Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse: Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources

Who we are

The Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources (IGG), is an institute of National Research Council of Italy (CNR), and it is devoted to the interdisciplinary study of the Geosciences, including application-oriented approaches.

New isotopic systematics in the Radiogenic and Unconventional Stable Isotopes Laboratory: Fe isotopes

Iron (Fe) isotopes are finding increasingly widespread applications in the Earth sciences, in fields such as cosmogeochemistry, geochemistry and environmental sciences. To ensure increasingly accurate and precise isotopic analyses, it is essential to have well-characterised reference materials. In particular, the direct comparison of data obtained from different laboratories is an essential step in the development of new reliable isotopic systems.

Discovery of new active faults beneath Florence: a fresh perspective on the geology of the Florence Basin and Northern Apennines

A recent multidisciplinary study has revealed the existence of active faults beneath the Florence plain, a sector of the northern Apennines that had so far received little attention. The research, carried out by the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources (IGG-CNR) and the Seismic Sector of the Tuscany Region, combined geomorphological surveys, LiDAR data, electrical tomography, and high-resolution reflection seismics.

New insights into the understanding of the bradyseism currently occurring in the Campi Flegrei area

A conceptual model of the Solfatara system has been developed: it is in the intermediate aquifer that the phenomenon of bradyseism originates. This was revealed by a study conducted by the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), in collaboration with the company Steam, and published in the journal Solid Earth. The study also provides new insights for monitoring the phenomenon’s evolution and understanding future scenarios.

New study on the mud volcanoes of the Caucasus and the Northern Apennines reveals the role of boron in the mineralogical characteristics of illite

A new study on mud volcanoes led by researchers from the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources has been published in the journal Clays and Clay Minerals, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Pisa and the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of Baku State University.

Tectonic controls on the submarine Scoglio d’Affrica mud volcanoes (Northern Apennines hinterland)

Four submarine mud volcanoes were discovered in the northernmost Tyrrhenian Basin, Italy, following the eruption of one of them in 2017 near the Scoglio d’Affrica Islet.

Spatio-temporal correlations between magmatic injections and uplift pulses in the Larderello area

Magmatism plays a key role in topographic evolution, yet its long-term impact remains poorly understood.

Towards a geodiversity- Biodiversity nexus in terrestrial ecosystems

Towards a geodiversity- Biodiversity nexus in terrestrial ecosystems

Plate interface shear zone discovered in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt of Japan

The study of deformation in exhumed subduction zones is of paramount importance to understand the earthquake cycle and associated processes happening deep in the Earth’s crust.

New kinematic model reveals ancient rifted margins of the Alpine Tethys

An international research team led by CNR-IGG Torino has developed a new kinematic model that sheds light on the intricate history of Mesozoic rifting at the Tethys–Atlantic junction.

A new seismotectonic interpretation of the Mw 6.8 Al Haouz earthquake (Morocco) proposed by IGG researchers

On 8 September 2023, the magnitude Mw 6.8 Al Haouz earthquake occurred the strongest earthquake ever instrumentally recorded in Morocco.

Upper Miocene volcanic ash layers from central Italy: a research team tracking down the volcanic source

The Mediterranean region has been characterized by intense explosive volcanism. These eruptions products were thrown into the air and dispersed over wide areas to later be deposited as ash layers, many of which are preserved in some continental and marine sedimentary basins, however the understanding of their sources remains challenging.

Published by a CNR-IGG research team the subsurface geological map of the Torino metropolitan area

The research paper, published on Journal of Maps by a team of the Torino and Pisa Units of the IGG-CNR in collaboration with researchers from the Earth Science Departments of the Torino and Pisa University, and from SMAT (Società Metropolitana Acque Torino – Centro Ricerche), includes and presents the “Subsurface geological map of the Torino area (Western Po Plain, NW Italy)”, at the scale 1:100,000.

Pulses of intense volcanic acivity during the development of the African rift valley: environmental consequences and implications for hominin evolution.

The African rift valley is one of the most fascinating natural wonders, known for its unique biodiversity and for being considered -for the important paleoanthropologic discoveries- the "cradle of mankind", i.e. the place where ‘humans’ have evolved and diversified in the last millions of years.

