<:<80>> > ![$\textstyle \parbox{\labelwidth}{\makebox[0pt][l]{\textsf{<:}}\\ }$](img19.gif){kind=small}
<: <81>>
Andrea Antonioli
was supported with a fellowship from
October 1, 1996, to September 30, 1997. He did work 100% of his
time on the project.
Maria Elina Belardinelli
did work 30% of her time on the project from March 1, 1996.
Maurizio Bonafede
did work 20% of his time on the project from March 1, 1996.
Antonio Piersanti
did work 30% of his time on the project from March 1, 1996.
Giorgio Spada
did work 30% of his time on the project from March 1, 1996.
Eleonora Rivalta
did work 50% of her time on the project from April 1, 1997.
The subproject is mainly focussed on modelling the stress and the displacement fields due to earthquakes and to rifting episodes in Iceland. Emphasis is posed on the interaction between the two processes following stress relaxation in the asthenosphere. From these studies we may obtain a significantly improved understanding of the space and time relationships between earthquakes and other geophysical phenomena governing the state of stress in the crust.
Global studies of post-seismic and post-rifting rebound in Iceland were performed employing spherical, radially stratified earth models [,,]. Earthquakes and rifting episodes are modelled in terms of suitable distributions of equivalent body forces. The method of solution is based on a spectral approach to the equations which govern the deformations of a spherical earth due to seismic sources located within the crust. The method, has the advantage of including a realistic mantle layering and a self-consistent description of the gravitational effects. Post-seismic and post-rifting deformation are proved to be significant transient components of plate motion. Studies on a local scale are performed employing the theory of elastic dislocations in layered media. Comparison is constantly made with observations obtained in the framework of structural geology [,,,]. Near-field studies on the stress field induced by ridge activity are performed employing original methods of theoretical fracture mechanics in plane-strain configuration. The singular integral equations governing fault and ridge dynamics are solved by means of suitable polynomial expansions, yielding a linear inverse problem which is solved by standard numerical methods [,].