Cotecchia et al. (1986)
By means of field survey and of analyses of the descriptions provided by 
numerous chroniclers and scientists sent by the Kingdom of Naples immediately 
after the event (among the others Grimaldi, 1784; De Dolomieu 1784 and Vivenzio, 
1788), they study the geomorphogenic crisis triggered by the February 5, 
1783 M7 earthquake. The authors interpret as evidence for surface faulting 
related to the activation during the 1783 earthquake of the Delianuova-Molochio-
Santa Cristina normal fault, a crack running between the village of San Giorgio 
and of Santa Cristina, which was first described by De Dolomieu. This feature 
was several feet wide, about 10 miles long, downdropped to the west, and 
coincided with the contact between the sedimentary sequence outcropping in the 
Gioia Tauro plain, and the crystalline bedrock forming the Aspromonte Mountain. 
They attribute then a great seismogenic potential to this structure.

Tortorici et al. (1986)
On the basis of morphological and structural evidence, they hypothesise that the 
three shocks occurred on February 5, 6 and 7, 1783 were related to three west-
dipping, NE striking high angle normal faults. These faults put in contact the 
crystalline bedrock forming the Aspromonte and Serre mountains and the Palmi 
coastal high, with the sedimentary Plio-Pleistocenic clastic sequence 
outcropping in the Mesima valley and in the Gioia Tauro basin. They also suggest 
that these faults, together with those with similar strike that exist in the 
Messina Straits area, may form a right stepping en-echelon array.

Valensise and D'Addezio (1994)
To determine which fault was responsible for the February 5, 1783 earthquake, 
compare the landscape geomorphological features and geological data and the 
deformational field produced by two fault geometries both NNE striking but with 
opposite dip: one low-angle ESE dipping and the other high angle WNW dipping 
(named the Gioia Tauro Fault and the Aspromonte Fault, respectively. They show 
that the Gioia Tauro Fault seems to have a geometry more compatible with the 
overall geological and geomorphological dataset, able to explain the evolution 
of the Gioia Tauro basin.

Tortorici et al. (1995)
By means of field mapping, structural analysis and morphological observations, 
they study several normal fault segments that show evidence for Middle 
Pleistocene to Holocene activity, located along the inner side of the Calabrian 
Arc. According to these authors these fault segments may be related to the 
high seismicity typical of the region. In particular, they describe in detail 
and map the Cittanova Fault, a 15 km-long, NE-striking, high angle normal fault 
bounding to the east the Gioia Tauro plain. On the basis of morphological and 
structural analyses, they infer for this structure a very recent activity with 
prevalent dip slip movement, and an average rate of vertical displacement of 
about 0.7 mm/yr in the past 120 kyr.

Bosi and Galli (2000)
By merging field and aerial photo survey with archeoseismic investigations they 
studied the epicentral area of the 5 Feb. 1783 earthquake and conclude that the 
Cittanova fault  (W dipping) is the surface evidence of the seismic source at 
depth. They locate sites that appear have experienced surface ruptures during 
that event and excavated trenches at three sites along the Cittanova fault. 
Trenches show evidence for paleoearthquakes, dating is underway.

