An investigation of the magnetic variation within two recent lava flows

Samples collected in vertical sections from two recent (1169 AD and 1971 AD) lava flows show significant variations in both the palaeomagnetic vector and the rock magnetic characteristics. The age and the short cooling time of the flows (both are less than 3 m thick) are such that the observed range of palaeomagnetic variation is more than can reasonably be explained by secular variation. The variations in palaeomagnetic and rock magnetic characteristics appear in part to be a response to the relative proportions of two coexisting ferrimagnetic phases, one that displays a primary coarsegrained and Ti-rich composition and a second that has finer-grained, Ti-poor characteristics. The use of AF demagnetization in this study means that the latter phase will have a disproportionate influence on the palaeomagnetic results. It has been suggested elsewhere that in such a magnetic system the Ti-poor phase may represent a CRM formed at some temperature below its final Curie temperature; if so, the results of this study imply that not only does it affect the palaeointensity estimate (which requires a pure TRM) but it appears also to influence the palaeomagnetic direction to an extent that far exceeds the normal secular change that might be expected to occur during delayed acquisition. Such a result has important implications for palaeomagnetic studies that use lavas, both in the selection of a suitable sampling strategy and in the geomagnetic interpretation of palaeomagnetic variation within single flow units.     

Geological and geomorphological evolution of the Etna volcano NE flank and relationships between lava flow invasions and erosional processes in the Alcantara Valley (Italy)

In this paper, the interrelationships between volcanic activity and fluvial events in the Alcantara Valley are investigated. Based on the correlation between the stratigraphy of the NE flank of Mt Etna and subsurface data, the geological and geomorphological evolutions of the valley are reconstructed. New 1:10 000 scale geological mapping shows that the bulk of this sector of the volcano is made up of the Ellittico volcano lava flows, though they are widely covered by the products of the eruptive activity of the last 15 ka. The present-day morphological setting of the Alcantara Valley is the result of two main evolutionary phases initiated during the activity of the Ellittico volcano. Only one lava flow invasion of the valley floor occurred in the first phase. This phenomenon was followed by a long period of erosional processes leading to the entrenchment of the drainage pattern and the erosion of the Ellittico lava flow. About 20–25 ka ago, an important change in the frequency of the lava flow invasions into the valley occurred associated with the final stage of the Ellittico volcano activity marking the beginning of the second phase. During this phase, volcanic processes became predominant with respect to other morphogenetic processes in the Alcantara Valley. Lava flows coming from the NE flank of the Ellittico volcano caused a radical modification of the morphological setting of this area, even though only one lava flow emitted by an eruptive fissure located within the valley partially filled the riverbed. During the eruptive activity of the last 15 ka, the complete filling of the Alcantara Valley floor occurred. In particular, between 15 and 7 ka, a lava flow originated from the Mt Moio scoria cone filled the valley floor for a distance of about 9 km. Following a short period of erosion, an eruptive fissure located within the valley generated a 20–21-km-long lava flow that was channelled along the full extent of the Alcantara Valley and stretches for about 3 km offshore in the Ionian sea. In the last 7 ka, lava flows originating from the NE-Rift zone produced only temporary damming of the riverbed without any important contribution to the filling of the Alcantara Valley.     

Rapid morphological changes at the summit of an active volcano: reappraisal of the poorly documented 1964 eruption of Mount Etna (Italy)

While the eruptive record of Mount Etna is reasonably complete for the past 400 years, the activity of the early and late 1960s, which took place at the summit, is poorly documented in the scientific literature. From 1955 to 1971, the Central and Northeast Craters were the sites of long-lived mild Strombolian and effusive activity, and numerous brief episodes of vigorous eruptive activity, which led to repeated overflows of lava onto the external flanks of the volcano. A reconstruction of the sequence of the more important of these events based on research in largely obscure and nearly inaccessible sources permits a better understanding of the eruption dynamics and rough estimates of erupted volumes and of the changes to the morphology of the summit area. During the first half of 1964, the activity culminated in a series of highly dynamic events at the Central Crater including the opening of a fissure on the E flank of the central summit cone, lava fountains, voluminous tephra emission, prolonged strong activity with continuous lava overflows, and growth of large pyroclastic intracrater cones. Among the most notable processes during this eruption was the breaching of a section of the crater wall, which was caused by lateral pressure of lava ponding within the crater. Comparison with the apparently similar summit activity of 1999 allows us to state that (a) lava overflows from large pit craters at the summit are often accompanied by breaching of the crater walls, which represents a significant hazard to nearby observers, and that (b) eruptive activity in 1999 was much more complex and voluminous than in 1964. For 1960s standards however, the 1964 activity was the most important summit eruption in terms of intensity and output rates for about 100 years, causing profound changes to the summit morphology and obliterating definitively the former Central Crater.     

