The University of the Republic of San Marino participated in a research project that produced a report on the damage caused by the 2016 earthquake in central Italy. Researcher Francesca Dezi, a professor in the Civil Engineering program at the University of San Marino, contributed by participating in field surveys conducted in recent months. This resulted in a 21-page document comparing, among other things, the consequences of a first and second series of tremors, recorded in August and October, respectively. The surveys covered 37 towns, including Amatrice, Pescara del Tronto, Norcia, and San Pellegrino. The average level of damage for three of these towns fell into the "total collapse" category, while seven towns experienced "partial collapse of structural parts" for most buildings.
The team of academics participating in the Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance Association (GEER) surveys is multidisciplinary and hails from Italy, the UK, and the United States. Among other activities, 3D models of 11 of the 18 analyzed landslides were created using drone images. Damage to infrastructure and bridges, surface fractures, and landslides were also assessed.
The report was published online on January 9th and will be followed by a more extensive and in-depth version. Among the participating universities, in addition to the University of San Marino, are the University of California Los Angeles, La Sapienza University of Rome, the Polytechnic University of Marche, and the University of Bristol.
The aim of the study is to collect and document evidence that can increase knowledge of the effects of earthquakes, with the aim of improving procedures related to seismic risk prevention.