New insights into magma dynamics during last two eruptions of Mount Etna as inferred by geochemical monitoring from 2002 to 2005

Two distinct eruptive events characterize the volcanic activity at Mount Etna during the 2002 to 2005 period. We identified signals of magma ascent preceding these eruptions by geochemical monitoring of both chemical composition and He-isotope ratio of gas emissions from five locations in the peripheral area of the volcano. The geochemical signals are interpreted using the models proposed by Caracausi et al. (2003a, 2003b) and allow identification of episodes of magma ascent and estimation of the pressures of degassing magma. As observed for the 2001 eruption (Caracausi et al., 2003b), magma ascent probably triggered the onset of the 2002–2003 eruption, and minor events of magma ascent were…

New Inferences on Magma Dynamics in Melilitite-Carbonatite Volcanoes: The Case Study of Mt. Vulture (Southern Italy)

This study provides the first micro-thermometric data of fluid inclusions (FIs) in mafic loose (disaggregated) xenocrysts and ultramafic xenoliths in explosive products of the melilitite-carbonatite Mt. Vulture volcano (southern Italy). Pure CO2 late stage FIs hosted in rock-forming minerals of wehrlite xenoliths and clinopyroxene xenocrysts were trapped at the local crust-mantle boundary (32 km). In contrast, trapping pressures within the loose olivine xenocrysts are from 3.2 to 4.5 kbar (8–13 km). Considering the ongoing degassing of mantle-derived CO2 rich gases, together with seismic evidences of the presence of low amount of melts at depth, and the tectonic control of the past volcanic…

Significance of earthquake-related anomalies in fluids of Val D'Agri (southern Italy)

Geochemical investigations carried out at the Campano–Lucano Apennine (Southern Italy) revealed the presence of fluids composed of a mixing between components of shallow and deep origin, where mantle-derived helium is also detectable. For the gas phase, the deep component is represented by both CH4 and CO2-rich gases, while the shallow one is N2-dominated. Coinciding with the 3 April 1996 ML=4.9 earthquake, the CH4-rich component mixed with the shallow, N2-dominated one at the Tramutola well (Val d’Agri), displaying wide variations in mixing proportions. In contrast, no significant modifications occurred in relation to the 1998 ML=5.5 event. According to the collected data, an earthquake-re…

Gas hazard assessment at the Monticchio crater lakes of Mt. Vulture, a volcano in Southern Italy

Geochemical investigations have shown that there is a considerable inflow of gas into both crater lakes of Monticchio, Southern Italy. These lakes are located in two maars that formed 140 000 years ago during Mt. Vulture volcanos last eruptive activity. Isotopic analyses suggest that CO2 and helium are of magmatic origin; the latter displays 3 He ⁄ 4 He isotope ratios similar to those measured in olivines of the maar ejecta. In spite of the fact that the amount of dissolved gases in the water is less than that found in Lake Nyos (Cameroon), both the results obtained and the historical reports studied indicate that these crater lakes could be highly hazardous sites, even though they are loca…

Hydrogeochemical multi-component approach to assess fluids upwelling and mixing in shallow carbonate-evaporitic aquifers (Contursi area, southern Apennines, Italy)

With the aim of deepening our understanding of deep-seated fluids upwelling and mixing in large regional aquifers, we performed a hydrogeochemical study of twenty-two springs in the Contursi area (upper Sele river valley, southern Apennines) by means of the measurements of chemical-physical parameters, major ions, trace elements, and stable and radioactive isotopes. Besides, we realized two updated geo-structural cross-sections in order to reconstruct the groundwater flowpath in the study area. The hydrogeochemical composition, as well as the water temperature allow to identify-three main groups of groundwater: Cold and Low salinity Groundwater (CLGW), Intermediate Salinity Groundwater (ISG…

He-Sr isotope constraints on the mantle beneath the Monte Vulture volcano, southern Italy.

Active degassing of crustal CO2 in areas of tectonic collision: A case study from the Pollino and Calabria sectors (Southern Italy)

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is released from the Earth’s interior into the atmosphere through both volcanic and non-volcanic sources in a variety of tectonic settings. A quantitative understanding of CO2 outgassing fluxes in different geological settings is thus critical for decoding the link between the global carbon budget and different natural processes (e.g., volcanic eruption and earthquake nucleation) and the effects on the climate evolution over geological time. It has recently been proposed that CO2 degassing from non-volcanic areas is a major component of the natural CO2 emission budget, but available data are still sparse and incomplete. Here, we report the results of a geochemical surve…

Geochemical insight into differences in the physical structures and dynamics of two adjacent maar lakes at Mt. Vulture volcano (southern Italy)

[1] We report on the first geochemical investigation of the Monticchio maar lakes (Mt. Vulture volcano, southern Italy) covering an annual cycle that aimed at understanding the characteristic features of the physical structures and dynamics of the two lakes. We provide the first detailed description of the lakes based on high-resolution conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) profiles, chemical and isotopic (H and O) compositions of the water, and the amounts of dissolved gases (e.g., He, Ar, CH4, and CO2). The combined data set reveals that the two lakes, which are separated by less than 200 m, exhibit different dynamics: one is a meromictic lake, where the waters are rich in biogenic and man…

Fluid geochemistry in a low-enthalpy geothermal field along a sector of southern Apennines chain (Italy)

Abstract The chemical and isotopic features of the fluids (water and gases) in the Lucane thermal area (southern Italy) have been investigated in order to verify their origin, water temperature in the geothermal reservoir, and to recognize the main natural processes concerning the water composition during ascent towards the surface. The Lucane geothermal system is placed in the southern sector of the Apennines chains, a seismically active area, close to the southern base of the Mt. Alpi carbonate massif. Along the study area, two main sets of high-angle faults form an almost orthogonal fault system that, as suggested by local structural geology, acts as a preferential pathway for uprising d…

A geochemical survey of the telese hypothermal spring, southern Italy: Sulfate anomalies induced by crustal deformation

This study deals with a chemical survey (major ions and Li+, F–, Br–, and ) on water samples collected from April 1998 to April 1999, from the Telese thermal spring, southern Italy, in order to investigate possible variations in the chemical composition of the spring. Water samples are of the calcium bicarbonate type, with small fluctuations in outlet temperature (20.05 ± 0.23°C), pH (6.23 ± 0.16), and TDS (2415 ± 35 mg/l). The concentrations of major ions stayed nearly constant, except for . All analyzed waters are saturated or oversaturated relative to calcite and dolomite. The higher saturation indices of the water samples relative to calcite and dolomite observed during the summer of 19…

Micro-thermometry and minerochemical composition of ultramafic xenoliths and minerals from Mt. Vulture volcano (southern Italy)

Here minerochemical composition and micro-thermometric data of ultramafic xenoliths (wehrlite) and loose xenocrysts (olivine and Cr-diopside) from the last melilitite-carbonatite explosive volcanic activity of Mt. Vulture volcano. In addition, some geometrical parameters of pelletal lapilli are reported.