The cycle of major and trace elements in a volcanic environment

Sources, size distribution, and downwind grounding of aerosols from Mount Etna

The number concentrations and size distributions of aerosol particles >0.3 μ diameter were measured at the summit of Mount Etna and up to 10 km downwind from the degassing vents during July and August 2004. Aerosol number concentrations reached in excess of 9 × 106 L-1 at summit vents, compared to 4-8 × 104 L-1 in background air. Number concentrations of intermediate size particles were higher in emissions from the Northeast crater compared to other summit crater vents, and chemical composition measurements showed that Northeast crater aerosols contained a higher mineral cation content compared to those from Voragine or Bocca Nuova, attributed to Strombolian or gas puffing activity withi…

The Eyjafjallajokull volcanic summit eruption: evidences from ash-leachates analysis and ground deposition fluxes

The Eyjafjallajokull 2010 eruption was an extraordinary event in that it led to widespread over Europe. Volcanic processes which lead to eruptions can be investigated by monitoring a variety of parameters, including the composition of ash leachates. Fine-grained tephra erupted from active vents, and transported through volcanic plumes, can adsorbs, and therefore rapidly scavenge, volatile elements such as S, halogens, and metal species in the form of soluble salts adhering to ash surfaces. Analysis of such water-soluble phases is a suitable complement for the remote sensing of volcanic gases at inaccessible volcanoes, like Eyjafjallajokull. The 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption developed in fo…