Emplacement mechanism of gravity flows inferred from high resolution Lidar data: The 1944 Somma–Vesuvius lava flow (Italy)

A Digital Terrain Model derived from high resolution Lidar data allows the determination of the morphometric and physical parameters of a lava flow erupted from the Somma–Vesuvius volcano in 1944. The downstream variation of morphometric parameters including slope, aspect, relative relief, thickness, width, and cross sectional area is analyzed, and the changes in viscosity, velocity and flow rate are estimated. The aims of the analyses are to recognize different flow surfaces, to reconstruct the flow kinematics, and to obtain information on the mechanism of emplacement. The results indicate that the 1944 lava flow can be divided in three sectors: a near vent sector (NVS) characterized by a toe-like surface, an intermediate sector (IS) with an ‘a’ātype brittle surface, and a distal sector (DS) with a sheet-like ductile surface. Lateral leveés and channels do not occur in NVS, whereas they are well developed in IS. In DS, leveés increase with an increasing distance from the vent. Fold-like surfaces occur in NVS and DS, reflecting local shortening processes due to a decrease in the slope of the substratum and overflows from the main channel. IS and DS emplaced between March 18 and 21, 1944, whereas NVS emplaced on March 19 and partly covered IS. The morphometric and physical parameters indicate that IS moved in a ‘tube’-like regime, whereas DS emplaced in a 'mobile crust' regime. The IS to DS transition is marked by an increase in velocity and the flow rate, and by a decrease in thickness, width, cross sectional area, and viscosity. This transition is due to an abrupt increase in the slope of the substratum. The estimated velocity values are in good agreement with the measurements during the 1944 eruption. The analysis used here may be extended to other lava flows. Some gravity flows (debris/mud flows, floods, and avalanches) have rheological properties and shapes similar to those of lavas, and the same process-form relationships may apply to these flows. The approach used here may be therefore useful for evaluating hazards from various gravity currents.     

Palaeomagnetism of Palaeozoic ultrabasic rocks from the Sudetes Mts (SW Poland): tectonic implications

A complex palaeomagnetic, rock-magnetic and mineralogical study of ultrabasic rocks from the Sowie Góry Block (GSB) and Jordanów–Gogołów Serpentinite Massif (JGSM) revealed the presence of several components of natural remanent magnetization (NRM). The authors found three groups of Palaeozoic as well as Triassic and Recent components of the geomagnetic field. The Palaeozoic components of NRM are carried mainly by magnetite of several generations formed during several serpentinization episodes. Permo-Carboniferous component (A1) present overall the Sudetes was isolated in one JGSM and two GSB exposures, whereas the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous component (A2) was found in two exposures from the GSB. The corresponding remanent components were already revealed in palaeontologically dated sediments from other West Sudetic units. In the GSB, it was probably acquired during its unroofing dated isotopically for ca. 370–360 Ma. The newly determined group of Palaeozoic directions (A3) was found in three localities from JGSM and in two from GSB is interpreted as the oldest overprint. In JGSM, it was acquired probably shortly after the first oceanic serpentinization phase dated isotopically for ca. 400 Ma. Its acquisition in GSB corresponds to the time of emplacement of ultrabasic xenoliths dated isotopically at ca. 390 Ma. So we suppose that the mean A3 calculated for five exposures corresponds to the 380–400 Ma time span and that at that period both massifs formed one microplate. Mean inclination of A3 places this microplate at 380–400 Ma at the palaeolatitude of 23°S, whereas the West Sudetes were situated during the Early Devonian at 16°S. We suggest that during the Early Devonian the microplate comprising GSB and JGSM massifs was situated to the south from the West Sudetes and accreted them during Middle–Late Devonian.     

