Subsurface geological and geophysical data from the Po Plain and the northern Adriatic Sea (north Italy)

Abstract. The Po Plain (Italy) is one of the most densely populated and productive regions of Europe, characterized by a flourishing economy (also linked to strategic subsurface resources) and several world cultural and natural heritage sites. The coupling of social-economic interests with geological hazards (i.e., seismic, subsidence and flooding hazards) in this area requires accurate knowledge of the subsurface geology, active geological processes, and impact of human activities on natural environments to mitigate the potential natural and anthropic risks.

Most data unveiling the subsurface geology of this region were produced by the hydrocarbon exploration industry. Po Plain hosts indeed many hydrocarbon fields that were discovered since the early 1950s giving rise to the subsurface exploration through extensive seismic reflection surveys and drilling of numerous deep wells. In this work, geological-geophysical data from 160 deep wells drilled for hydrocarbon exploration/exploitation purposes in the Po Plain and in the facing northern Adriatic Sea have been collected and digitized along with several published geological cross-sections and maps. These data have been used to reconstruct the overall subsurface 3D architecture and to extract the physical properties of the subsurface geological units.

The digitized data are suitable to be imported into geo-software environments so to derive the geophysical-mechanical properties of the geological units for a wealth of applied and scientific studies such as geomechanical, geophysical and seismological studies.

The integrated dataset may represent a useful tool in defining strategies to ensure the safety of the urbanized areas and human activities and to reduce natural and anthropic risks that may affect this crucial region of Europe. Nowadays, such issues are particularly relevant for the underground industry development related to the increasing interest on possible CO₂ and hydrogen underground storage, which can play a fundamental role in the energy transition process towards the decarbonisation goals.