Dataset Information

Dome-like behaviour at Mt. Etna: The case of the 28 December 2014 South East Crater paroxysm.

ABSTRACT: On the 28 December 2014, a violent and short paroxysmal eruption occurred at the South East Crater (SEC) of Mount Etna that led to the formation of huge niches on the SW and NE flanks of the SEC edifice from which a volume of ~3?×?10⁶?m³ of lava was erupted. Two basaltic lava flows discharged at a rate of ~370?m³/s, reaching a maximum distance of ~5?km. The seismicity during the event was scarce and the eruption was not preceded by any notable ground deformation, which instead was dramatic during and immediately after the event. The SO₂ flux associated with the eruption was relatively low and even decreased few days before. Observations suggest that the paroxysm was not related to the ascent of volatile-rich fresh magma from a deep reservoir (dyke intrusion), but instead to a collapse of a portion of SEC, similar to what happens on exogenous andesitic domes. The sudden and fast discharge eventually triggered a depressurization in the shallow volcano plumbing system that drew up fresh magma from depth. Integration of data and observations has allowed to formulate a novel interpretation of mechanism leading volcanic activity at Mt. Etna and on basaltic volcanoes worldwide.

SUBMITTER: Ferlito C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5509668 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Dome-like behaviour at Mt. Etna: The case of the 28 December 2014 South East Crater paroxysm.

Ferlito C C Bruno V V Salerno G G Caltabiano T T Scandura D D Mattia M M Coltorti M M

Scientific reports 20170713 1

On the 28 December 2014, a violent and short paroxysmal eruption occurred at the South East Crater (SEC) of Mount Etna that led to the formation of huge niches on the SW and NE flanks of the SEC edifice from which a volume of ~3 × 106 m3 of lava was erupted. Two basaltic lava flows discharged at a rate of ~370 m3/s, reaching a maximum distance of ~5 km. The seismicity during the event was scarce and the eruption was not preceded by any notable ground deformation, ...[more]

PMID: 28706233

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Project description:The South-East Crater (SEC) at Mt. Etna started a period of lava fountaining in December 2020, producing over 60 paroxysms until February 2022. The activity had an intense sequence from February 16 to April 1, 2021, totaling 17 paroxysmal events separated by repose times varying from 1 to 7 days. The eruptive sequence was extensively monitored, providing a unique opportunity to relate the chemistry and texture of the erupted products to eruption dynamics. We investigate the temporal evolution of the magmatic system through this eruptive sequence by quantifying variations in the composition and texture of clinopyroxene. Clinopyroxene major element transects across crystals from five representative lava fountains allow us to determine the relative proportions of deep versus shallow-stored magmas that fed these events. We use hierarchical clustering (HC), an unsupervised machine learning technique, to objectively identify clinopyroxene compositional clusters and their variations during this intense eruptive phase. Our results show that variations of monitoring parameters and eruption intensity are expressed in the mineral record both as changes in cluster proportions and the chemical complexity of single crystals. We also apply random forest thermobarometry to relate each cluster to P-T conditions of formation. We suggest that the February-April 2021 eruptive sequence was sustained by the injection of a hotter and deeper magma into a storage area at 1-3 kbar, where it mixed with a slightly more evolved magma. The February 28 episode emitted the most mafic magma, in association with the highest mean lava fountain height and highest time-averaged discharge rate, which make it the peak of the analyzed eruptive interval. Our results show that after this episode, the deep magma supply decreased and the erupted magma become gradually more chemically evolved, with a lower time-average discharge rate and fountain height. We propose this approach as a means to rapidly, objectively, and effectively link petrological and geophysical/geochemical monitoring during ongoing eruptions. We anticipate that the systematic application of this approach will serve to shed light on the magmatic processes controlling the evolution of ongoing eruptions.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00445-023-01643-2.

Dataset Information

Dome-like behaviour at Mt. Etna: The case of the 28 December 2014 South East Crater paroxysm.

Publications

Dome-like behaviour at Mt. Etna: The case of the 28 December 2014 South East Crater paroxysm.

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