GPR survey in the karstic area "vore di spedicaturo" near nociglia (Lecce, Italy)

In March 1996 a sudden collapse revealed a 19 m by 20 ni cave near Nociglia (Lecce, Italy). The new cave is aligned to other dolines and collapse sinkholes developed in a Lower- Pleisitocene calcarenitic formation. The karstic forms follows the samle NNW-SSE orientation of the main tectonic features. The potential risk for public safety represented by the p r o x i ~ t yo f the sinkhole to a main road stimulated geophysical studies to better understand the underground stratigraphy and hydrogeology, as well as to locate further unknown karstic cavities. This note shows the main results of the GPR surveys performed in 1996-1997 and 1998 together with VES and refr.action seismics. Despite the low quality of most of the 35 MHz data., the low-frequency survey imaged the local lithostratigraphy and some deep cavities, while the higher-frequency one defined betber near-surface landforms, such as known caves, faults and burrows probably connecting the sinkholes.