively described for the first time (van Dijk et al.) harv error: no target: CITEREFvan_DijkABC (help).[16] Studies that formed part of TaskForceMajella were carried out, following on these preliminary but exhaustive notes (The present owner Italcementi gave their permission, thanks to the extensive logistics efforts performed for the TFM Project). Amongst other, the quarry was covered by a complete topographic and 3D photogrammetrical survey on various scales. For obvious reasons, the quarry became one of the favorite sites visited on many field excursions (van Dijk 2002c).[33] The first results of the fracture studies were successively published by (Agosta et al. 2009)[57] and (Agosta et al. 2010)[58] (see also (van Dijk 2011)[2]). Studies on this quarry have continued throughout the following decades (see reference list below).

A site of intensive study was the Valle Santo Spirito, situated in the area of the village Fara San Martino. This area is characterised by steep canyons in strongly lithified platform carbonates which show characteristic deformation patterns. Basic observations and characterisation of the site were described by (van Dijk et al.) harv error: no target: CITEREFvan_DijkABC (help)[16] Extensive photogrammetrical surveys at various scales were conducted in this area during the TFM Project. Some results of the studies can be found in (Marchegiani et al. 2002),[50] and (Bazalgette et al. 2010).[55]

The pain stacking analysis of all these data resulted in a number of major constraints on the relation between fracture network and anticline structure and evolution, and fault zones and mechanical Stratigraphy.

Example of a Discrete Fault and Fracture Network generated for a piece of rock part of the Madonna della Mazza Quarry. The model is based on the discretization of the actual fractures observed in the rock (it is a deterministic "Data Driven Model" (van Dijk 2002b),[59] not probabilistic). Size of the model: circa 1 cubic meter. The sedimentary bedding is indicated in brown; Three different colours are used for the fracture types; blu-closed fractures; purple-remobilized fractures; red-open fractures

The Working Group Modelling, led by the Research Centre CNR of Rome, has performed various types of modeling exercises, such as:

• the construction of a regional subsurface model based on the interpretation and calibration of a number of composite seismic sections (Rome, Pisa and Chieti University),
• the numerical modelling of the deformation history of the anticline (Eni and Perugia University) using Fracture mechanics related algorithms,
• a number of modeling exercises were performed to generate three-dimensional models of Discrete Fault and Fracture Networks (van Dijk 1998)[60] for different type settings (Camerino University, Eni, NorskHydro), which properties are used to populate dynamic simulators during the dynamic simulation of hydrocarbon reservoirs, and
• the analogue modelling through sandbox experiments of the deformation history of the area (Amsterdam University).

These modelling exercises provide insight into the relationships between the deformation styles we observe today and the processes that are responsible for these end-results. In order to perform the numerical and analogue simulations, data had to be collected in order to describe the geomechanical properties of the various tectonostratigraphic units and environments that characterise the Majella anticline and its bordering area. Representative samples were collected by the various operational units of the Project and laboratory deformation experiments were performed in Eni and in NorskHydro mechanical laboratories.

• Abruzzo
• Apennines
• Majella
• Majella National Park

• Fault (geology)
• Fracture (geology)
• Fracture mechanics
• Geology
• Petroleum
• Petroleum industry
• Research and development