A new magnetic and magnetotelluric station for the study of the natural electromagnetic field and deep geophysical characterisation of the territory has been installed at Mamone (NU), in the heart of Sardinia.
The station is located within the grounds of the Onanì-Mamone Prison, an environment particularly well-suited to geophysical observations: the site is characterised by an extremely low level of anthropogenic noise, an essential condition for the quality of long-period magnetic and magnetotelluric measurements.
The installation was made possible through the collaboration of the Directorate of Onanì-Mamone Prison and the Sardinian Regional Directorate of the Agenzia del Demanio (State Property Agency), both of which welcomed the proposal to host the station, recognising the cultural and scientific value of the project.
"This is a strategic opportunity not only for the scientific community, but also for the Sardinian and Barbagia region in particular, to which the Mamone Directorate will offer its full and unconditional support, making its key assets available," said the Prison Director, Dr. Vincenzo Lamonaca.
The activity also involves the participation of the prison's residents in consolidating the station installation once sensor performance tests have been completed. The initiative thus represents an opportunity for active engagement with an international research project, demonstrating how settings not traditionally associated with scientific research can become an integral part of knowledge production.
From a scientific standpoint, the new installation will make a significant contribution to research carried out under the MEET project (Monitoring Earth's Evolution and Tectonics) of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), which aims to develop infrastructure for the study of the processes that govern the Earth's evolution and internal dynamics, with particular attention to the Italian territory and areas most exposed to natural hazards.
The magnetometric station will form an integral part of the FABER multiparametric observatory, whose objective is to acquire long time series of geophysical data — including geomagnetic field measurements — under optimal environmental conditions.
The new station also represents an important element in the characterisation activities of the site candidate to host Einstein Telescope (ET), the future European third-generation gravitational wave de
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