Electrical Resistivity Tomography investigation on coseismic liquefaction and fracturing at San Carlo, Ferrara Province, Italy

Many phenomena of surface fracturing and of mud volcanoes, due to liquefaction of shallow, saturated sand layers, took place as a consequence of the main shock of the 20 may 2012 Emilia-Romagna earthquake, mainly along the palaeo-river bed of Reno river. The subsurface in correspondence of two impressive occurrences of fractures and volcanoes was investigated by the Electrical Resistivity tomography, as resistivity is a physical property which is strongly affected by different chemico-physical conditions of loose sediments present in the subsurface of the area, i.e. sands, silts and clays. Resistivity models are discussed and compared with direct information, as they clearly show the footprint of sub-vertical fractures and chimneys where liquefacted sand arose towards the free surface.