First volatile inventory for Gorely volcano, Kamchatka

We report here the very first assessment of volatile flux emissions from Gorely, an actively degassing volcano in Kamchatka. Using a variety of in situ and remote sensing techniques, we determined the bulk plume concentrations of major volatiles (H2O 93.5%, CO2, 2.6%, SO2 2.2%, HCl 1.1%, HF 0.3%, H2 0.2%) and trace-halogens (Br, I), therefore estimating a total gas release of 11,000 tons·day−1 during September 2011, at which time the target was non-eruptively degassing at 900°C. Gorely is a typical arc emitter, contributing 0.3% and 1.6% of the total global fluxes from arc volcanism for CO2 and HCl, respectively. We show that Gorely's volcanic gas (H2O/SO2 43, CO2/SO2 1.2, HCl/SO2 0.5) is a…

Quantifying carbon dioxide flux from dormant volcanoes with low-temperature fumarolic activity: demonstration from measurements at La Soufrière, Guadeloupe and Campi Flegrei, Italy

Quantifying the flux of magma derived CO2 dissipated by fumarolic fields at dormant volcanoes is fundamental to assess their current state of hydrothermal activity and, therefore, the likelihood of a future phreatic/magmatic eruption. There is, in fact, documented evidence that gas fluxes, and CO2 flux in particular, can increase substantially during volcanic unrests and prior to eruption, due to either degassing of new ascending magma or changes in the hydrothermal system physical regime. Quantifying CO2 emissions is relatively straightforward at open-conduit volcanoes with high-temperature gas venting, which release high enough quantities of SO2 remotely measurable with UV spectroscopy an…

Inside The Glaciers Project: Laser Scanning Of The Grotta Del Gelo (Mount Etna, Italy)

As part of activities of the “Inside the Glaciers” project, managed by an Italian team of speleologists and geologists with the purpose of studying several ice-caves in Europe and South America, a research campaign was recently carried out in Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy). This volcano is the highest active in Europe and hosts more than 200 caves including Grotta del Gelo (Ice Cave) which is located on the Northern flank of Mount Etna at an altitude of about 2040 m a.s.l. This cave was formed during the Etna’s long and most destructive eruption dated from 1614 to 1624 and is one of the most famous because it hosts a small glacier, maybe the southernmost of the Northern hemisphere. Aim of this …

Magmatic gas flux emissions from Gorelyi volcano, Kamchatka, and implications for volatile recycling in the NW Pacific

The Kamchatka peninsula, in the north-western part of the Pacific ’Ring of Fire’, is one of the most active volcanic realms on Earth, with 29 historically erupting volcanoes along its 700 km-long Eastern Volcanic Belt (EVB). This notwithstanding, volatile input and output fluxes along this arc sector have remained poorly characterised until very recently. We here report on the very first assessment of volatile flux emissions from Gorelyi, a large (25 km3, 1830 m high) and most active shield-like Holocene volcano located on the southern segment of the Kamchatka EVB. By combing results from a variety of in situ and remote sensing techniques (MultiGAS, filter packs, and UV camera), we determine the…

Volcanic gas monitoring of quiescent volcanoes using permanent Multi-GAS networks

The Multi-component Gas Analyzer System (Multi-GAS) has recently consolidated as a standard technique for the nearly real-time in-situ observation of major volcanogenic components (H2O, CO2, SO2, H2S,H2) in volcanic gas plumes. The Multi-GAS has been initially operated at open-vent volcanoes, where it has revealed ideal for long-term continuous observations at for instance Etna and Stromboli volcanoes in Italy, therein paving the way to the acquisition of unprecedentedly long and continuous volcanic gas time-series. We here initially review the present state of the expanding network of permanent Multi-GAS instruments, now covering about 10 volcanoes worldwide. We then specifically focus on …

Forecasting Etnean eruptions by real-time observations of volcanic gas composition.

It is generally accepted but not experimentally proven that a quantitative prediction of volcanic eruptions is possible from the evaluation of volcanic gas data. By discussing the results of two years of real-time observation of H2O, CO2 and SO2 in volcanic gases from Mt. Etna volcano, we unambiguously demonstrate that increasing CO2/SO2 ratios can allow detecting the pre-eruptive degassing of uprising magmas. Quantitative modeling by the use of a saturation model allows us to relate the pre-eruptive increases of the CO2/SO2 ratio to the refilling of Etna’s shallow conduits with CO2-rich deep-reservoir magmas, leading to pressurization and eruption triggering. The advent of real-time observ…

First observational evidence for the CO2-driven origin of Stromboli’s major explosions

Intra-eruptive gas emissions and shallow magma storage after the 2007 summit caldera collapse of Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion island

VOLCANIC CO2 FLUX MEASUREMENTS BY TUNABLE DIODE LASER ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY

Introduction In the last decades, the use of near-infrared room-temperature diode lasers for gas sensing has grown significantly. The use of these devices, for instance in combination with optical fibers, is particularly convenient for volcanic monitoring applications [1,2]. Here, we report on the first results of the application of an open-path infrared tunable laser-based at Campi Flegrei (Southern Italy). Such Diode-laser-based measurements were performed, during two field campaigns (october 2012, and january 2013), in the attempt to obtain novel information on the current degassing unrest of Solfatara and Pisciarelli fumarolic fields. Results and Discussion At each site, we used an ad-h…

• Volcanic CO2 measurements via Tunable Diode Laser Spectrometer

The analysis of volcanic gas datasets offer key information to build/validate geological models relevant to a variety of volcanic processes and behaviours, including eruptions. In the last decades, near-infrared room-temperature diode lasers, though in an experimental phase, are finding applications in volcanic gas studies. Here, we report on the application of the GasFinder 2.0, a commercial tunable diode infrared laser-receiver unit, operating in the 1.3-1.7 μm wavelength range, to measuring CO2 concentrations in volcanic gas emissions. At first, our field tests were conducted in three different campaigns at Campi Flegrei volcano (near Pozzuoli, Southern Italy), and, subsequently, also in…

Volcanic CO2 mapping and flux measurements at Campi Flegrei by Tunable Diode Laser absorption Spectroscopy

Near-infrared room-temperature Tunable Diode Lasers (TDL) have recently found increased usage in atmospheric chemistry and air monitoring research, but applications in Volcanology are still limited to a few examples. Here, we explored the potentiality of a commercial infrared laser unit (GasFinder 2.0 from Boreal Laser Ltd) to measurement of volcanic CO2 flux emissions. Our field tests were conducted at Campi Flegrei (near Pozzuoli, Southern Italy), where the GasFinder was used (during three campaigns in October 2012, January 2013 and May 2013) to repeatedly measure the path-integrated concentrations of CO2 along cross-sections of the atmospheric plumes of the two main fumarolic fields in t…