An evaluation of anthropic pressure increase in a subsidence area near Rome (Italy)

A study concerning the relationships between increment of anthropic pressure and subsidence phenomena is presented. The study is based on the multi-temporal analyses of air photos in the time span 1954-2005. During this period the increase of anthropic pressure has been estimated by the increment of urbanized areas and mining activity. The weight of the two antrhopic factor on the subsidence was similar. As a consequence the cause of the subsidence acceleration recorded in the last fifty years is not unique, and can be regarded to all the human activity: building, mining, pumping. In order to calculate the volume of mining activity two kinds of DEM were realized and compared: one (rough model) based on Ground Control Point extracted from the official cartography of Lazio Region (scale 1:10,000), the other (accurate model) based on GCP measured by a GPS' survey. Results showed some differences but rough model resulted enough accurate for the purpose of this study.