Geochemical evidence for mixing of magmatic fluids with seawater,Nisyros hydrothermal system,Greece

The chemical and isotopic compositions (δD_H2O, δ¹⁸O_H2O, δ¹⁸O_CO2, δ¹³C_CO2, δ³⁴S, and He/N₂ and He/Ar ratios) of fumarolic gases from Nisyros, Greece, indicate that both arc-type magmatic water and local seawater feed the hydrothermal system. Isotopic composition of the deep fluid is estimated to be +4.9±0.5‰ for δ¹⁸O and ?11±5‰ for δD corresponding to a magmatic water fraction of 0.7. Interpretation of the stable water isotopes was based on liquid–vapor separation conditions obtained through gas geothermometry. The H₂–Ar, H₂–N₂, and H₂–H₂O geothermometers suggest reservoir temperatures of 345±15 °C, in agreement with temperatures measured in deep geothermal wells, whereas a vapor/liquid separation temperature of 260±30 °C is indicated by gas equilibria in the H₂O–H₂–CO₂–CO–CH₄ system. The largest magmatic inputs seem to occur below the Stephanos–Polybotes Micros crater, whereas the marginal fumarolic areas of Phlegeton–Polybotes Megalos craters receive a smaller contribution of magmatic gases.     

On the application of SAR interferometry to geomorphological studies: estimation of landform attributes and mass movements

This paper presents two examples of application of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometry (InSAR) to typical geomorphological problems. The principles of InSAR are introduced, taking care to clarify the limits and the potential of this technique for geomorphological studies. The application of InSAR to the quantification of landform attributes such as the slope and to the estimation of landform variations is investigated. Two case studies are presented. A first case study focuses on the problem of measuring landform attributes by interferometric SAR data. The interferometric result is compared with the corresponding one obtained by a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). In the second case study, the use of InSAR for the estimation of landform variations caused by a landslide is detailed.     

Radiocarbon Data on Lateglacial and Holocene Landslides in the Northern Apennines

The Emilia Romagna slope of the Northern Apennines is strewnwith over 32,000 landslides, 5,000 of which are larger than 1 million cubic metres. They representthe remains of geomorphic agents that shaped the Apennines during the Holocene. Dating themby means of radiocarbon methods adds a contribution to the knowledge about the last periodof the geological geomorphological history of the Apennines. They can also be used to examinethe influence of Quaternary climatic changes on the instability of slopes and, for practicalor planning functions, to assess the periodicity of activity phases of the landslides. Thedating has been carried out on wood remnants buried under the landslide bodies. In some cases theentire tree trunk was found.In this paper we present radiocarbon dating of 20 casestudies in the Northern Apennines. Results range approximately from 13790–13670 cal y BP to950–790 cal`y BP. The oldest case is that of the Morsiano earth-flow, while the younger datedevent is represented by the Marano case that represents an example of how radiometric analysescan further enhance the available historical data. In the Cavola case, wood remnants of different ageswere found at different depths (from 9 to 45 m), allowing the dating of the first and followingperiods of activity of the landslide. The results are discussed and some considerations on the correlationbetween landslide occurrence and Holocene climate changes are proposed.     

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.     

Landslides in Emilia-Romagna region (Italy): strategies for hazard assessment and risk management

In Emilia-Romagna, over 32,000 landslide bodies cover one-fifth of the hilly and mountainous territory. The majority of them originated as earth-flows after the last glacial maximum and grew during the rainiest periods of the Holocene through the superimposition of new earth-flows. Reactivation of these large landslides is the main problem the geologists of Emilia-Romagna are facing now. Intense and/or prolonged precipitation play a major role as triggering factors in reactivating landslide bodies, but also the importance of snowmelt is suggested by the monthly distribution of landslide events. Almost all the present-day landslide activity is due to the reactivation of pre-existing landslide bodies. Consequently, territorial planning and geo-thematic cartography are fundamental tools for the reduction of risk. The Emilia-Romagna geo-thematic cartography (1:10,000) is legally binding and regulates land use in regional, municipal and basin plans.     

Mechanisms of galena dissolution in oxygen-saturated solutions: Evaluation of pH effect on apparent activation energies and mineral-water interface

This work describes a laboratory investigation of processes ruling the dissolution of galena (PbS) under conditions that mimic oxidising Earth surface environments. Freshly cleaved (001) galena surface was partially dissolved in solutions at different pH (HCl, pH between 1.2 and 5.8) and temperature (298 K) levels for several weeks in a flow-through reactor. Analysis of the galena surface after exposure to oxygen-saturated solutions was performed by XPS. The estimated thickness of surface layer formed after interaction for four weeks with solution at pH 5.8 was ∼0.5 nm. After the same time of interaction with solution at pH 1, the surface layer was at least 9 nm thick. Stationary dissolution rates were measured at different pH (between 1 and 5.8) and temperatures (298, 323, 348 K). Reaction order with respect to hydrogen ion averages 0.6 and slightly decreases with temperature. Dissolution rates, plotted vs. the reciprocal values of temperature, follow Arrhenius behaviour. Activation energies show a sharply discontinuous variation with pH. They are 13.5 ± 2 kJmol⁻¹ at pH = 1.2 and 2.87, whereas at pH of 4.08, 4.7, and 5.8, they show, respectively, values of 48.8 ± 3.5, 45 ± 4, and 51 ± 4 kJmol⁻¹. The apparent activation energy was also investigated by starting the experiment from pH 5.8 and then decreasing to pH 1.2. In this case, the apparent activation energies were 44 ± 4 kJmol⁻¹ and 21 ± 4 kJmol⁻¹, respectively.Apparent activation energies indicate a diffusion-controlled kinetic regime for pH <3, and a mixture of surface and diffusion control for pH between ∼4 and 5.8. A strong effect of solution pH on the mineral-water interface is revealed also by the observed pH dependence of surface-layer thickness. On the basis of the high-resolution XPS signals, the dependence of activation energies on solution pH should reflect a change of structure, and also chemical composition, of the mineral-water interface.     

