Distribution and features of natural and anthropogenic sinkholes in Apulia

In the last years, the Institute of Research for the Hydrological Protection of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRPI) has built a chronological catalogue on sinkhole phenomena in Italy, addresses toward the evaluation of the sinkhole hazard . The chronological catalogue of sinkholes is specifically focused on the time of occurrence of the events, that is considered a crucial element for the definition of the sinkhole hazard. The catalogue takes into account both natural and anthropogenic sinkholes (these latter being related to presence of man-made underground caves, widely diffuse in many Italian regions). Knowledge of the dates of occurrence of sinkholes represents the necessary element for definition of the hazard; at the same time, discriminating between sinkholes related to presence of natural or man-made caves may determine very different scenarios to be faced, in terms of civil protection actions.