Publication Date:
2020-11-26
Description:
During the July^August 2001 eruption of Mt. Etna development of extensional fractures/faults and grabens
accompanied magma intrusion and subsequent volcanic activity. During the first days of the eruption, we performed
an analysis of attitude, displacement and propagation of fractures and faults exposed on the ground surface in two
sites, Torre del Filosofo and Valle del Leone, located along the same fracture system in the region surrounding the
Valle del Bove depression on the eastern flank of Mt. Etna. Fractures and faults formed as the consequence of a
shallow intruding dyke system that fed the several volcanic centres developed along the fracture system. The
investigated sites differ in slope attitude and in geometrical relationships between fractures and slopes. In particular,
the fracture system propagated parallel to the gentle slope (67‡ dip) in the Torre del Filosofo area, and perpendicular
to the steep slope (V25‡ dip) in the Valle del Leone area. In the Torre del Filosofo area, slight graben subsidence and
horizontal extension of the ground surface by about 3 m were recorded. In the Valle del Leone area, extensional
faulting forming a larger and deeper graben with horizontal extension of the ground surface by about 10 m was
recorded. For the Valle del Leone area, we assessed a downhill dip of 14‡ for the graben master fault at the structural
level beneath the graben where the fault dip shallows. These results suggest that dyke intrusion at Mount Etna, and
particularly in the region surrounding the Valle del Bove depression, may be at the origin of slope failure and
subsequent slumps where boundary conditions, i.e. geometry of dyke, slope dip and initial shear stress, amongst
others, favour incipient failures.
Description:
Published
Description:
281-294
Description:
1.5. TTC - Sorveglianza dell'attività eruttiva dei vulcani
Description:
3.2. Tettonica attiva
Description:
3.5. Geologia e storia dei sistemi vulcanici
Description:
3.6. Fisica del vulcanismo
Description:
JCR Journal
Description:
reserved
Keywords:
dykes
;
extensional fractures
;
grabens
;
slope failures
;
04. Solid Earth::04.04. Geology::04.04.99. General or miscellaneous
;
04. Solid Earth::04.04. Geology::04.04.09. Structural geology
;
04. Solid Earth::04.07. Tectonophysics::04.07.02. Geodynamics
;
04. Solid Earth::04.07. Tectonophysics::04.07.05. Stress
;
04. Solid Earth::04.07. Tectonophysics::04.07.07. Tectonics
;
04. Solid Earth::04.08. Volcanology::04.08.99. General or miscellaneous
;
04. Solid Earth::04.08. Volcanology::04.08.03. Magmas
;
04. Solid Earth::04.08. Volcanology::04.08.05. Volcanic rocks
;
04. Solid Earth::04.08. Volcanology::04.08.06. Volcano monitoring
;
04. Solid Earth::04.08. Volcanology::04.08.08. Volcanic risk
;
05. General::05.02. Data dissemination::05.02.03. Volcanic eruptions
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
