Publication Date:
2022-03-14
Description:
On Vulcano Island (Italy), many geochemical crises have occurred during the last 130 years
of solfataric activity. The main crises occurred in 1978–1980, 1988–1991, 1996, 2004–2007, 2009–2010
and the ongoing 2021 anomalous degassing activity. These crises have been characterized by early
signals of resuming degassing activity, measurable by the increase of volatiles and energy output
emitted from the summit areas of the active cone, and particularly by increases of gas/water ratios in
the fumarolic area at the summit. In any case, a direct rather than linear correspondence has been
observed among the observed increase in the fluid output, seismic release and ground deformation,
and is still a subject of study. We present here the results obtained by the long-term monitoring (over
13 years of observations) of three extensive parameters: the SO2 flux monitored in the volcanic plume,
the soil CO2 flux and the local heat flux, monitored in the mild thermal anomaly located to the east
of the high-temperature fumarole. The time variations of these parameters showed cyclicity in the
volcanic degassing and a general increase in the trend in the last period. In particular, we focused on
the changes in the mass and energy output registered in the period of June–December 2021, to offer
in near-real-time the first evaluation of the level and duration of the actual exhalative crisis affecting
Vulcano Island. In this last event, a clear change in degassing style was recorded for the volatiles
emitted by the magma. For example, the flux of diffused CO2
from the soils reached the maximum
never-before-recorded value of 34,000 g m−2 d
−1 and the flux of SO2 of the plume emitted by the
fumarolic field on the summit crater area reached values higher than 200 t d−1
. The interpretation
of the behavior of this volcanic system, resulting from the detailed analyses of these continuous
monitoring data, will complete the framework of observations and help in defining and possibly
forecasting the next evolution of the actual exhaling crisis.
Description:
This research was funded by the INGV-DPCN (Italian National Institute of Geophysics
and Volcanology—Italian National Department for Civil Protection) volcanic surveillance program
of Vulcano island, ObFu 0304.010. Moreover, this investigation was partially funded by the TORS
project in the framework of institutional INGV projects “Ricerca Libera” ObFu 9999.549; and Pianeta
Dinamico Task V2, ObFu 1020.010.
Description:
Published
Description:
1283
Description:
4V. Processi pre-eruttivi
Description:
JCR Journal
Keywords:
: SO2 flux; CO2 flux; heat flux; Vulcano Island; geochemical crisis; extensive parameters
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
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