Published a dataset of CO2 fluxes and meteo-climatic variables collected at the Nivolet Plain

È stato recentemente pubblicato, sulla rivista del gruppo Nature Scientific Data, un dettagliato data descriptor riguardante la misura dei flussi di anidride carbonica e delle variabili meteo-climatiche nelle praterie alpine del Colle del Nivolet, nel Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso.

How climate variations influence fires

An international study involving CNR's Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources shows how climate change influences fires and the extent of burned areas, determining the quantity of dry biomass accessible for burning during a fire.

Potential of Castanea sativa for biomonitoring of mining district

The Apuan Alps (northern Tuscany) are characterised by different ore-types were discontinously exploited, until the end of the 1980s. When mining activities ceased, scientific interest in these mineral deposits has also declined considerably.

Seasonality of biogeochemical processes in Arctic soils

Arctic areas are undergoing rapid changes that alter the biogeochemical processes in soils at high latitudes.

A two stage impact melting process in the impact glass strewn field from the Atacama Desert (Chile)

Hypervelocity impacts of asteroids and comets have become an accepted geological process that played an important role in the early evolution of the Earth and the solar system in general.

A new study about caldera collapse in rift settings just published in Earth and Planetary Sciences Letters

A new joint study between the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources and the University of Florence, just published in Earth and Planetary Sciences Letters, highlighted the dynamics of volcanic processes of caldera collapse in rift settings, with a focus on the East African Rift Valley.

From the Jurassic ocean the strategic metals of the Tuscan hills

In the copper mine in Montecatini Val di Cecina (Tuscany), researchers from the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources have discovered the presence of selenium, tellurium and precious metals, with concentrations well above the earth's average.

Top News

IGG-CNR research on climate change featured on Presa Diretta

Climate change is rapidly transforming Arctic ecosystems, making it increasingly urgent to understand the environmental processes at work. The 12…

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Giornata della geodiversità: aperitivo e seminario al DST

Oggi, lunedì 6 ottobre, si celebra la Giornata della Geodiversità, proclamata dall' UNESCO nel 2011 in riconoscimento dell'importanza delle Scienze…

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Conclusa la prima Scuola Estiva “Giacimenti Minerari” a Campiglia Marittima

Dal 22 al 26 settembre si è svolta, presso il Parco Archeominerario di San Silvestro a Campiglia Marittima (LI), la prima edizione della Scuola Estiva…

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Convegno "Il contributo della Cartografia Geologica d'Italia nella ricerca delle Materie Prime Critiche

Oggi giovedì 2 ottobre 2025 dalle ore 9:30 presso il Senato della Repubblica si terrà il Convegno "Il contributo della Cartografia Geologica d'Italia…

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Funded Projects

CARE-ON

CARE-ON (Can We Rely on our Network?) is a research project conducted and funded by the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources of the Italian National Research Council (IGG – CNR). Its main goal is to investigate the variability related to human error in the manual counting of boulders and craters from images of extraterrestrial surfaces.

Although machine learning algorithms have advanced in automating these tasks, human capabilities in image identification and interpretation remain essential for their training, accuracy control, and result validation. Manual methods, on the other hand, inevitably introduce a component of variability, due to different individual sensitivities, fatigue, and the observer’s competence/experience.

CARE-ON aims to explore and mitigate such uncertainties by assessing the impact of human factors in this process and developing guidelines that maximize reliability and accuracy in identification.

VENUS

The VENUS (ConVErting marginal lands of the Mediterranean basin into productive and sustainable agroecosystems using low water demanding Neglected and Underutilized Species) project aims to demonstrate the environmental and economic potential of Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS), which require low water and are adapted to arid and saline soils. By promoting the use of NUS, the project seeks to convert marginal lands into productive areas, improving soil quality and avoiding conflicts over water resources. Additionally, VENUS aims to raise awareness among farmers, consumers, and markets about the benefits of these resilient species.

