The main objective of this paper was to introduce the Environmental Seismic Intensity scale (ESI), a new scale\ud developed and tested by an interdisciplinary group of scientists (geologists, geophysicists and seismologists) in the frame of the\ud International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) activities, to the widest community of earth scientists and engineers dealing\ud with seismic hazard assessment. This scale defines earthquake intensity by taking into consideration the occurrence, size and areal\ud distribution of earthquake environmental effects (EEE), including surface faulting, tectonic uplift and subsidence, landslides, rock\ud falls, liquefaction, ground collapse and tsunami waves. Indeed, EEEs can significantly improve the evaluation of seismic intensity,\ud which still remains a critical parameter for a realistic seismic hazard assessment, allowing to compare historical and modern\ud earthquakes. Moreover, as shown by recent moderate to large earthquakes, geological effects often cause severe damage’’;\ud therefore, their consideration in the earthquake risk scenario is crucial for all stakeholders, especially urban planners, geotechnical\ud and structural engineers, hazard analysts, civil protection agencies and insurance companies. The paper describes background and\ud construction principles of the scale and presents some case studies in different continents and tectonic settings to illustrate its relevant\ud benefits. ESI is normally used together with traditional intensity scales, which, unfortunately, tend to saturate in the highest degrees.\ud In this case and in unpopulated areas, ESI offers a unique way for assessing a reliable earthquake intensity. Finally, yet importantly,\ud the ESI scale also provides a very convenient guideline for the survey of EEEs in earthquake-stricken areas, ensuring they are\ud catalogued in a complete and homogeneous manner

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A high-resolution (IKB-Seistec) seismic survey calibrated with gravity-core data, off the Amalfi coast, a rocky coastal area on the southern side of the Sorrento Peninsula (Italy), documents the internal stratigraphic architecture of a series of small fan-deltas that develop at the mouth of major bedrock streams. The fan-delta system mostly postdates the Plinian eruption of Vesuvius of ad 79 and displays various phases of development associated with periods of high sediment supply from the adjacent river basins. During these periods landscape-mantling loose pyroclastic deposits (mostly air-fall tephra from Vesuvius) were quickly eroded and delivered to the continental shelf by sheet wash and flash flood events. Depositional processes on the foresets were dominated by sediment gravity flows originating from hyperpycnal river flow and pyroclastic fall deposits. This in turn created favourable conditions for sea-floor instability, soft sediment failure, slumping and sliding, which characterize the deltaic stratigraphic architecture. The intermittently increased sediment yield during the various phases of the evolution of the fan-delta system was probably influenced also by the morphoclimatic regime. This may have resulted in varying rates of progradation of the delta foresets, tentatively correlated with the main climatic oscillations of the last 2000 years. The Amalfi fan-delta system represents a small-scale analogue for larger flood-dominated fan-deltas of the world and may be regarded as a useful example for a better understanding of inner-shelf, mixed siliciclastic–volcaniclastic fan-delta systems in the stratigraphic record.