The distal segment of Etna’s 2001 basaltic lava flow

Etna’s 2001 basaltic lava flow provided a good example of the distal flow segment between the flow front and stable channel, across which the flow evolves from channel-contained to dispersed. This zone was mapped with meter precision using LIDAR data collected during 2004 and 2005. These data, supported by field mapping, show that the flow front comprised eight lobes each 10 to 20 m high. The flow front appears to have advanced not as a single unit, but as a series of lobes moving forward one lobe at a time. Primary lobes were centered on the channel axis and marginal lobes were off-axis. The lobes advanced as breakouts of low-yield-strength lava from the flow core of the stalled flow front. Marginal lobes were abandoned and contributed to marginal levees flanking the transitional channel. For Etna’s 2001 flow, the transitional channel is 140 m wide, 700 m long and fed a 240-m-long zone of dispersed flow; the change from stable to transitional channel occurred at a major reduction in slope. Above this, the stable channel is 5.2 km long, 55 to 105 m wide and bounded by 15- to 25-m-high levees, and the stable channel is located over a previous channel. In a final stage of activity, lava ponding at the break-in-slope that marks the terminus of the stable channel put pressure on the eastern levee, causing it to fail. Liberated lava then fed a final break-out to the east. Similar flow front-features occur at other volcanoes, indicating that similar processes are characteristic of dispersed flow zones.     

The summit hydrothermal system of Stromboli. New insights from self-potential,temperature, CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and fumarolic fluid measurements,with structural and monitoring implications

Accurate and precisely located self-potential (SP), temperature (T) and CO₂ measurements were carried out in the summit area of Stromboli along 72 straight profiles. SP data were acquired every metre and T data every 2.5 m. CO₂ concentrations were acquired with the same density as T, but only along seven profiles. The high density of data and the diversity of the measured parameters allows us to study structures and phenomena at a scale rarely investigated. The shallow summit hydrothermal activity (Pizzo–Fossa area) is indicated by large positive SP, T and CO₂ anomalies. These anomalies are focused on crater faults, suggesting that the fracture zones are more permeable than surrounding rocks at Stromboli. The analysis of the distribution of these linear anomalies, coupled with the examination of the geologic, photographic and topographic data, has led us to propose a new structural interpretation of the summit of Stromboli. This newly defined structural framework comprises (1) a large Pizzo circular crater, about 350 m in diameter; (2) a complex of two concealed craters nested within the Pizzo crater (the Large and the Small Fossa craters), thought to have formed during the eruption of the Pizzo pyroclastites unit; the Small Fossa crater is filled with highly impermeable material that totally impedes the upward flow of hydrothermal fluids; and (3) The present complex of active craters. On the floor of the Fossa, short wavelength SP lows are organized in drainage-like networks diverging from the main thermal anomalies and converging toward the topographic low in the Fossa area, inside the Small Fossa crater. They are interpreted as the subsurface downhill flow of water condensed above the thermal anomalies. We suspect that water accumulates below the Small Fossa crater as a perched water body, representing a high threat of strong phreatic and phreatomagmatic paroxysms. T and CO₂ anomalies are highly correlated. The two types of anomalies have very similar shapes, but the sensitivity of CO₂ measurements seems higher for lowest hydrothermal flux. Above T anomalies, a pronounced high frequency SP signal is observed. Isotopic analyses of the fluids show similar compositions between the gases rising through the faults of the Pizzo and Large Fossa craters. This suggests a common origin for gases emerging along different structural paths within the summit of Stromboli. A site was found along the Large Fossa crater fault where high gas flux and low air contamination made gas monitoring possible near the active vents using the alkaline bottle sampling technique.     

A syn-eruptive ground deformation episode measured by GPS,during the 2001 eruption on the upper southern flank of Mt Etna

Ground deformation occurring on the southern flank of Mt Etna volcano during the July–August 2001 eruption was monitored by GPS measurements along an E–W profile crossing the fissure system. This profile was measured eight times during the eruption, using the 'stop and go' semi-kinematic technique. Horizontal and vertical displacements between GPS surveys are reported for each station. The most significant event is a deformation episode occurring during the first week of the eruption, between 25–27 July. Displacements were measured on benchmarks close to the eruptive fissure and the tensile 1989 fracture. Data inversions for measured displacements were performed using the Okada model. The model shows the narrowing of the 2001 dyke accompanied by a dextral dislocation along an east-dipping fault, parallel to the 1989 fracture.Editorial responsibility: T. Druitt     

Fluid circulation and structural discontinuities inside Misti volcano (Peru) inferred from self-potential measurements

