The mineralised springs of the Marche and Abruzzi foredeep (central Italy): some remarks on the hydrochemical and tectonics features.

Some analogies between the Marche and Abruzzi mineralised waters are noticed, especially when considering the water chemical facies and the structural setting of the emergence zones 1 INTRODUCTION In many areas of the Marche and Abruzzi foredeep, salt and sulphureous waters emerge from the Messinian and Plio-Pleistocenic deposits and from the deposits of the alluvial plains. The analysis demonstrates that they are in relation with the structural setting of the emergence areas; besides, they are very numerous in zones characterised by thrusts also buried by the cover. In this study, the mineralised springs of the Marche region, already studied by the same authors (Nanni & Vivalda, 1999a; 1999b), and the Abruzzi mineralised springs, are considered. By extending the analysis to the Abruzzi sector of the Adriatic foredeep, our intent is to characterise the springs of this region on the basis of the results obtained from the previous studies, and to find possible similarities in both the water chemism and the structural setting of the emergence areas.