The Ross orogeny of the transantarctic mountains: a northern Victoria Land perspective

Northern Victoria Land (Antarctica) is made up of three terranes of Cambrian–Ordovician rocks: the Wilson (WT), Bowers (BT) and Robertson Bay terranes (RBT). The WT comprises a low- to high-grade metasedimentary sequence intruded by calc-alkaline plutons with magmatic arc affinity; the BT is composed of low-grade metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks usually interpreted as an intra-oceanic arc; the RBT is a very low-grade flysch-like sequence. Terrane juxtaposition has traditionally been attributed to accretion during the Cambro-ordovician Ross orogeny. We propose a new model in which the WT, BT and RBT are interpreted as an arc/back-arc/trench system, developed in the context of a SW-dipping subduction zone. The subducting plate carried a continent originally located outboard of the turbidite fan of the RBT. Collision between this continent and the East Antarctic craton caused partial subduction of the intervening back-arc basin and, ultimately, the end of Ross-orogenic subduction. The turbidite fan of the RBT originally sedimented above the trench and on the subducting oceanic plate; due to collision it was thrusted on the continent, that constitutes, at least in part, the present basement of the RBT turbidite. The eastern portions of this continental mass were later dissected by the tensile tectonics related to the opening of the of the Southern Ocean.     

Field investigations and monitoring as tools for modelling the Rossena castle landslide (Northern Appennines, Italy)

In the evening of February 28, 2004, a landslide took place in the village of Rossena (Northern Apennines, Italy), built at the base of a crag shaped in a basalt mass and wrapped in highly deformed formation of clay and shale with blocks. The failure damaged some houses, roads and fields but, fortunately, the medieval Rossena Castle, lying on the crag, was not involved at all. The goal of the study was to attain a technical and geological model of the slope to generate a landslide risk zonation, for regularity and development planning, so that the most correct action plans could be proposed. A detailed geological and geomorphological survey allowed for distinguishing the different gravitative landform of this area. It was very helpful to plan direct and indirect investigation, including borehole drillings, samplings, seismic (tomography), and electrical surveys. A monitoring system was built up immediately after the event (three wire extensometers and one inclinometer), then progressively substituted by a more complete one (two tiltmeters, two jointmeters, four inclinometers, two incremental extensometers, and two piezometers). The phenomenon can be divided in different parts. The central sector of the slope is interested by compound slides likely affecting the bedrock and can be considered, at present, the ‘engine’ of the whole instability framework. Indeed, as a consequence, in the upper portion of the slope the huge blocks in which the outer part of the crag is disjointed experienced vertical displacements and, locally, topplings. Finally, the lowest sector is affected by slow movements, probably connected to bedrock creep or rock flow, while the toe, really at the foot of the slope, by shallow landslides. This instability framework is the result of a complex evolution, starting almost more than 9,000 years ago, as testified from a radiocarbon dating. In more recent time (19th century), the Rossena landslide was also triggered by an earthquake that induced the partially breaking up of the crag, causing rock falls and cracks in the ground.     

The Alpine evolution of the Southern Alps around the Giudicarie faults: A Late Cretaceous to Early Eocene transfer zone

Data supporting relevant Late Cretaceous–Early Eocene sinistral displacement along the Giudicarie fault zone and a minor Neogene dextral displacement along the Periadriatic lineament are discussed. The pre-Adamello structural belt is present only in the internal Lombardy zone, located W of the Adamello massif. This belt is unknown in the Dolomites and surrounding areas located to the E of the Giudicarie lineament. Upper Cretaceous–Early Eocene thick syntectonic Flysch deposits of Lombardy and Giudicarie are well preserved along the southern and eastern border of the pre-Adamello belt (S-vergent Alpine orogen). Towards the E, in the Dolomites and in the Carnic Alps and external Dinarides, only incomplete remnants of Flysch deposits, Aptian–Albian and Turonian–Maastrichtian in age, are present. They can be considered as equivalent to those of Lombardy and Giudicarie formerly in connection to each other along the N-Giudicarie corridor. To the S, the syntectonic Flysch deposits are laterally replaced by the calcareous red pelagites of the Scaglia Rossa and by the carbonate shelf deposits of the Friuli (to the E) and Bagnolo (to the S) carbonate platforms. The different location in the southern structural accretion of the eastern and western opposite blocks (the Dolomites versus the pre-Adamello belt) can be related to the Cretaceous–Eocene convergence. In this frame, the N-Giudicarie fault has been considered as part of a former transfer zone, which produced the sinistral lateral displacement of the Southern Alps front for an amount of some 50 km. During the Late Eocene to Early Oligocene the transfer zone was mostly sealed by the Paleogene Adamello batholith. Oligocene to Neogene compressional evolution inverted the N-Giudicarie fault into a backthrust of the Austroalpine units over the South-Alpine chain.