ITALIAN JOURNAL of ENGINEERING GEOLOGY and ENVIRONMENT-SPECIAL ISSUE ON GEOITALIA2005 - V FIST FORUM (SPOLETO, 21-23 SEPTEMBER 2005)

This special issue of the Italian Journal of Engineering Geology and Environment gathers a number of papers presented at the FIST 2005 conference, in the GEO/05 thematic session Engineering Geology. The papers, which are certainly of interest to researchers and professionals, stand out for their focus on quantitative aspects and for their methodological rigour. A set of papers cover hydrogeological topics. Aquino et alii describe the desolating degradation of the water of the Fenestrelle-Rigatore stream basin (Avellino) as a pre-requisite for a possible rehabilitation project. Bonomi et alii report an exemplary case study of hydrogeological modelling in support of an engineering project. Baiocchi et alii tackle the issue of the minimum in-stream flow of the Marta river (Viterbo), obtaining reliable results of general interest combined with a helpful review of methods to estimate the minimum in-stream flow. Celico et alii report the results of investigations conducted on the vulnerability of carbonate aquifers to microbiological pollution. These results, fairly interesting and useful for interdisciplinary studies, are based on a set of complex and long-term experimental field observations. Clerici & Sfratato deal with the tricky issue of indirect estimation of permeability on the basis of jointing: the results obtained for a given site are compared with experimental measurements and the comparison permits to draw valid conclusions of a methodological nature. Ferrara & Pappalardo present an updated hydrogeological map of the Mt. Etna area; the map represents a vital tool for planning and managing the water resources of that hydrogeological system. Another set of papers concern slope stability in various locations. Clerici & Massaro discuss a study conducted on four debris flows on the southern side of Mt. Cima Doscopà (Upper Valtellina). The study was intended to test the predictive capability of some relations reported in the literature; the results indicate significant discrepancies between the various methods, at least in the case under review. Cortopassi et alii examine the preliminary findings from a major research project on mechanisms that trigger debris instability on the steep slopes of the Apuann Alps, where quarrying & mining activities have been carried out for centuries. Falaschi et alii report an experimental investigation on slope instability hazards in the valley of the mid-course of the Serchio river. This investigation, of unquestionable practical and methodological interest, uses multivariate statistical analysis techniques. Ferrara et alii make an in-depth analysis of lateral spreads identified along the southern coast of Sicily. Finally, Cencetti gives an effective summary of geological hazards in the Quebrada de Humahuaca area (Argentina). Dragoni et alii compare a set of liquid limit measures taken on Plio-Pleistocene terrains by Casagrande’s cup and cone petrometer, reporting some new correlations and highlighting possible classification problems. The editors thank the numerous referees of the papers for their painstaking work. In their opinion, this collection of papers gives a good picture of the current researches of the Italian Applied Geology community and of its major role for the country. vità estrattiva. Falaschi e altii presentano una laboriosa ricerca Argentina, mentre Dragoni e altii confrontano una serie di altii sibili problemi di classificazione. Walter Dragoni Paolo Tacconi