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GIULIO DI TORO

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Position

Professore Ordinario

Structure

Dipartimento di Geoscienze

Address

VIA G. GRADENIGO, 6 - PADOVA

Telephone

0498279105

E-mail

giulio.ditoro@unipd.it

He is Full Professor in Structural Geology at the University of Padua (Italy), Visiting Researcher at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Manchester University (UK) and Associate Researcher at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV, Rome). He has 15 years' experience in seismic-related fault processes and published 89 peer-reviewed papers and co-edited three special volumes on this topic. In collaboration with geologists, geophysicists and engineers, he integrated field data from exhumed seismogenic faults with experimental observations to understand the physico-chemical processes active during the seismic cycle. The scientific and technological results of this collaboration include the investigation of several fault weakening processes that may operate during earthquakes, the development and installation of SHIVA, currently the most powerful rotary shear installed worldwide and the installation of a second experimental apparatus at the Dept. of Geosciences in Padua University. His research activities were also supported by two European Research Council Grants (USEMS & NOFEAR, 2008-2019, 4 M€). He received the International Award for Geology from the Accademia dei Lincei (Italy, 2010), the Arne Richter Award of the European Geoscience Union (Vienna, 2008) and he is member of the Academia Europeae (from 2013) and Accademia Galileiana (from 2014).

Publications in major scientific journals (Nature, Nature Geoscience and Science)

• Vannucchi P., Spagnuolo E., Ujiie K., Aretusini S., Di Toro G., Nielsen S., Tsutsumi A., 2017. Past seismic slip-to-the-trench recorded in Central America megathrust. Nature Geoscience, 10.1038/s41561-017-0013-4.
• Kendrick, J. E., Lavallée, Y., Hirose, T, Di Toro, G., Hornby, A.J., De Angelis, S., Dingwell, D.B. 2014. Volcanic drumbeat seismicity caused by stick-slip motion and magmatic frictional melting. Nature Geoscience, vol. 7, pp. 438-442.
• Di Toro, G., Han R., Hirose, T., De Paola, N., Nielsen, S., Mizoguchi, K., Ferri, F., Cocco, M., Shimamoto, T., 2011. Fault lubrication during earthquakes. Nature 471, 494-498.
• Burlini, L., Di Toro, G., 2008. Volcanic Symphony in the lab. Science 322, 207-208.
• Di Toro, G., Hirose, T., Nielsen, S., Pennacchioni, G., Shimamoto, T., 2006. Natural and experimental evidence of melt lubrication of faults during earthquakes. Science 311, 647-649.
• Di Toro, G., Nielsen, S., Pennacchioni, G., 2005. Earthquake rupture dynamics frozen in exhumed ancient faults. Nature 436, 1009-1012.
• Di Toro, G., Goldsby D.L., Tullis, T.E., 2004. Friction falls towards zero in quartz rock as slip velocity approaches seismic rates. Nature 427, 436-439.

Notices

Office hours

  • Monday from 14:30 to 15:30
    at Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Via Gradenigo 6, Padova

Teachings

Publications

Last 18 months
1. Murphy S., G. Di Toro, F. Romano, A. Scala, S. Lorito, E. Spagnuolo, S. Aretusini, G. Festa, A. Piatanesi, S. Nielsen, 2018. Tsunamigenic earthquake simulations using experimentally derived friction laws. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 486, pp. 155-165, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.01.011.
2. Ferré E.C., Meado A.L., Geissman J., Di Toro G., Spagnuolo E., Ueda T., Ashwal L.D., Deseta N., Andersen T.B., Filiberto J., Conder J.A., 2017, Earthquakes in the mantle? Insights from rock magnetism of pseudotachylytes. Journal of Geophysical Research. vol. 122 (11), 10.1002/2017JB014618, pp.1-17.
3. Vannucchi P., Spagnuolo E., Ujiie K., Aretusini S., Di Toro G., Nielsen S., Tsutsumi A., 2017. Past seismic slip-to-the-trench recorded in Central America megathrust. Nature Geoscience vol. 10, pp. 935-940, doi: 10.1038/s41561-017-0013-4.
4. Kuo L.-W., Di Felice F., Spagnuolo E., Di Toro G., Song S.-R., Aretusini S., Li H., Suppe J., Si J., Wen C.-Y., Fault gouge graphitization as evidence of past seismic slip. Geology vol. 45, pp. 979-982, doi:10.1130/G39295.1.
5. Smeraglia L., Bettucci A., Billi A., Carminati E., Cavallo A., Di Toro G., Natali M., Passeri D., Rossi M., Spagnuolo E., 2017. Microstructural evidence for seismic and aseismic slip along clay bearing, carbonate faults. Journal of Geophysical Research, 10.1002/2017JB014042, pp. 1-21.
6. Pischiutta M., Fondriest M., Demurtas M., Magnoni F., Di Toro G., Rovelli A., 2017. Structural control on the directional amplification of seismic noise (Campo Imperatore, central Italy). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 471, pp. 10-18.
7. Smeraglia L., Billi A., Carminati E., Cavallo A., Di Toro G., Spagnuolo E., Zorzi F., 2017. Ultra-thin clay layers facilitate seismic slip in carbonate rocks. Nature Scientific Reports, pp. 1-10, vol. 7: 664 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-00717-4.
8. Rempe M., Smith S., Mitchell T., Hirose T., Di Toro G., 2017. The effect of water on strain localization in calcite fault gouge sheared at seismic slip rates. Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 97, pp. 104-117.
9. Aretusini S., Spagnuolo E., Mittempergher S., Plumper O., Gualtieri A., Di Toro G., 2017. Production of nanoparticles during experimental deformation of smectites and implications for seismic slip. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 463, pp. 221-231.
10. Fondriest M., Doan M.-L., Aben F., Fusseis F., Mitchell T., Voorn M., Secco M., Di Toro G., 2017, Static versus dynamic fracturing in shallow carbonate fault zones. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 461, pp. 8-19 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.12.024.
11. Smith, S.A.F., Griffith, J.R., Fondriest, M., Di Toro, G., 2017. “Coseismic foliations” in gouge and cataclasite: experimental observations and consequences for interpreting the fault rock record. In: “Fault-zone Dynamic Processes: Evolution of Fault Properties During Seismic Rupture”, Eds. M. Thomas, T. Mitchell, H. Bath, Geophysical Monograph Series Vol. 227, (American Geophysical Union Special Volume, Washington D.C., USA), pp. 81-102.
12. Beeler, N., Di Toro, G., Nielsen, S., 2016. Earthquake source properties from pseudotachylite. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 10.1785/0120150344.
13. Mitchell M. M., Toy V., Di Toro G., Renner J., Sibson R., 2016. Fault welding by pseudotachylyte formation. Geology, vol. 44, no. 12, pp. 1059–1062, doi: 10.1130/G38373.1.

Research Area

Earthquake mechanics and seismic faulting.
Rock mechanics.
Rock friction.
Fault rocks.
Experimental studies of induced seismicity.
Numerical modelling of seismic ruptures.