Present vertical movements in Central and Northern Italy from GPSdata: Possible role of natural and anthropogenic causes.

Insights into the present vertical kinematic pattern in Central and Northern Italy are gained by the analysisof GPS data acquired by a network of 262 permanent stations, working over various time intervals since2001. Uplift is observed in the Alps (up to 5 mm/yr) and Apennines (1–2 mm/yr), whereas subsidence isrecognized in the southern Venetian Plain (2–4 mm/yr) and the eastern Po Valley, where the highest ratesare observed (up to 9 mm/yr between Reggio Emilia and Rimini). On the other hand, the western partof the Po Valley presents very low vertical rates. The boundary between subsiding and not subsiding PoValley nearly corresponds to the Giudicarie tectonic discontinuity. It is argued that the different kinematicpatterns of the eastern and western Padanian sectors may also be related to the underthrusting of theeastern domain beneath the western one. Some considerations are then reported on how the variouscauses of vertical movements (tectonic and sedimentological processes) may contribute to the observedkinematics