SWAMrisk

The SWAMrisk (Subsurface WAter monitoring and Management to prevent drought risk in coastal systems) project aims to enhance knowledge of climate change impacts on coastal aquifer systems in the Veneto and Neretva regions of Italy and Croatia. This aligns with the specific objective 2.1 of the Priority Program: “Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention, resilience, taking into account ecosystem-based approaches.”

NHEAT

The NHEAT (Natural Hydrogen for Energy trAnsiTion) project aims to stimulate and direct hydrogen research in Italy, which is still underdeveloped and poorly conceptualized. Our challenge is to investigate, using a multidisciplinary geological-structural, petrological and geochemical approach, the processes that generated natural H₂ in promising Italian areas that could reveal the presence of H₂ at depth or on the surface: serpentinite-dominated systems and volcanic/magmatic hydrothermal systems.

The NHEAT project is led by the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources (IGG) of the National Research Council (CNR) in collaboration with the Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering (IGAG-CNR), the Department of Earth Sciences of La Sapienza University of Rome and the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), Palermo section.

STORECO2

The STORECO2 (Advancing the STORagE of Anthropogenic CO2 Emissions by Understanding Natural Carbonation Systems) project explores the natural mechanisms through which CO₂ is converted into carbonate minerals, with a particular focus on the genesis of magnesite deposits. This research aims to establish a solid scientific foundation for the upscaling of CO₂ mineral sequestration, considered essential to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Supported by the European Union as part of the Next Generation EU initiative and by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (PNRR program), the project lays the groundwork in research for the decarbonization of society towards a more sustainable future.

IRGIE

The IRGIE project (Inventory of the Geothermal Resources of the Aeolian Islands) is the result of a synergy between the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and the Sicilian Region. Its objective is to facilitate the sustainable energy autonomy of the islands of the Aeolian archipelago, with particular regard to geothermal energy. The purpose of the research is to investigate in detail the geothermal potential of the Aeolian Islands for the utilisation of the resource in the low, medium and high temperature range.

STONE

The STONE project (A new generation Spectroscopy Tool to monitor rheology and phase transformation prOcesses in volcaNology and cEramic production) is a PRIN Project 2022, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

RESTORE

The RESTORE project (REconstruct subsurface heterogeneities and quantify Sediment needs TO improve the REsilience of Venice saltmarshes) is a PRIN 2022 PNRR Project, Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

EUREECA

The EUREECA project (PRIN2022Y4J7AN) is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU and by the Italian Ministry of University and Research.

WINTER CZ

The WINTER CZ project (Winter Critical Zone dynamics in the High Arctic: measuring carbon fluxes and geo-biological processes at the Bayelva Critical Zone Observatory during winter) is a project funded by the Arctic Research Program (PRA) INFRA 2021.

Bilateral Italy – Argentina

The Bilateral Project Italy – Argentina is a bilateral agreement between Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). The objective of the project is to analyze the influence of marine and continental water exchanges on the shallow marine habitats of the Valdés Peninsula and the Venetian coastal system (Adriatic Sea).

InGEO

The InGEO project is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU and by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR programme. This research project responds to the needs of increasing the share of energy produced from renewable sources, improving knowledge of geothermal resources and the energy they contain for various uses.

NatResPoNΔ

The NatResPoNΔ project is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU and by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR programme. This research project aims to test the feasibility of nature-based solutions to increase the resilience of the Po River Delta - the main deltaic system in Italy and one of the most important worldwide - to relative sea-level rise, ultimately mitigating long-term flood and storm-surge risks and ensuring the sustainability of communities on the delta.

MIGRATE

The MIGRATE project is a project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The goal of MIGRATE is to streamline passive seismic exploration procedures by developing new analysis methods that remove human bias, have significantly increased reproducibility and reliability, while addressing relevant scientific questions.

GEOTHERM-FORA

The GEOTHERM-FORA project is a European Project funded by the Horizon Europe Programme (G.A. 101075400), which aims at supporting and strengthening the fora on geothermal systems dealing with research and innovation. The Deep Geothermal Implementation Working Group (DG-IWG) and the Platform on Deep Geothermal (ETIP-DG) are working together and interlinked.

