Search results for "Vulcan"

Extreme isotope fractionation of hydrothermal methane due to oxidation processes in hot springs of Central Greece

2017

The Greek territory belongs to the geodynamically active Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt. As such, it shows intense seismic activity, active volcanic systems and areas of enhanced geothermal fluxes. One of these areas is the Sperchios basin and the northern part of Evia island in central Greece, which present widespread thermal manifestations [1]. Five of them with temperatures from 33 to 80°C present bubbling gases whose dominating species are either CO2 or N2. All gases contain from 27 to 4000 ppm of CH4. The isotopic composition of CH4 in these gases covers a wide range with δ13C values ranging from -21.7 to +16.9‰ and δ2H values ranging from -124 to +301‰. The hottest manifestation displ…

Noble gas and CO2 isotopic signatures of the lithospheric mantle underneath Mexico and the Canary Islands: clues from mantle xenoliths and arc lavas

2022

Studying the isotopic composition of fluids trapped in mantle xenoliths opens avenues to understand the origin and cycling of volatiles in the Earth’s upper mantle. In this PhD dissertation, new and in most cases the very first data regarding the isotopic (noble gases and CO2) characterization of the lithospheric mantle portions of three different geodynamic environments are presented: (i) Central and NW Mexico, a continental setting dominated by extension; (ii) the Transmexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) a subduction setting, and (iii) the Canary Islands, particularly El Hierro and Lanzarote, two oceanic islands formed by mantle plume-derived intraplate volcanism. In total 32 peridotites (includ…

Gas geochemistry and CO2 output estimation of Milos Island (Greece)

2018

Several gas samples have been collected from natural gas manifestations in the island of Milos. Most of them are located underwater along its coasts, whereas three anomalous degassing fumarolic areas (Kalamos, Paleochori and Adamas) were identified on land. Almost all the gases have CO2 as the prevailing gas species, with concentrations ranging from 88 to 99% for the samples taken underwater, while the on-land manifestations present a wider range (15-98%), being sometimes heavily contaminated by air. Methane reaches up to 1.0%, H2 up to 3.2% and H2S up to 3.5% indicating a hydrothermal origin of the gases. The isotope composition of He shows values ranging from 2.55 to 3.39 R/RA, highlighti…

Influence of pH and temperature on the early stage of mica alteration

2012

Mineral dissolution and precipitation reactions actively participate in controlling fluid chemistry during water–rock interaction. In this study, the changes in the biotite and muscovite basal surface nano-morphology were evaluated during interaction with fluids of different pH (pH = 1.1, 3.3 and 5.7) at different temperatures (T =2 5, 120, and 200 C). Results show that at the nanometre scale resolution of the atomic force microscope (AFM), dissolution generates etch pits with a stair-shaped pattern over the (0 0 1) surface. The flux of dissolved elements decreases when pH increases. However, at pH 5.7, a change was found in the flux after 42 h of reaction when abundant gibbsite and kaolini…

Scavenging of sulphur, halogens and trace metals by volcanic ash: The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption

2013

The Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption in 2010 released considerable amounts of ash into the high troposphere-low stratosphere, leading to unprecedented disruption of air traffic over Europe. The role of such fine-grained tephra in adsorbing, and therefore rapidly scavenging, volcanogenic volatile elements such as sulphur and halogens, is explored here. We report on results (major to trace element chemistry) of leaching experiments carried out on 20 volcanic ash samples, taken from the deposits of the main phases of the eruption (March–April 2010), or directly while falling (5–9 May 2010). Ash leachate solutions from Eyjafjallajökull are dominated – among cations – by Ca and Na, and display…

Signature of the 24th December 2018 eruption of Mt. Etna on the chemical composition of bulk deposition in the Siracusa area (Italy)

2020

Mt. Etna, in the eastern coast of Sicily (Italy), is one of the most active and most intensely monitored volcanoes of the planet. It is widely recognized as a big source of volcanic gases, such as CO2, SO2 and halogens, to the troposphere in the Mediterranean basin, and its gas emissions account for a significant percentage respect to the worldwide average volcanic budget. The SO2 flux from Mt. Etna’s plume has been routinely measured by the INGV since 1987. SO2 flux ranges between 600 to 25000 Mg/d; fluxes greater than 100000 Mg/d were prevalently measured during eruptive events. During eruptive periods, Etna’s emissions can be dispersed over long distances and cover wide areas of the Medi…

Active Moss biomonitoring of mercury in the mine-polluted area of Mt. Amiata (Central Italy)

2015

In the winter 2013, mercury concentrations in air from the mine-polluted area of Mt. Amiata (1738 m a.s.l.), in southern Tuscany (Central Italy), were measured by active moss biomonitoring. This area is part of the geologic anomaly of Hg in the Mediterranean basin, which contains about 65 % of the world’s cinnabar (HgS). Mt. Amiata covers some 400 km2 and is drained by several rivers. Esploitation activity at Abbadia S. Salvatore, in the SE sector of the mountain, sprang up during the 19th century as one of the largest mercury mining and smelting plants in Europe, after those of Almaden Spain. In this area, Sphagnum moss bags were exposed for about two months, from October to December 2013.…

UV camera-based monitoring SO2 flux on Mt. Etna

Etna International Training School of Geochemistry. Science meets Practice

2019

Also this year, the “Etna International Training School of Geochemistry. Science meets practice” took place at Mt. Etna, now in its fourth edition. The school was hosted in the historical Volcanological Observatory “Pizzi Deneri”, one of the most important sites of the INGV - Osservatorio Etneo for geochemical and geophysical monitoring. Mount Etna, located in eastern Sicily, is the largest active volcano in Europe and one of the most intensely degassing volcanoes of the world [Allard et al., 1991; Gerlach, 1991]. Mt Etna emits about 1.6 % of global H2O fluxes from arc volcanism [Aiuppa et al., 2008] and 10 % of global average volcanic emission of CO2 and SO2 [D’Alessandro et al., 1997; Cal…

Determinazione in continuo di CO2, CH4 e H2Ov in ambiente atmosferico attraverso tecnica ad assorbimento laser (UGGA)

2015

Molti dei composti chimici presenti nell’atmosfera terrestre prendono il nome di “gas serra”. Queste specie gassose consentono alla radiazione solare di entrare liberamente nell’atmosfera e di trattenere parte della radiazione solare riflessa dalla superficie terrestre come energia termica. Nel corso del tempo si instaura un complesso equilibrio termico tra la quantità di energia inviata dal sole e quella irradiata dalla superficie. L’alterazione di questo equilibrio, con l’aumento di uno o più gas serra in atmosfera, porta a degli squilibri termici e un conseguente innalzamento delle temperature. Questo fenomeno è definito come “effetto serra”. I principali gas serra in natura che prendono…