Extending surface geology data through GPR prospections: Quaternary faulting signature from the Campotenese area (Calabria-Italy)

A series of Ground-Penetration Radar (GPR) profiles were collected on a site located in the Campotenese basin, in the active belt of the Calabro-Lucanian boundary (southern Apennines - Italy). This methodology was applied to visualize the effect of recent deformations possibly related to past ground ruptures due to historical or pre-historical earthquakes. Several 300 MHz and 500 MHz profiles perpendicular to an active normal fault were analyzed and interpreted. Some alluvial and colluvial sediments, belonging to the Middle Pleistocene basin infill, appear to be dislocated by several west and east-dipping faults. The more persuasive evidence of faulting is located in proximity of the contact between bedrock dolostones and Holocene- Pleistocene continental deposits. Despite the gaps on the data coverage and the complexity to create connections among the interpreted features across all the radargrams, we show that our approach is useful to better define and correlate the trends of faults at various scales (master faults and their splays), below the ground surface, in active tectonics areas.