The Geodynamics Working Group aims to define and enhance fundamental research themes in the field of Earth System Sciences, and in particular of the geodynamic processes that govern the planet, because the increasingly accurate understanding of Geodynamic Processes is fundamental and essential for the definition of interpretative models of all other Earth System themes: Georesources, Cycle of the elements, Climate and Environment, Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironments, Aquifers, Risks, Birth and Evolution of Life, and for all types of applications, from the traceability of pollutants, to agri-food, to the defense of cultural heritage and archaeology.

The Earth is the only known planetary body with a complex endogenous dynamics, characterized by an active plate tectonics, and from this derives the uniqueness of our planet, capable of hosting complex life forms in numerous environmental systems. The endogenous dynamics, which continuously influences the Environment, the Climate, and our society, is still little known, but the resulting processes are clearly visible on the most superficial part of the lithosphere, the crust, where we live every day, such as mountain ranges, ocean trenches, sedimentary basins, volcanic edifices and seismically active faults. Currently we do not have a sufficiently in-depth understanding of the Earth’s dynamics, of the heterogeneities present in the various domains of the crust and mantle and of their influence on the geochemical cycle of the elements.

The Mediterranean area represents an extraordinary case study to understand many of the processes on a global scale: the development of at least 3 large orogenic cycles in less than 500 million years allows extraordinary characterizations of the composition, tectono-magmatic and metamorphic evolution of the continental crust from the Ordovician to the present. In particular, sub-continental mantle outcrops are present along the various orogenic belts, which allow us to define the modes of accretion of the asthenospheric mantle to the lithosphere, the composition of the melt sources, and the modes of recycling of continental crust material at mantle levels. Crustal material (both of oceanic and continental origin) is present in post-collisional mantle melts from the Carboniferous to the Quaternary from Spain to Turkey. The ability to study the evolution of mantle sources and melts over a considerable time span allows us to produce extraordinary constraints on recycled crustal components, on the mantle levels in which they are incorporated, and on the modes of release over time, allowing us to formulate increasingly robust models of the interactions between the asthenosphere, lithosphere and crust, and in particular on the geochemical cycles of elements and isotopes. This magmatism is also the origin of all the major deposits of strategic elements in the European continent.

The Mediterranean basin, due to its geodynamic evolution, has gone from being a basin open to the Indo-Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic, to a semi-closed basin, connected only to the Atlantic Ocean through the small Strait of Gibraltar, with significant episodes of complete isolation. Today the Mediterranean is an extremely heterogeneous area from a lithological point of view and a geo-biodiversity hotspot; furthermore, it is particularly sensitive to the consequences of global warming and is an area extremely exposed to all the risks typical of tectonically active areas, also considering that on the coasts of the Mediterranean flourish densely populated and economically important cities, as well as industrial plants and communication infrastructures. Therefore, to face the environmental challenges that the future holds for us, understanding the long-term geodynamic processes that have determined the evolution of the Mediterranean and identifying the active processes that still influence it is essential in order to implement predictive and resilience models of society.

General objectives:

• The general objective is to propose discovery-driven and solution-driven research activities to try to better understand the geological, chemical and physical processes and parameters that govern the surface and deep Earth dynamics, their cycles and their time scale. In this context, we intend to focus in particular on the exchanges of energy and matter between the various terrestrial domains and the surface, to understand the source or sink role that the Earth’s interior exerts with respect to the fundamental elements for Man, Life and climate evolution.
• Coordinate research activities in the geodynamic field broadly speaking, aggregating complementary disciplines and methodologies, also with the aim of proposing project proposals in collaboration with other working groups established by DSTTA, making the best use of the activities, instrumental and analytical resources of DSTTA (e.g. Deep surveys such as IODP and ICDP, Nave Gaia Blu, Laboratories, etc.)