DEEPU

DeepU project (Deep U-tube heat exchanger breakthrough: combining laser and cryogenics gas for geothermal energy exploitation) has been funded under the EIC Pathfinder programme (G.A. 101046937) by the European Commission as part of Horizon Europe, which supports early-stage projects developing revolutionary, high-risk/high-gain technologies with the potential to create new markets and address global changes.

SECURE

SeCure (Saltwater intrusion and climate change: monitoring, countermeasures and informed governance), which is allocated in the Cluster Adaptation to climate changes "governance and capacity building", is aimed to (i) maximize the main outcomes and the experiences developed in MAC IT-HR projects and the synergies between the projects to enhance visibility and transferability, and (ii) fully exploit and consolidate the results achieved so far to further increase the knowledge base on the saltwater contamination of the northern Adriatic coastlands in preparation for the next programming period, in particular Specific objective 2.4.

HYDRO-ISLAND

HYDRO-ISLAND (Pianosa Island: hydrological processes and water resources sustainability in a climate-changing Mediterranean) is carried out by through a cooperation among IGG, scientific leader, Tuscan Archipelago National Park, promoter of the project as responsible of Tuscan Islands Biosphere Reserve - MAB UNESCO, Earth Science Departments of the Siena and Pisa University (DSFTA-UniSi and DST-UniPi, respectively), GASP Museum and Turismo Sostenibile s.r.l. Furthermore, the Autorità Idrica Toscana (AIT) will represent a key stakeholder.

ABRESO

ABRESO (ABandonment and REbound: SOcietal views on landscape- and land-use change and their impacts on water and soils) is a Belmont Forum project funded by the Department of Earth Sciences and Technologies for the Environment (DSTTA). The project aims to create a transdisciplinary platform to understand the natural and socio-economic factors that lead to land abandonment and subsequent land use change and alteration of ecosystem processes in the Critical Zone. The results of the activities carried out over the 3 years of the project (2021-2023) will enable stakeholders to apply solutions for sustainable management of the air-soil-vegetation-water system.

ICEtoFLUX

ICEtoFLUX (HydrologIcal changes in ArctiC Environments and water-driven biogeochemical) focus on hydrological processes occurring in arctic environment, as well as on their effects of physical, chemical and biological type. It is developed over the Bayelva River catchment (Ny- Ålesund, Svalbard), starting from its glaciers (Austre- e Vestre-broggerbreen) and moving down to proglacial tundra area and the Kongsfjorden, in which water quality and current are affected by the river input of meltwater containing suspended solids.

LEAP-RE

LEAP-RE (Long-Term Joint EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on Renewable Energy) is Horizon 2020 EU-funded project, in response to the LC-SC3-JA-5-2020 H2020 call for proposal. The duration of the action will be 63 months as of 1 October 2020 (‘starting date of the action’).

LEAP-RE seeks to create a long-term partnership of African and European stakeholders in the field of renewable energy.

PON-GRINT

Il progetto PON “Infrastruttura di Ricerca Italiana per le Geoscienze” (Geoscience Research INfracstructure of ITaly; GRINT) ha come obiettivo generale quello di potenziare le strutture, le risorse e i servizi collegati al piano di implementazione dell’Infrastruttura di Ricerca (IR) Europea European Plate Observing System (EPOS) e di definire possibili ampliamenti dell’offerta di dati, prodotti e servizi, con particolare riferimento alle regioni meno sviluppate (Campania, Calabria, Puglia e Sicilia) o in transizione (Abruzzo, Molise e Sardegna).

AL.C.h.E.Mi.S.T.

The Project regards the integrated study of Albanian speleothem, with the general aims to explore and develop the potential of Albanian caves as archives of past climatic and environmental variations, and with the perspective of properly valorise their scientific, didactic and historical value.

Bilateral Project Italy - Morocco

The bilateral project aims to study the main fault systems of the High Atlas in Morocco, whose long history of activation in different geodynamic contexts characterized the overall evolution of the mountain belt. The Atlas orogen resulted from a long history of reactivations in alternating transtensional–transpressional tectonic regimes of lithospheric faults (Tizi n'Test fault system in the western High Atlas, South Meseta and South Atlas fault systems in the central High Atlas).

