Spatial analysis of the Italian seismic network and seismicity

Seismic networks are powerful tools for understanding active tectonicprocesses in a monitored region. Their numerous applications, from monitoringseismicity to characterizing seismogenic volumes and generated seismicity, makeseismic networks essential tools for assessing seismic hazard in active regions. Theability to locate earthquakes hypocenters requires a seismic network with a sufficientnumber of optimally distributed, stations. It is important to assess existing networkgeometry, to identify seismogenic volumes that are not adequately monitored, andto quantify measures that will allow network improvement. In this work we havestudied the spatial arrangement of the stations of the Italian National Seismic Networkby means of several Point Pattern techniques The results of the point patteranalysis were compare with the spatial distribution of the historical and instrumentseismicity and with the distribution of the well know seismogenetic sources of theItalian peninsula. Some considerations have also been made on some models of seismichazard of the Italian territory. Our analysis allowed us to identify some criticalareas that could require an optimization of the monitoring network.