Specific objectives:

Some potential specific objectives, to be developed into research themes and combined into projects, even within the scope of broader themes, in collaboration with the other working groups are the following:

1. Geosphere–Hydrosphere–Atmosphere Interactions: Timing, dynamics and modalities of matter and energy exchanges

Challenges:

• What are the geological, chemical and physical processes and parameters that govern the Earth’s surface and deep dynamics?
• What are the time scales (periods) of the various geological cycles and processes?
• What are the net exchanges of energy and matter between the various internal domains of the Earth and the surface?
• Is the Earth’s interior a source or sink of the fundamental elements (e.g. volatiles) for Man, Life, Climate?
• Can dynamical models of planet Earth serve as a reference model for studying the dynamics of other planetary systems?
• Possible declinations:
• Flows of matter and energy between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, crust, mantle (and core)
• Deep (re)cycling of volatiles, and its effects on the biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere
• Effects of deep dynamics on the dynamic evolution of the crust and sedimentary basins
• Deformation and fracturing processes of the Earth’s crust from the microscopic to the macroscopic scale
• Formation and evolution of oceanic lithosphere, oceanographic evolution
• Evolution of convergent-collisional margins and study of ophiolitic complexes
• Relationships between active tectonics, seismicity and volcanism
• Long-term geological processes: subduction and continent formation, mid-ocean ridges and ocean formation, transform faults
• Effects of deep dynamics on (paleo)environmental and (paleo)climatic evolution
• Timing, rates and cyclicity of surface, crustal and mantle processes
• Relationships between geodynamics and georesources
• Geological processes sources of geogenic pollutants
• Geochronology and geological proxies for deep and ultra-time
• Geological forcings on the evolution of Life (e.g. development of hominids)
• Relationships between endogenous dynamics and possible biological niches in exoplanets
• Formation of Planet Earth and its geological evolution compared to other planetary systems
• 4-D topographic evolution: uplift, subsidence, eustatic variations
• Predicting the unpredictable: forecasting catastrophic events

2. Geodynamic evolution of the Mediterranean area

Challenges:

The Mediterranean Area is of vital importance for Europe and Italy, with extraordinarily heterogeneous peculiarities from a geological, environmental and climatic point of view. The geodynamic evolution resulting from the interaction of the European and Adriatic continental margins of the Mediterranean has made it, since the beginning of the Cenozoic, an environment in continuous change, characterized by intensely active tectonics and therefore a harbinger of geological risks. The challenge of coexisting with such risks requires, on the part of Man, a detailed knowledge of the geological structure and active processes, for the implementation of adequate predictive and resilience models.

The Mediterranean is crucial for the development and verification of global tectonic theories, since the concepts of Plate Tectonics can find here, in some sectors of the region, a spurious representation (declination). This is due to the superposition, in short geological times and in relatively restricted areas, of different geodynamic contexts, characterized by contrasting tectonic forces and interference between different evolutionary trends.

For all this, the Mediterranean is the natural laboratory for the development of many of our research activities. In fact, it lends itself well to multidisciplinary and interinstitutional studies that can involve all the DSSTTA institutes and a vast scientific community with which there are already ongoing collaborations.

3. Deep recycling of elements, the effects on the surface concentration of critical raw materials and on climate/environmental evolution.

Challenges:

What usefulness can the cognitive and technological heritage of geosciences have and how should it evolve in the transition from the “fossil” to the “green” economy?

Study the tectonic, magmatic, hydrothermal, sedimentary and metamorphic cycles responsible for the transfer of matter and energy from the Earth’s interior to the surface to broaden knowledge on the fundamental processes of planetary evolution, such as differentiation, the formation of heterogeneities, the surface effects of endogenous dynamics, understanding and modeling in detail the processes that have immediate repercussions on some current critical issues.

Possible declinations:

• Transfer and enrichment of critical raw materials (Li, REE, PGE, Nb, Ta, Ge, H and He)
• Concentration at the surface and possible transfer from the geosphere to the hydrosphere and atmosphere of greenhouse gases (i.e., CH4 e CO2)
• Conservazione, recupero e riuso del patrimonio dei dati e delle conoscenze prodotte dalle geoscienze e delle relative infrastrutture per la transizione ecologica
• Geodynamic forcings and processes and their relationship with climate forcings

Scientific Network:

There is already a large active scientific network, with several active projects of various nature, which primarily involves researchers from IGG, IGAG, ISMAR, IMAA, IREA in collaboration with colleagues from other EPRs and many Italian and international universities, often associated with the CNR.

Enlargement of the Working Group:

It is expected that colleagues from other CNR Departments, Universities and other EPRs will gradually be included in the working group, as is the case in most other departmental working groups.