One of the seven potentially active andesite stratovolcanoes in southern Peru, Misti (5822 m), located 17 km northeast and 3.5 km above Arequipa, represents a major threat to the population (900,000 inhabitants). Our recent geophysical and geochemical research comprises an extensive self-potential (SP) data set, an audio–magnetotelluric (AMT) profile across the volcano and CO₂ concentrations in the soil along a radial profile. The SP survey is the first of its kind in providing a complete mapping of a large andesitic stratovolcano 20 km in diameter. The SP mapping enables us to analyze the SP signature associated with a subduction-related active volcano.The general SP pattern of Misti is similar to that of most volcanoes with a hydrogeologic zone in the lower flanks and a hydrothermal zone in the upper central area. A quasi-systematic relationship exists between SP and elevation. Zones with constant SP/altitude gradients (Ce) are observed in both hydrogeologic (negative Ce) and hydrothermal (positive Ce) zones. Transition zones between the different Ce zones, which form a concentric pattern around the summit, have been interpreted in terms of lateral heterogeneities in the lithology. The highest amplitudes of SP anomalies seem to coincide with highly resistive zones. The hydrothermal system 6 km in diameter, which extends over an area much larger than the summit caldera, may be constrained by an older, concealed collapse caldera. A sealed zone has apparently developed through alteration in the hydrothermal system, blocking the migration of CO₂ upward. Significant CO₂ emanations are thus observed on the lower flanks but are absent above the hydrothermal zone.     

The Numidian Sequence between Guelma and Constantine (Eastern Tell,Algeria)*

The Numidian Sequence represents one of the main tectono-stratigraphic units involved in the geological evolution of the Maghrebian orogen during the Upper Oligocene-Lower Miocene. Geo-structural aqalysis led to the reconstruction of tectonc-stratigraphic units and recognition of two main tectonic phases (Eocene and Lower Miocene). Sedimentological analysis of the studied sections has resulted in the distinction of arenaceous and conglomeratic facies generated by debris flows or high-density turbidity currents on a submarine slope, present within the pelitic-arenaceous and arenaceous-pelitic sequences which also contain slumped units in places. Previous and new micropalaeontological data indicate Late Oligocene-Early Burdigalian ages for the Numidian sequences of the Constantine Mountains. On the basis of petrographic study the Numidian rocks can be classified as poorly sorted quartzarenites containing siliciclastic matrix. The overall petrographic data indicate that the Continental intercalaire (Hoggar, Tassili and Fezzan) and Series Pharusienne (Hoggar and Eglab) are possible supply areas for the Numidian quartz.     

How many predictors in species distribution models at the landscape scale? Land use versus LiDAR-derived canopy height

At the local spatial scale, land-use variables are often employed as predictors for ecological niche models (ENMs). Remote sensing can provide additional synoptic information describing vegetation structure in detail. However, there is limited knowledge on which environmental variables and how many of them should be used to calibrate ENMs. We used an information-theoretic approach to compare the performance of ENMs using different sets of predictors: (1) a full set of land-cover variables (seven, obtained from the LGN6 Dutch National Land Use Database); (2) a reduced set of land-cover variables (three); (3) remotely sensed laser data optimized to measure vegetation structure and canopy height (LiDAR, light detection and ranging); and (4) combinations of land cover and LiDAR. ENMs were built for a set of bird species in the Veluwe Natura 2000 site (the Netherlands); for each species, 26–214 records were available from standardized monitoring. Models were built using MaxEnt, and the best performing models were identified using the Akaike’s information criterion corrected for small sample size (AICc). For 78% of the bird species analysed, LiDAR data were included in the best AICc model. The model including LiDAR only was the best performing one in most cases, followed by the model including a reduced set of land-use variables. Models including many land-use variables tended to have limited support. The number of variables included in the best model increased for species with more presence records. For all species with 33 records or less, the best model included LiDAR only. Models with many land-use variables were only selected for species with >150 records. Test area under the curve (AUC) scores ranged between 0.72 and 0.92. Remote sensing data can thus provide regional information useful for modelling at the local and landscape scale, particularly when presence records are limited. ENMs can be optimized through the selection of the number and identity of environmental predictors. Few variables can be sufficient if presence records are limited in number. Synoptic remote sensing data provide a good measure of vegetation structure and may allow a better representation of the available habitat, being extremely useful in this case. Conversely, a larger number of predictors, including land-use variables, can be useful if a large number of presence records are available.     

Long‐term demographic and reproductive trends in Ciona intestinalis sp. A

Ciona intestinalis sp. A (Tunicata, Ascidiacea) is a marine invertebrate with a widespread distribution and high invasive potential, yet little is known about its ecology. Here, the macrodynamics of demographic and reproductive trends were first determined using archive data covering 2002–2012. Species abundance in the central Tyrrhenian Sea (Campania, Italy ‐ NW Mediterranean) displayed Poisson distribution across 2002–2008, massive die‐off in 2009/2010 and population recovery in 2011/2012. We defined the seasonal ranges of sea surface temperature in which sampling size, animal size and reproductive status reached their highest values. In 2003/2004, self and non‐self fertilization appeared to follow reverse trends across the year. The long‐term recording run here on Ciona intestinalis sp. A provides novel insights into its population biology and ecology, and represents a valuable tool for sampling management and research planning.