Ground deformation modeling of flank dynamics prior to the 2002 eruption of Mt. Etna

On 22 September 2002, 1 month before the beginning of the flank eruption on the NE Rift, an M-3.7 earthquake struck the northeastern part of Mt. Etna, on the westernmost part of the Pernicana fault. In order to investigate the ground deformation pattern associated with this event, a multi-disciplinary approach is presented here. Just after the earthquake, specific GPS surveys were carried out on two small sub-networks, aimed at monitoring the eastern part of the Pernicana fault, and some baselines belonging to the northeastern EDM monitoring network of Mt. Etna were measured. The leveling route on the northeastern flank of the volcano was also surveyed. Furthermore, an investigation using SAR interferometry was performed and also the continuous tilt data recorded at a high precision sensor close to the epicenter were analyzed to constrain the coseismic deformation. The results of the geodetic surveys show a ground deformation pattern that affects the entire northeastern flank of the volcano, clearly shaped by the Pernicana fault, but too strong and wide to be related only to an M-3.7 earthquake. Leveling and DInSAR data highlight a local strong subsidence, up to 7 cm, close to the Pernicana fault. Significant displacements, up to 2 cm, were also detected on the upper part of the NE Rift and in the summit craters area, while the displacements decrease at lower altitude, suggesting that the dislocation did not continue further eastward. Three-dimensional GPS data inversions have been attempted in order to model the ground deformation source and its relationship with the volcano plumbing system. The model has also been constrained by vertical displacements measured by the leveling survey and by the deformation map obtained by SAR interferometry.     

Geophysical investigations of the plumbing system of Stromboli volcano (Aeolian Islands,Italy)

In this work, we report the results of an integrated approach using both seismological and geodetic data provided by the INGV-CT (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Catania) Stromboli volcano monitoring systems, in order to improve the knowledge of its plumbing system. In particular, we investigated the relationships between the June 1999 seismic swarm, occurring in the area of Stromboli, and the possible activation of the NE–SW oriented volcano-tectonic structure. We analyzed this seismic swarm proposing new locations and a morphological analysis of the waveforms. This approach allowed us to demonstrate that there are relationships between the tectonic activity near Stromboli and the rising of magma. This evidence supports the hypothesis that during the 1999 swarm an intrusive process started from a crustal level where earthquakes were located (about 10–15 km b.s.l.).     

Possible role of fluid overpressure in the generation of earthquake swarms in active tectonic areas: The case of the Peloritani Mts. (Sicily,Italy)

The Peloritani Mts. (NE Sicily) are characterized by frequent seismicity. Between 1994 and 2006 more than 1000 earthquakes (1.0 ≤ M_L ≤ 3.3) occurred, mostly as highly clustered swarms located at shallow depth near the villages of Castroreale and Rodì Milici (western part of Peloritani Mts.). The same area is also characterized by some geothermal springs and gas vents. Using a multidisciplinary approach, data were collected on the tectonic setting, seismicity pattern and geochemical characteristics of fluid emissions, with the aim of understanding the process of earthquake swarm generation beneath the investigated area.     

High rate GPS data on active volcanoes: an application to the 2005–2006 Mt. Augustine (Alaska,USA) eruption

Volcanic eruptions are usually preceded by measurable signals of growing unrest, the most evident of which are the increase in seismicity and ground deformation. It is also important to identify precursors of a possible renewal of the volcanic activity and to distinguish between an eruptive activity characterized by an intrusion (with the related destructive power) and a migration of magma stored in the main conduits. The 2005–2006 eruption at Mt. Augustine (Alaska, USA) is a good example of a massive migration of magmatic fluids from depth (about 1 km b.s.l.) under the effect of gas overpressure. The movements, recorded by High Rate GPS (HRGPS) data (15 s of sampling and processing rate) from the stations deployed on the volcano, define the dimensions and the characteristics of the shallow plumbing system. In this study, we propose a model of the different stages preceding the effusive phase (the ‘precursory phase’), where gas overpressure in the body of the volcano opens the terminal conduit.     

Tectonic features of the Lipari–Vulcano complex (Aeolian archipelago,Italy) from 10 years (1996–2006) of GPS data

The tectonic deformation of the Lipari–Vulcano complex, one of the most important active volcanic areas of the Mediterranean region, is studied here through the analysis of 10 years (1996–2006) of GPS data from both three permanent and 13 non‐permanent stations. This area can be considered crucial for the understanding of the interaction between the Eurasian and African plates in the Mediterranean area, and, in general, this work emphasizes a methodological approach, already applied in other areas worldwide ( J. Geophys. Res., 1996, 101 , 27 957 ; J. Geodyn., 1999, 27 , 213 ) where geodetic data and strain parameters maps of critical areas can help to improve our understanding of their geodynamical aspects. In this framework, this study is aimed at providing a kinematic deformation model on the basis of the dense geodetically estimated velocities of the Lipari–Vulcano complex. In particular, the observed deformation pattern can be described by a combination of (1) the main N–S regional compression and (2) a NNE–SSW compression with a small right‐lateral strike slip component acting along a tectonic structure trending N°40W between the two islands. This pattern was inspected through a simplified synthetic model.     

Strain and stress fields along the Gibraltar Orogenic Arc: Constraints on active geodynamics

The Gibraltar Orogenic Arc, in the Western Mediterranean, represents a complex region of active deformation related to the oblique Nubia–Eurasia convergence process. To increase the knowledge on the ongoing active processes in this region, we have used the most up-to-date and comprehensive geodetic crustal motion and stress fields. To this end, we analyzed both continuous and campaign-mode GPS data collected between 1999.00 and 2011.00 across the area and compiled a multidisciplinary dataset of well-constrained stress indicators to be compared with the geodetic results. The main results highlight the oblique nature of the Nubia–Eurasia convergence, which provides the largest component of the observed stress-pattern and is responsible for a significant strain-rate field along the Gibraltar Orogenic Arc. We discuss our findings with respect to available geological, seismological and geophysical data in order to verify their coherency compared to more relevant geodynamical models proposed in literature. According to previous studies, we confirmed how much of the secondary stress-pattern can be related to the gravitational potential energy field, which may also be responsible for some 2D stress–strain-rate angular discrepancies observed in large areas of the Betics. In addition, taking into account the sub-orthogonal azimuthal relationship between the S_Hmax and ε_hmin directions and the Fast Polarization Directions, we conjectured a deep dynamic process controlling both the crustal stress field and the surface deformation on large areas of the orogenic arc. Finally, although the models proposed to explain the geodynamic pattern of the Gibraltar Orogenic Arc are supported by a discrete number of geological and geophysical observations, it is only the back-arc extension and westward rollback model that is able to adequately account for the vast majority of the observations. Based on our findings and other evidences, we retain that this process could still be active beneath the Gibraltar Orogenic Arc.