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Recent terrestrial and satellite observations to model deformations at Colli Albani volcano (central Italy)

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Abstract

The Colli Albani volcanic complex (Rome, Italy) has been dominated by episodic eruptions commencing around 561 ka and ending with the most recent activity of the Albano maar phase (<70 ka). Earthquakes of moderate intensity, gas emissions and significant ground deformations are the recent evidences of a residual activity. Former geodetic data from leveling surveys, GPS stations and InSAR observations tracked ongoing significant uplift of the order of few mm/year near the Colli Albani western flank. Different uplift rates were detected by each technique in different time spans, suggesting also the possibility of sporadic recharge of the hydrothermal system. The renewed high precision leveling data from IGMI survey carried out in 1997/1999 and the last leveling survey carried out in 2006 show that the uplift along the route is currently significant at an average rate of ~3 mm/year. Radar interferograms from ALOS satellite show uplift rate of ~6 mm/year, southwest of the central sector of the leveling route. We have undertaken a joint inversion of the various geodetic data (vertical rates from leveling surveys, GPS site velocities and InSAR observations acquired by ALOS satellite) using a nonlinear inversion technique to estimate the parameters of a point-pressure source, possibly capable of explaining the ongoing deformation at Colli Albani volcano.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank all the people involved in the leveling surveys and permanent GPS network maintenance. We also thank F. Mazzarini and M. Parks for the useful comments. This work has been partially supported by the Department of Civil Protection, Project DPC115 V3 Colli Albani. Some of the figures were made by GMT (Wessel and Smith 1998).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, sez. CNT, via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143, Rome, Italy

    F. Riguzzi, S. Atzori & G. Pietrantonio

  2. Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Vesuviano, via Diocleziano 328, 80124, Naples, Italy

    F. Obrizzo & F. Pingue

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  1. F. Riguzzi
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  2. S. Atzori
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  4. G. Pietrantonio
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Correspondence to F. Riguzzi.

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Riguzzi, F., Atzori, S., Obrizzo, F. et al. Recent terrestrial and satellite observations to model deformations at Colli Albani volcano (central Italy). Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 101, 1661–1671 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-012-0763-6

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