Earth-flow deformation from GPS surveys, Mount Pizzuto earth flow, southern Italy

We reconstruct the deformational pattern of the Mount Pizzuto earth flow using displacement data derived by successive GPS measurements of a network of 99 monitoring points. 2D strain was computed using displacement data of sets of 4 to 6 points. Results from our analysis indicate that deformation varies along the earth flow with several zones of longitudinal stretching and shortening corresponding to areas where the earth-flow displacement/velocity increase and decrease, respectively. Dilatation and orientation of principal strain axes are consistent with the geometry of deformational structures at the flow surface. © Società Geologica Italiana, Roma 2016.