An Integrated Geophysical Approach to Characterise the Behaviour of a Fault Zone in Relation to Fluid Migration During CO2 Geological Storage: The Case of the Matzaccara Fault in the Sulcis Coal Basin (Sardinia)

first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle An Integrated Geophysical Approach to Characterise the Behaviour of a Fault Zone in Relation to Fluid Migration During CO2 Geological Storage: The Case of the Matzaccara Fault in the Sulcis Coal Basin (Sardinia) by Valentina Volpi 1,*ORCID,Cinzia Bellezza 1ORCID,Dario Civile 1ORCID,Flavio Accaino 1,Erika Barison 1ORCID,Piero Corubolo 1,Biancamaria Farina 1ORCID,Edy Forlin 1ORCID,Massimo Giorgi 1,Michela Giustiniani 1ORCID,Fabio Meneghini 1ORCID,Alberto Pettinau 2ORCID,Alberto Plaisant 2,Andrea Schleifer 1 andFlavio Poletto 1ORCID 1 National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics-OGS, Sgonico, 34010 Trieste, TS, Italy 2 Sotacarbo S.p.A., Grande Miniera di Serbariu, 09013 Carbonia, CA, Italy * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Geosciences 2026, 16(2), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences16020063 Submission received: 22 December 2025 / Revised: 25 January 2026 / Accepted: 27 January 2026 / Published: 2 February 2026 (This article belongs to the Section Geophysics) Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Browse Figures Versions Notes Abstract In February 2024, the European Union published its Industrial Carbon Management Strategy, setting ambitious goals for carbon capture and storage (CCS), carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), and related technologies. Industrial decarbonisation will require a mix of solutions, CCUS, electrification, hydrogen and hydrogen-derived fuels, and energy efficiency, which are all dependent on affordable clean energy. Although carbon management technologies could contribute substantially to climate targets, their deployment has been slowed by technical barriers and public concerns. Sotacarbo has created a research centre dedicated to developing and testing carbon capture, utilisation, and storage technologies. Within this framework, the new Sotacarbo Fault Laboratory (SFL) was designed to investigate gas migration in faults and to test monitoring systems capable of detecting potential short- and long-term CO2 leakages. This paper presents a preliminary study, including seismic full-waveform simulations for time-lapse surveys before and after CO2 injection, and a suite of geophysical methods used to characterise the Matzaccara Fault within the Eocene Sulcis Basin. The results of the application of integrated geophysical methods support the selection of a safe and suitable injection-well location and demonstrate the value of these methods for detailed fault characterisation in CCUS applications.