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September 26, 1997: The quake of Assisi

In the early afternoon of September 26, 1997 a sequence of earthquakes hit the Italian province of Umbria. The two main quakes, with a magnitude of 5.6-5.8, were followed by a series of aftershocks -  one aftershock was so strong that it caused the partial collapse of the damaged roof of the basilica of St.

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In the early afternoon of September 26, 1997 a sequence of earthquakes hit the Italian province of Umbria. The two main quakes, with a magnitude of 5.6-5.8, were followed by a series of aftershocks - one aftershock was so strong that it caused the partial collapse of the damaged roof of the basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. This event was filmed during a meeting to evaluate the damage sustained by the historic frescos of the ceiling.

Fig.1. Four persons were killed when the roof of the basilica of Assisi suddenly collapsed. Like a grim reminder that earthquakes are frequent events in the Apennines a fresco in another basilica - possibly painted by the great artist Giotto (1267-1337)- shows a woman recovering the body of her daughter from a collapsed building. The legend attributes the destruction to an earthquake and tells also the miraculous reanimation of the dead daughter by St. Francis (image in public domain).

My name is David Bressan and I'm a freelance geologist working mainly in the Austroalpine crystalline rocks and the South Alpine Palaeozoic and Mesozoic cover-sediments in the Eastern Alps. I graduated with a project on Rock Glaciers dynamics and hydrology, this phase left a special interest for quaternary deposits and modern glacial environments. During my research on glaciers, studying old maps, photography and reports on the former extent of these features, I became interested in history, especially the development of geomorphologic and geological concepts by naturalists and geologists. Living in one of the key area for the history of geology, I combine field trips with the historic research done in these regions, accompanied by historic maps and depictions. I discuss broadly also general geological concepts, especially in glaciology, seismology, volcanology, palaeontology and the relationship of society and geology.

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