Kinematic analysis of rock falls in an urban area: the case of Castelmola hill near Taormina (Sicily, Italy)

Rock masses of huge dimensions have been affected by collapse. This causes great risks to the local population since the road through this area constitutes the only access to the village and provides a connection with Taormina. The most recent collapse (1996) of a significant volume of rock from the NW slope has interrupted the access road and generated a higher hazard due to the lack of support of the rock masses above. Structural analysis, geognostic boreholes and geophysical investigations carried out on the flanks and within the Castelmola peak have allowed us to verify in detail the lithostratigraphic and fracturing conditions of the rock mass, which strongly control its stability. The typologies of possible landslides have been identified, permitting the distinction of three zones of geomechanic homogeneity that qualitatively define their stability conditions.