HIETE

The purpose of the "Scientific Research of Excellence", funded by the CARIPARO Foundation, is to support innovative research projects that help generate positive economic and social effects, promoting the advancement of scientific knowledge in the most diverse fields.

One of the most debated scientific aspects in relation to the impacts of global changes is whether, how and for how long transitional coastal environments such as lagoons, estuaries and deltas will be able to survive the expected Sea Level Rise (SLR).

BRIC-INAIL Asbestos Call

The project “Crystallochemical characterization and study of surface reactivity of mineral fibres of environmental and health interest, for an accurate hazard analysis”, was financed in the frame of the “Bric” research funding program of INAIL - the Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work.

ORMA

The ORMA Project, funded by the Region of Tuscany with Executive Decree no. 7426 of 14/05/2020 and started on December 1, 2020, aims to train experts to support innovation, technology transfer, promotion of the relationship between research and business and europlanning and to strengthen the skills of the territory in the field of research/enterprise integration, internationalization, technology transfer, culture of innovation, monitoring and forecasting of technologies and europlanning.

Bilateral project Italy - China

Deltas, estuaries, lagoons form complex and highly fragile transition zones between river dominated lowlands and coastal marine systems. Such systems have proven to react sensitively to climate change and anthropogenic forces: the present morpho- hydro- geological setting and ecosystem of coastal systems result from human-induced processes superposed to the natural coastal zone evolution.

TRETAMARA

In the northern Adriatic Sea there are marine and coastal habitats that favor and support a significant animal and plant biodiversity, represented by the geo-biogenic outcrops of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto, by the Cladocora caespitosa dead corallites on the Slovenian side, by the numerous coastal-littoral ZSC-ZPS.

MoST

Project coordinator: Prof. Paolo Salandin University of Padova, Department ICEA ();CNR Scientific Responsible: Dr. Luigi Tosi, CNR-IGG (luigi.tosi@igg.cnr.it)

ASTERIS

Project coordinator: Prof. Simone Galeotti, Università degli studi di Urbino “Carlo Bo”; CNR Scientific Responsible: Dr.ssa Barbara Nisi, CNR-IGG (barbara.nisi@igg.cnr.it)

GECO

The project aims to study and develop, at industrial level, the production of geothermal energy with zero emissions. Geothermal fluids can naturally contain small variable amounts of CO₂ and H₂S that, if released into the atmosphere, can contribute negatively to the climate change.

Venezia 2021

The loss of land elevation with respect to the mean sea level (relative sea level rise – RSLR) is one of the processes potentially more impacting flat low-lying coastlands. Today, a continuous updating of the knowledge on land subsidence is becoming even more necessary. This holds in particular for the Venice area where land subsidence is characterized by a significant variability because of the hydro-geo-morphological complexity typical of this transitional environment. Although land subsidence in the Venice coast does not peak to values recorded in other coastal areas worldwide, the process is here severely threatening the territory because of its very low elevation, which is generally below the mean sea level, and the peculiarity of the lagoon environment.

IGCP 663 - IM2LSC

Land subsidence severely threatens most of the coastal plains around the world where high productive industrial and agricultural activities and urban centers are concentrated. Coastal subsidence damages infrastructures and exacerbates the effect of the sea‐level rise at regional scale. Although it is a well‐known process,

VIOLA

The VIOLA project is one of the activities funded under POR Puglia. The IGG is involved in the project for activities concerning the isotopic applications of O, H, B, and Sr in the study of the interactions between the waters selected and the carbonate aquifers of the Apula platform.

GEOENVI

CNR Scientific Responsible: Dr. Adele Manzella, CNR-IGG (adele.manzella@igg.cnr.it). Link to project web site: https://www.geoenvi.eu/.

Geodinamica del Pianeta Vivente

IGG-CNR research on climate change featured on Presa Diretta

Giornata della geodiversità: aperitivo e seminario al DST

Conclusa la prima Scuola Estiva “Giacimenti Minerari” a Campiglia Marittima

Convegno "Il contributo della Cartografia Geologica d'Italia nella ricerca delle Materie Prime Critiche