Use of magnetic hysteresis properties and electron spin resonance spectroscopy for the identification of volcanic ash: a preliminary study

This initial study investigates the possible use of hysteresis parameters and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy to identify and correlate volcanic ash. ESR and hysteresis properties are sensitive to characteristics such as the chemical composition, mineralogy, and grain size and shape. These characteristics are determined by the tectonic setting of the volcano and by the magmatic and eruptive history of the volcanic ash. Hysteresis properties and ESR spectra, therefore, should be distinct for each ash eruption and may help to identify the eruptive source of the ash and to correlate ash from unknown sources. We conducted ESR spectroscopy at room temperature and magnetic hysteresis measurements on 19 samples of a single ash, the 1974 October 14 eruption of the Fuego volcano, Guatemala, and on single samples of ash obtained from eight different volcanoes. The Fuego ash samples were obtained at increasing distances from the volcano. For the single Fuego ash, ESR spectra and hysteresis parameters become increasingly similar as the distance from the volcano increases. At distances greater than 30 km, ESR spectra and hysteresis properties are uniform. The variability of magnetic and ESR properties with distance from Fuego is due to the preferential fall-out of phenocrysts closer to the volcano. At large distances, the ash is more uniform, containing more glass and microcrystals. All eight ash samples from the different volcanoes can be distinguished from the distal Fuego 1974 October 14 ash using ESR spectra and hysteresis parameters. These results suggest that ESR and hysteresis measurements have a potential to be used as tools to identify distal ash when used in conjunction with geochemical, mineralogical and/or other types of data.     

Characterization of active fault scarps from LiDAR data: a case study from Central Apennines (Italy)

A high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM, 1 ms spacing) derived from an airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) campaign was used in an attempt to characterize the structural and erosive elements of the geometry of the Pettino fault, a seismogenic normal fault in Central Apennines (Italy). Four 90- to 280 m-long fault scarp segments were selected and the surface between the base and the top of the scarps was analyzed through the statistical analysis of the following DEM-derived parameters: altitude, height of the fault scarp, and distance along strike, slope, and aspect. The results identify slopes of up to 40° in faults lower reaches interpreted as fresh faces, 34° up the faces. The Pettino fault maximum long-term slip rate (0.6–1.1 mm/yr) was estimated from the scarp heights, which are up to 12–19 m in the selected four segments, and the age (ca. 18 ka) of the last glacial erosional phase in the area. The combined analysis of the DEM-derived parameters allows us to (a) define aspects of three-dimensional scarp geometry, (b) decipher its geomorphological significance, and (c) estimate the long-term slip rate.     

Tectonic and climatic controls on historical landscape modifications: The avulsion of the lower Cecina River (Tuscany, central Italy)

Integration of geomorphology, stratigraphy, sedimentology and morphotectonics in the analysis of the lower Cecina River reach, coastal Tuscany, reveals an undocumented historical channel avulsion. Geomorphological evidence and radiocarbon dating support that, from the Last Glacial Maximum until the end of the 16th century, the Cecina River flowed north of the present course and formed a well-developed cuspate delta. Two concurrent factors, active tectonics as a preparing factor and discharge regime as an activation factor, are thus inferred to have favored the avulsion of Cecina River. Fragmentary archaeological and historical records indicate that the late Holocene Cecina River plain was virtually unpopulated until the latest 16th century. This seems the main reason why high-magnitude hydrological events and prominent river channel avulsions were not reported in historical chronicles. From this perspective, geomorphological data may provide important knowledge and understanding of recent dynamics of environmental change when historical record is lacking or missing.     

The environmental history of a mountain lake (Lago Paione Superiore, Central Alps, Italy) for the last c. 100 years: a multidisciplinary, palaeolimnological study

A palaeoecological study of an oligotrophic alpine lake, Paione Superiore (Italy), provided a record of historical changes in water quality. Historical trends in lake acidification were reconstructed by means of calibration and regression equations from diatoms, chrysophycean scales and pigment ratios. The historical pH was inferred by using two different diatom calibration data sets, one specific to the alpine region. These pH trends, together with the record of sedimentary carbonaceous particles and chironomid remains, indicate a recent acidification of this low alkalinity lake.Concentration of total organic matter, organic carbon, nitrogen, biogenic silica (BSiO₂), chlorophyll derivatives (CD), fucoxanthin, diatom cell concentration and number of chironomid head capsules increased during the last 2–3 decades. When expressed as accumulation rates, most of these parameters tended to decrease from the past century to c. 1950, then all except P increased to the present day. A marked increase in sedimentary nitrogen may be related to atmospheric pollution and to the general increases in output of N in Europe. High C/N ratios indicate a prevailing allochthonous source of organic matter.Finally, the increase in measured air temperature from the mid-1800's appeared to be related to lake water pH before industrialization: cold periods generally led to lower pH and vice-versa. The more recent phenomenon of anthropogenic acidification has apparently decoupled this climatic-water chemistry relationship.