Source: INGV, 12/10/2026
On 14 and 15 October, researchers from the Italian National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) will return to the Onanì-Mamone prison to complete the first phase of the geophysical surveys launched last March. On this occasion, too, the researchers will work alongside inmates who played a key role in installing the instruments in the field last spring.
The activities will focus on two main tasks. The sixteen seismic stations installed in March, which have continuously recorded the background noise of the Sardinian subsurface for six months, will be removed, having completed their mission. The data collected will help identify the main sources of seismic disturbance in the area. The magnetic and magnetotelluric station, on the other hand, will remain operational, as the high quality of the electromagnetic data has justified keeping it in place. Ahead of winter, the installation will therefore be reinforced to ensure continuous measurements.
The surveys, coordinated by the Geophysical Characterization Centre for Einstein Telescope (CCGET) and initially launched as part of the recently concluded MEET (Monitoring Earth’s Evolution and Tectonics) project, aim to document the area’s geophysical quietness in the candidate site for the Einstein Telescope, the future European gravitational-wave observatory designed to detect ripples in spacetime generated by extreme cosmic events.
These geophysical measurement campaigns are the result of collaboration between INGV, the Italian Ministry of Justice and State Property Agency – Sardinia Regional Directorate. The management of the correctional facility and the Penitentiary Police have provided logistical and operational support at every stage, while several inmates have actively participated in the fieldwork, making a tangible contribution to scientific research.
This collaboration represents a valuable example of institutional cooperation and social inclusion, bringing individual skills into a scientific endeavour of international scope.