Publication Date:
2021-06-09
Description:
The 11–13 January 2011 eruptive episode at Etna volcano occurred after several months
of increasing ash emissions from the summit craters, and was heralded by increasing
SO2 output, which peaked at ∼5000 megagrams/day several hours before the start of the
eruptive activity. The eruptive episode began with a phase of Strombolian activity from a pit
crater on the eastern flank of the SE‐Crater. Explosions became more intense with time
and eventually became transitional between Strombolian and fountaining, before moving
into a lava fountaining phase. Fountaining was accompanied by lava output from the lower
rim of the pit crater. Emplacement of the resulting lava flow field, as well as associated lava
fountain‐ and Strombolian‐phases, was tracked using a remote sensing network comprising
both thermal and visible cameras. Thermal surveys completed once the eruptive episode
had ended also allowed us to reconstruct the emplacement of the lava flow field. Using a high
temporal resolution geostationary satellite data we were also able to construct a detailed
record of the heat flux during the fountain‐fed flow phase and its subsequent cooling. The
dense rock volume of erupted lava obtained from the satellite data was 1.2 × 106 m3; this
was emplaced over a period of about 6 h to give a mean output rate of ∼55 m3 s−1. By
comparison, geologic data allowed us to estimate dense rock volumes of ∼0.85 × 106 m3
for the pyroclastics erupted during the lava fountain phase, and 0.84–1.7 × 106 m3 for
lavas erupted during the effusive phase, resulting in a total erupted dense rock volume of
1.7–2.5 × 106 m3 and a mean output rate of 78–117 m3 s−1. The sequence of events and
quantitative results presented here shed light on the shallow feeding system of the volcano.
Description:
Published
Description:
B11207
Description:
1.5. TTC - Sorveglianza dell'attività eruttiva dei vulcani
Description:
JCR Journal
Description:
partially_open
Keywords:
Etna
;
lava fountains
;
04. Solid Earth::04.08. Volcanology::04.08.06. Volcano monitoring
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
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