WHAT IS THE INGV?
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, known as the INGV, is the Italian research body responsible for the study of geophysical and volcanological phenomena and the management of the respective national monitoring networks for seismic and volcanic phenomena.
HOW WAS THE INGV FOUNDED?
The origins of the INGV coincide with the origins of geophysical and volcanological research in Italy and the world.
An important step towards the foundation of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology was taken in 1969, when, with Alfred Rittmann, the International Institute of Volcanology was founded in Catania, a prestigious volcanological research centre mainly aimed at studying the activities of Mt. Etna and the Aeolian Islands.
Later on, between the seventies and eighties, two other prestigious geophysical and volcanological research institutes, the Institute of Geochemistry of Fluids (IGF), in Palermo, and the Institute of Research on Seismic Risk (IRSR) in Milan, were founded.
By the end of the nineties, in Italy geophysics and volcanology had become advanced scientific disciplines and, especially in the field of seismology and volcanology, Italy had gained a position of undoubted prestige and scientific credibility around the world, thanks to the intense scientific activity of these institutes and many other prestigious universities.
Finally, in 1999, with Legislative Decree No. 381 of 29/9/1999, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (NIGV) was founded, from the confluence of the main Italian geophysical and volcanological research institutes, the Vesuvian Observatory of Naples, the ING of Rome, the IIV of Catania, the IGF of Palermo and the IRSR of Milan.
WHAT DOES THE INGV DO?
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology has become one of the largest European research entities in the field of earth sciences. It carries out scientific research in the fields of geophysics and geochemistry, seismology, volcanology and space weather.
In addition to its normal research activities, in agreement with the Civil Protection, it is the duty of the INGV to monitor earthquakes and volcanoes in Italian areas. The NEC (National Earthquake Centre), Rome section, looks after seismic monitoring of the whole country, excluding volcanic areas.
The Naples section of the Vesuvian Observatory monitors Neapolitan volcanoes (Phlegraean Fields, Vesuvius, Ischia), and the Catania section monitors volcanoes in Sicily (Etna, Aeolian Islands). Data from Stromboli are transmitted to both the Vesuvian Observatory in Naples and the INGV in Catania. The Palermo section carries out geochemical monitoring in tectonic and volcanic areas of the peninsula, since it supports seismic and volcanic monitoring throughout Italian territory.
The INGV also leads the European consortia for monitoring on land (EPOS) and at sea (EMSO), and the National Technology Platform for Geothermal Energy, of the Ministry of University and Research (MIUR).
Finally, the INGV has launched a national program of public education, public service information and risk communication, related to seismic and volcanic risks, called EduRisk.
