Tectonic-geomorphological map of the middle Aterno River valley (Abruzzo, Central Italy)

After the 6 April, 2009 normal faulting L’Aquila earthquake (Mw 6.3), the attention of many scientists was drawn to the Abruzzo Apennines. Until that time few studies had addressed the geomorphological and morphotectonic features of this area and none to extensive geomorphological mapping. The tectonic-geomorphological map (scale 1:40,000) presented in this work is the result of a morphotectonic investigation of the middle Aterno River valley, which includes the area from the western L’Aquila-Coppito basin (to the northwest) to the Paganica–San Demetrio basin and to the Castelnuovo–Civitaretenga basin (to the southeast). The map is implemented within a GIS environment by means of: DEM and map-based cartographic analysis and morphometry of orography and hydrography (raster and vector data scale 1:25,000, 10 m grid DEM), photogeological analysis (scale 1:10,000), structural geomorphological field mapping (scale 1:10,000), basin fill geometry analysis (geophysical and borehole investigations) and tectonic–geomorphological profiles that couple landforms, deposits and surfaces. The map incorporates orography and hydrography, basin fill geometry, tectonic–geomorphology and tectonic–geomorphological profiles. The result provides a basis for the recognition of morphotectonic features at basin scale, detection of tectonic control on the landscape, and reconstruction of paleo-landscapes and basin geometry.