In search of the seismogenic fault of the March 23rd 2018 earthquake (Mw 3.7) near Brindisi (Apulian Foreland, Southern Italy)

The portion of the southern Adriatic Sea, adjacent to the Murge area (Apulian Foreland, southern Italy), is considered mainly aseismic. The recent March 23rd 2018 earthquake (Mw 3.7), occurred near Brindisi, gives us the occasion to reconsider data coming from different sources (instrumentally-recorded, historically-documented and paleoseismologically-interpreted earthquakes), that suggest a some moderate seismic shocks in this portion of the Adriatic Sea. The present study, based on the re-interpretation of public domain seismic profiles and exploration well logs available in the ViDEPI Project, focused on the recognition of faults with Quaternary activity in the epicentral area. A S-dipping fault, with a dip-slip component of movement (possibly having a right transtensional kinematics), is suggested to be the seismogenic fault. Its geometry and kinematics are consistent with the fault plane solution and the depth of the hypocenter calculated by the INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia).