Search results for "Volcanic"

Risk of classic Kaposi sarcoma with residential exposure to volcanic and related soils in Sicily

2009

Purpose Before AIDS, endemic (African) Kaposi sarcoma (KS) was noted to occur in volcanic areas and was postulated to result from dirt chronically embedded in the skin of the lower extremities. The primary cause of all KS types is KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection, but cofactors contribute to the neoplasia. We investigated whether residential exposure to volcanic or related soils was associated with the risk of classic Kaposi sarcoma (cKS) in Sicily. Methods Risk of incident cKS ( N  = 141) compared with population-based KSHV seropositive controls ( N  = 123) was estimated for residential exposure to four types of soil, categorized with maps from the European Soil Database and dire…

Study of Passive Films Formed on AISI 316L Stainless Steel in Non-Polluted and Underwater-Volcano-Polluted Seawater

2014

This work studies the semiconducting behavior of passive films formed on AISI 316L (UNS S31603) in two different sea-water solutions, non-polluted and polluted, collected from the volcano of El Hierro Island. Polarization measurements, potentiostatic passivation tests, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and capacitance measurements were performed. Results show that the polluted seawater worsens passivation kinetics. Additionally, passive films formed on AISI 316L stainless steel in polluted seawater have been found to be less protective than those formed in non-polluted seawater, showing a more defective structure, owing to the acidity of the polluted medium.

Structure of natural water-containing glasses from Lipari (Italy) and Eastern Rhodopes (Bulgaria): SAXS, WAXS and IR studies

1998

Abstract Two natural water-containing glasses with rhyolite composition originating from two different areas (perlite from Lipari, Italy, and expanded perlite from the Eastern Rhodopes, Bulgaria) have been characterised for chemical composition, atomic structure and specific surface area, with the ultimate goal of exploitation of volcanic glasses as carriers for heterogeneous metal catalysts. The two samples have similar chemical composition and total water content. The local structure, as determined by radial distribution function analysis of the wide angle X-ray scattering patterns, is similar, the medium-range structure being slightly more ordered for the Lipari glass. These results are …

Tidal notches, coastal landforms and relative sea-level changes during the Late Quaternary at Ustica Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

2017

In this paper we present and discuss data concerning the morphostructural evolution at Ustica Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) during Late Quaternary. New insights on the relative sea-level changes of Ustica are coming from data collected during a geomorphological field survey around the island, together with the bathymetric analysis of the surrounding seabed and 14C datings on samples of speleothems, flowstones and marine shells found inside three selected sea caves. The survey was mainly accomplished on June 2015 through the first complete snorkel investigation off the about 18 km-long volcanic coast of the island, which allowed to precisely define location, relationship and morphometric fe…

Charcoal and stable soil organic matter as indicators of fire frequency, climate and past vegetation in volcanic soils of Mt. Etna, Sicily

2012

Abstract Charcoal fragments in soils are useful to reconstruct past vegetation because the level of preservation is often good enough to determine the tree genus. All forest ecosystems have the potential to burn as a result of naturally occurring or human-induced fires. Forest fires are coupled to climate and are a not-negligible factor of pedogenesis in Mediterranean areas, where they occur frequently. Furthermore, soil organic matter (SOM) is prone to undergo peculiar changes due to forest fires, both in terms of quantity and quality. A soil sequence along an elevational gradient ranging from Mediterranean to subalpine climate zones on slopes of Mt. Etna (Sicily, Italy) was investigated i…

Mount Etna volcano (Italy) as a major “dust” point source in the Mediterranean area

2016

Volcanic emissions represent one of the most relevant natural sources of trace elements to the troposphere. Due to their potential toxicity, they may have important environmental impacts from local to global scale. They can also severely affect the atmospheric and terrestrial environment at timescales ranging from a few to millions of years. Mt. Etna volcano is known as one of the largest global contributors of magmatic gases (CO2, SO2 and halogens) and particulate matter, including some toxic trace elements. The aim of this study is to characterize the chemical composition and the mineralogical features of the volcanogenic aerosol passively emitted from Mt. Etna. Twenty-five samples were c…

Provenance Analyses of the Volcanic Rock Grinding Stones from the Greek Colony of Selinunte, Sicily (Italy)-Constraints and Possibilities

2014

The petrography as well as the major and trace element compositions of the Selinunte grinding stones, made of grey vesicular lava, were analysed. By comparison with geochemical data from volcanic rocks in the Mediterranean, we were able to determine that only a minor number of the tools were extracted from the nearest volcanics of Mount Etna and the Hyblean Mountains, while the majority of the grinding stones were most probably imported from the Aeolian Islands, although an origin from the Aegean cannot be excluded entirely. The results are important in order to scrutinize trading connections, especially for the earlier times of settlement during the sixth century bc.

Volatile contents of mafic-to-intermediate magmas at San Cristóbal volcano in Nicaragua

2017

San Cristóbal volcano in northwest Nicaragua is one of the most active basaltic–andesitic stratovolcanoes of the Central American Volcanic Arc (CAVA). Here we provide novel constraints on the volcano's magmatic plumbing system, by presenting the first direct measurements of major volatile contents in mafic-to-intermediate glass inclusions from Holocene and historic-present volcanic activity. Olivine-hosted (forsterite [Fo] < 80; Fo< 80) glass inclusions from Holocene tephra layers contain moderate amounts of H2O (0.1–3.3 wt%) and S and Cl up to 2500 μg/g, and define the mafic (basaltic) endmember component. Historic-present scoriae and tephra layers exhibit more-evolved olivines (Fo69…

Hyblean-like lithospheric components in the present-day Mount Etna volcanic activity: constraints from 2001-2006 melt inclusions

2009

Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS): Results from Gusev crater and calibration report

2006

The chemical composition of rocks and soils on Mars analyzed during the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit Mission was determined by X-ray analyses with the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS). Details of the data analysis method and the instrument calibration are presented. Measurements performed on Mars to address geometry effects and background contributions are shown. Cross calibration measurements among several instrument sensors and sources are discussed. An unintentional swap of the two flight instruments is evaluated. New concentration data acquired during the first 470 sols of rover Spirit in Gusev Crater are presented. There are two geological regions, the Gusev plains and the Col…