Magic Sheet 01 Ventimiglia — Map (OpenData)

The Foglio Ventimiglia encloses the entire part of the continental margin of the Maritime and Ligurian Alps, between the Italian-French border and Cape Mimosa. The continental margin consists of a continental shelf of sedimentary construction, very little extended and a steep escarpment with large sedimentary masses in conditions of instability. Deeply engraved and rapidly evolving canyons further undermine the stability of sedimentary bodies, so that all phenomena are in retrogression and tend to further attack the high parts of the escarpment and platform. Important tectonic structures active at the foot of the escarpment itself give rise to seismic events with prevailing compressive and passing mechanism, with relatively high magnitude, which contribute greatly to instability. The movable sedimentary masses belong to the plio-quaternary cover, at the base of which, on the lower escarpment, the summit levels of the evaporitic sequence of the Messiniano (the upper Myocene) are detected. These levels often act as decoupling surfaces for large landslides that in turn destabilise masses placed on the medium and high escarpment, propagating the phenomena of instability upwards. The areas in active erosion are represented both by sets of canyons and associated channels, as well as vast stretches of escarpment affected by widespread erosion and instability. Practically the entire escarpment area is affected by widespread erosion and by important channels. There are 6 critical points, referring to canyons and landslides.