Modello geologico-tecnico ed analisi numerica con approccio equivalente continuo della deformazione gravitativa di Monte della Rocchetta (Appennino Centrale, Italia)

A gravity-induced slope deformation has been observed along the eastern slope of the carbonate ridge of Mount Rocchetta (Central Apennines, Italy), near Capo Volturno Springs. This deformation is ascribable to a rock mass creep process which evolves in a rock mass spreading. The engineering-geological model, obtained along a section across the zone of the slope involved in the ongoing deformations, was used to perform a numerical stress-strain analysis by the FDM code FLAC 5.0. This experimental approach aimed at a quantitative analysis of the gravity-induced deformations by considering the influence of both creep processes and ground-water flow. The analysis pointed out the existence of three zones characterized by significant deformations within the ridge, well correlated to contractant and tensile shear zones. Moreover, two different deformation processes were pointed out from the modeling: the first one, on a large space-time scale, is due to creep deformations and have development in the order of a thousand years; the second one, acting on a smaller space-time scale, is due to elastic-plastic deformations and have development in the order of a hundred years.