By integrating gravity, ground deformation, and gas flow data, researchers have gained new insights into the processes that preceded the 2018 eruption, improving our understanding and monitoring of active volcanoes.
Il recent study Multiparameter insights into the months-long evolution of Mt. Etna discharge system prior to the December 2018 eruption, published in the journal Earth-Science Reviews edited by researchers of theNational Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), investigated the deep dynamics during the months preceding the eruption of 24–27 December 2018 of the Etna volcanoThe results achieved by the research team have revealed pre-eruptive processes not fully understood so far, providing valuable information for monitoring volcanic activity.
L'eruption, among the most significant of the last twenty years for ground deformation and release of seismic energy, was analyzed by combining geophysical, geochemical and previously unpublished time series data.
The researchers found that the accumulation of magma at relatively shallow depths (about 2 km below sea level) occurred in a very short time span, between October and November 2018. This rapid transfer was facilitated by an increase in the permeability of the volcano's central eruptive apparatus, resulting in a reduction in the peripheral flux of carbon dioxide (CO2). This rapid magma intrusion destabilized the superficial part of the volcano's feeding system, creating favorable conditions for the triggering of the lateral eruption of 24-27 December.
The multiparametric approach of the study, which integrates data on gravity, ground deformation and gas flow, has allowed us to clarify complex mechanisms and highlighted the role that the compressibility of the magma plays both in the regulation of pre-eruptive processes, which in the characteristics of the data used for monitoring active volcanoes.
In addition to providing a coherent framework to explain phenomena linked to the December 2018 eruption, the study underlines the importance of an integrated analysis of different types of data to understand the behavior of complex volcanoes such as Etna. This approach can improve the capacity for monitoring eruptions and support the safety of communities living near active volcanoes..
The research was conducted as part of the European projects NEWTON-g and EQUIP-G, funded by the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programmes.
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Fig. Location of pressure and mass sources during phase 2.
The figure shows, in 3D, the locations of the mass and pressure sources beneath the summit of Mount Etna between October and December 2018. The red dots represent the solutions of the Monte Carlo inversions of the deformation data, while the gray surface indicates the area where the mass sources had to be located to explain the observed gravity variations. The east-west section also highlights the probability distribution relative to the depth of the pressure source.