Mineralogical Asbestos Assessment in the Southern Apennines (Italy): A Review

Abstract

This paper deals with petrography and mineralogy of serpentinitic rocks occurring in the Southern Apennines (Italy) with the aim to review the already available literature data and furnish new details on asbestos minerals present in the studied area. Two sites of Southern Italy were taken into account: the Pollino Massif, at the Calabrian-Lucanian border, and the surroundings of the Gimigliano and Mt. Reventino areas where serpentinites of Frido Unit are mainly exposed. Textural and mineralogical features of the studied rocks point to a similar composition for both sites including asbestos minerals such as chrysotile and tremolite-actinolite series mineral phases. Only in the Pollino Massif serpentinites edenite crystals have been detected as well; they are documented here for the first time. This amphibole forms as fibrous and/or prismatic crystals in aggregates associated with serpentine, pyroxene, and calcite. Metamorphism and/or metasomatic alteration of serpentinites are the most probable processes promoting the edenite formation in the Southern Apennine ophiolitic rocks.

The First Occurrence of Asbestiform Magnesio-Riebeckite in Schists in the Frido Unit (Pollino Unesco Global Geopark, Southern Italy)

“…The presence of NOA in ophiolite rocks had been documented in the Pollino Unesco Global Geopark [4,7]. Previous studies on serpentinite rocks highlighted that they are made up of fibrous minerals accounting for 55% of the total mineral composition [2]. The serpentinites have been characterized using different analytical techniques µ-Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM-EDS, and EPMA (electron probe micro analysis), and confirmed the presence of serpentine and amphibole group minerals (lizardite, chrysotile, antigorite, and tremolite-actinolite) [7].…”

“…It has been subdivided into different tectono-metamorphic units. From bottom to top, it consists of the blueschist Frido Unit, the Episcopia-San Severino Mélange, and non-metamorphic North Calabrian Unit [2,14,15] ( Figure 1b). The Frido Unit represents the uppermost unit of the ophiolite-bearing terranes [16], and mainly consists of polydeformed sequence, including blocks of oceanic and continental type rocks, and metasediments [13,[17][18][19][20][21][22].…”

“…The problem of toxicity and carcinogenicity of asbestos minerals has long been discussed since the 20 century, because it represents a clear consequence for human health. The term asbestos represents a series of six natural asbestiform silicate minerals, which include serpentine (chrysotile), as well as amphibole minerals (tremolite, actinolite, anthophyllite, amosite, and crocidolite that represent a variety of commercial term of fibrous riebeckite) that are defined by law in Europe and in several countries worldwide [1][2][3][4] and also by Italian law (D.Lgs. 2008).…”

“…Asbestos fibers, when present in natural geologic outcrops, can be defined as naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) [5,6]. In Basilicata, NOA are mainly concentrated in the ophiolitic sequences cropping out in Pollino Unesco Global Geopark (southern Italy) [2,4,7]. In this area, the most common types of asbestos are serpentine and tremolite, and in a recent study, also edenite [2].…”

“…In Basilicata, NOA are mainly concentrated in the ophiolitic sequences cropping out in Pollino Unesco Global Geopark (southern Italy) [2,4,7]. In this area, the most common types of asbestos are serpentine and tremolite, and in a recent study, also edenite [2]. The structure of amphiboles minerals is characterized by the presence of Si 4+ and Al 3+ in the tetrahedral site that form double chains running parallel to c-axis, forming columnar and fibrous crystals.…”