TABOO-STAR

The TABOO-STAR (Alto Tiberina Near Fault Observatory Strainmeter Array) project is an NSF-funded collaborative effort led by Principal Investigator Rick Bennett at the University of Arizona, supported by Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and a grant to Principal Investigator Lauro Chiaraluce at INGV from the the International Continental Drilling Program.

The project adds six borehole strainmeter installations to the existing network of instruments around the Alto Tiberina fault along the Apennine Mountains in central Italy. The Alto Tiberina fault dips shallowly, with a number of steeply dipping overlying faults. Recent, deadly earthquakes have occurred on the steep faults, while the deeper portion of the shallowly dipping Alto Tiberina fault is creeping, which is believed to be stressing the steep faults above.

Borehole strainmeters will allow for the identification of aseismic slip events on the Alto Tiberina fault and enable research on the stress relationship with other faults.