No specific study exists on the Bagnacavallo source, and only few on
the 11 April 1688 earthquake. Nevertheless, information on the location, geometry 
and recent activity of the source can be obtained from a number of papers dealing 
with the subsurface geology and geomorphology of the Po Plain.

Gambi (1949)
This worker reconstructs the evolution in historic time of the drainage system of the 
easternmost part of the Po Plain, close to the city of Ravenna. In his study he 
proposes a dated sequence of progressive shifts of the Santerno, Senio and Lamone 
rivers up to their present position.

Pieri and Groppi (1981)
This paper offers a reconstruction of the subsurface geology of the Po Plain using data 
derived from exploratory seismic lines and oil wells stratigraphies. Their NE-
oriented section 11 drawn across the Cotignola oil field, shows the presence of a 
major north-verging anticline that deforms sediments as recent as middle-upper 
Pliocene, and possibly Quaternary. This anticline following their reconstruction is 
part of the Romagna Folds, that are the more internal folds of the Ferrara-Romagna 
Arc.

Ferrari et al. (1985)
These investigators study the effects of the 1688 earthquake and draw the isoseismal 
map, that shows the maximum intensities (Imax=IX) in the area around Cotignola. 
As regards possible effect on the environment, they report the occurrence of 
floodings of the Senio and Lamone rivers about ten days after the earthquake.

Cassano et al. (1986)
These investigators provide a comprehensive summary of subsurface and surface 
geophysical and geological data along several transects crossing the Po Plain from the 
Southwest to the Northeast. Their re-interpretation of Section 11 of Pieri and Groppi 
[1981] using the new data-set, shows a major anticline driven by a low-angle north-
verging blind thrust culminating at Cotignola. 

Burrato et al. (2000)
They analyse in detail the fluvial system of the Po Plain and identify several areas 
where significant drainage anomalies (e.g., river diversions and shifts in channel 
patterns) with wave-length comparable to that of tectonic structures of crustal 
significance are suggestive of the presence of active blind thrust or reverse faults. As 
second step of their approach the authors compare the position of the drainage 
anomalies with the location of known buried anticlines, to corroborate the 
hypothesis of the tectonic nature of the anomalies. Following the observation that 
some of the anomalies are associated also with historical earthquakes, they propose 
that these blind thrusts may be potential sources of rather infrequent large 
earthquakes beneath the Po Plain. Burrato et al show that the Senio and Lamone 
rivers exhibit significant anomalies in their trend in the Bagnacavallo area as they 
cross an anticline reported in the official geological map.
