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Slope instability induced by volcano-tectonics as an additional source of hazard in active volcanic areas: the case of Ischia island (Italy)

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Abstract

Ischia is an active volcanic island in the Gulf of Naples whose history has been dominated by a caldera-forming eruption (ca. 55 ka) and resurgence phenomena that have affected the caldera floor and generated a net uplift of about 900 m since 33 ka. The results of new geomorphological, stratigraphical and textural investigations of the products of gravitational movements triggered by volcano-tectonic events have been combined with the information arising from a reinterpretation of historical chronicles on natural phenomena such as earthquakes, ground deformation, gravitational movements and volcanic eruptions. The combined interpretation of all these data shows that gravitational movements, coeval to volcanic activity and uplift events related to the long-lasting resurgence, have affected the highly fractured marginal portions of the most uplifted Mt. Epomeo blocks. Such movements, mostly occurring since 3 ka, include debris avalanches; large debris flows (lahars); smaller mass movements (rock falls, slumps, debris and rock slides, and small debris flows); and deep-seated gravitational slope deformation. The occurrence of submarine deposits linked with subaerial deposits of the most voluminous mass movements clearly shows that the debris avalanches impacted on the sea. The obtained results corroborate the hypothesis that the behaviour of the Ischia volcano is based on an intimate interplay among magmatism, resurgence dynamics, fault generation, seismicity, slope oversteepening and instability, and eruptions. They also highlight that volcano-tectonically triggered mass movements are a potentially hazardous phenomena that have to be taken into account in any attempt to assess volcanic and related hazards at Ischia. Furthermore, the largest mass movements could also flow into the sea, generating tsunami waves that could impact on the island’s coast as well as on the neighbouring and densely inhabited coast of the Neapolitan area.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been financially supported by the Italian Department for Civil Defence in the framework of the project “INGV-DPC 2005–2006, V3—Research on active volcanoes, precursors, scenarios, hazard and risk. Sub-project V3_3—Ischia”. The authors are grateful to L. Capra, R. Cioni and G. Zanchetta for their constructive criticisms and precious suggestions. The authors would like to thank also James White for his corrections that undoubtedly improve the final version of the paper.

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  1. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Marta Della Seta & Paola Fredi

  2. Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Napoli “Osservatorio Vesuviano”, Via Diocleziano, 328, 80124, Naples, Italy

    Enrica Marotta, Giovanni Orsi, Sandro de Vita & Fabio Sansivero

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  1. Marta Della Seta
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Della Seta, M., Marotta, E., Orsi, G. et al. Slope instability induced by volcano-tectonics as an additional source of hazard in active volcanic areas: the case of Ischia island (Italy). Bull Volcanol 74, 79–106 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-011-0501-0

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