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The December 2018 eruption at Etna volcano: a geochemical study on melt and fluid inclusions
No full textThis study focus on the Mt Etna December 2018 eruption with the aim of
investigating the geochemical characteristics of the feeding magma. New data
on major and trace element geochemistry of olivine-hosted melt inclusions (MI) in
volcanic products are presented together with the noble gas geochemistry of fluid
inclusions (FI) in olivines. The noble gas geochemistry of fluid inclusions (FIs) in
olivines was also investigated. The major element composition of MIs is variable
from tephrite/trachybasalt to phonotephrite/basaltic trachyandesite, with SiO2 =
45.51–52.72 wt%, MgO = 4.01–6.02 wt%, and CaO/Al2O3 = 0.34–0.72. Trace
element patterns of MIs present a typical enrichment in LILE and LREE,
depletion in HFSE, and relatively fractionated REE patterns: (La/Lu) N=
18.8–41.08, with Eu/Eu* = (0.5–1.8). Positive anomalies in Sr (Sr/Sr* = 0.8–2.3)
and Ba can be ascribed to the assimilation of plagioclase-rich cumulates in the
magmatic reservoir. The variable Ba/La (9.8–15.8), K/Nb (260–1037), Ce/Nb
(1.9–3.4), Rb/La (0.4–1.6), and Ba/Nb (10.8–25.8) ratios reveal mixing between
two types of end-member magmas comparable to those emitted from 1) the
2001 Upper Vents and 2002–03 Northern Fissures (Type-1) and 2) the 2001 Lower
Vents and 2002–03 Southern Fissures (Type-2), respectively. Type-2 represents a
magma that was under the influence of a crustal component, whereas Type-1 is
compatible with a HIMU–MORB-type heterogeneous mantle source. It appears
that the 2018 MIs have captured the two different types of magmas, and the lack of
homogenization may imply a very fast ascent (a few months). Compatible with the
contemporary presence of primordial HIMU–MORB and crust-contaminated
end-members are the data on noble gases from FI that highlighted an 3He/4He
value of 6.5–6.6Ra. The hypothesis of two different types of magmas, identified by
the trace element geochemistry in MIs, is, thus, reinforced by helium isotopic data
on FI of the 2018 eruption together with data from other Etnean eruptions and
allows the inference of a bicomponent magma mixing.Published1122132OSV2: Complessità dei processi vulcanici: approcci multidisciplinari e multiparametriciJCR Journa
Paleomagnetic study of the Capo di Bove lava flow, Rome, Italy
No full textThe Capo di Bove (CDB) lava flow was emplaced at~277 ka during the Faete eruptive Phase of Colli Albani volcanic district near the city of Rome. The CDB lava has a historical significance as it provided the slabs used in the paving of the ancient Appian Way, built in the 4 th century BCE. Puzzlingly beyond the seventh milestone, the ancient Appian Way deviates briefly from an otherwise straight SE-NW direction, abandoning the top of the lava flow and resuming its elevation and the SE-NW trend within less than 1 km. This peculiarity raised a question as to whether the deviation could have been the result of a tectonic deformation caused by a (buried) fault. To test this hypothesis, we sampled the CDB lava flow at four locations over a~10 km transect near the ancient Appian Way around the bend and performed a detailed rock magnetic, paleomagnetic, and petrographic study. Rock magnetic data indicate that pseudo-single-domain magnetite and low-Ti titanomagnetite particles are the main magnetic carriers for three sampling locations, located in freshly cut quarries, which reliably recorded the paleomagnetic field at the time of emplacement. Conversely, the samples collected in the upper part of the lava flow, within the bent segment of the ancient Appian Way, show multi-domain low-and moderate-Ti titanomagnetites as main magnetic carriers which fail to record a paleomagnetic direction. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility data are consistent with an overall CDB lava flow direction from SE to NW and the paleomagnetic directional data from the three reliable sampling sites are statistically indistinguishable. Hence, data from this study show no evidence of post-emplacement tectonic rotations. We suggest that the origin of the bend could be identified in the pre-existing morphology (for the lava flow path) and in historical reasons (for the ancient Appian Way).Published108202JCR Journa
Seismic tomography reveals contrasting styles of subduction-channel and mantle-wedge exhumation controlled by upper plate divergent motion
No full textIn fossil subduction zones associated with massive exhumation of (ultra)high-pressure ((U)HP) rocks such as the Western Alps, the geometry and behavior of subduction-channel and mantle-wedge rocks during exhumation are still poorly constrained by independent geophysical observations. Here we use a new local earthquake tomography model of the entire fossil subduction zone of the Western Alps based on data collected during the CIFALPS and CIFALPS2 passive seismic experiments, and the first receiver- function profile across the Ligurian Alps, to investigate the styles of subduction-channel and mantle- wedge exhumation as a function of increasing upper-plate divergence motion. In the northern Western Alps (low divergence), a thickened subduction channel can be detected, but no exhumed mantle wedge is found beneath the Gran Paradiso (U)HP dome. In the southern Western Alps (intermediate divergence), an exhumed mantle wedge is detected beneath the Dora-Maira (U)HP dome above a serpen- tinized subduction channel. In the Ligurian Alps (high divergence), an exhumed mantle wedge and a for- mer subduction channel are detected at much shallower levels beneath the Voltri-Valosio (U)HP dome, and above a shallow-dipping lower-plate Moho. In this latter case, the lower boundary of the exhumed subduction channel is the most evident seismic-velocity interface, which may be easily misinterpreted as a true Moho. Similar Moho-like interfaces are found beneath the exhumed (U)HP domes of eastern Papua New Guinea and the Dabie Shan, which suggests that the results of the CIFALPS experiments may be used as a reference case for the interpretation of other (U)HP terranes worldwide.Published169-182OST1 Alla ricerca dei Motori GeodinamiciJCR Journa
Advancing Epistemic Justice with Local Knowledge: A Process Indicator for EU Climate Adaptation Policymaking
No full textPolicy Highlights:
To achieve the recommendation stated in the title, we propose the following:
- EU climate adaptation policies need to further integrate local knowledge to advance epistemic justice and ensure their success.
- A process indicator is proposed to advance epistemic justice along three main dimensions, namely distributive, participatory, and recognitional epistemic justice.
- The indicator serves to assess and evaluate critical ex-ante (problem framing) and ex-post (appraisal of the policy’s initial design) aspects of epistemic justice in policymaking.
- The implementation of the indicator will enhance political accountability, fill existing gaps in scientific knowledge at smaller spatial scales, and foster trust among stakeholders.
- The inclusion of multiple types of knowledges and disciplines in policymaking leads to more effective and just climate policies.Published49-60OSA2: Evoluzione climatica: effetti e loro mitigazion
One Earthquake, Two Scenarios: The Baffling Case of the 1467 Siena Earthquake.
No full textHistorical seismology is a work in progress: the overall picture of a given historical earthquake, no matter how long taken for granted, can sometimes change, either thanks to the discovery of “new” (i.e. previously unknown or unheeded) historical sources, or by considering the research output of other disciplines.
Historical seismologists tend to give precedence in their studies to written evidence, derived (when a choice is possible) from the sources 1) most likely to provide information useful to fulfill their main objectives (i.e. assessing macroseismic data points, reconstructing macroseismic fields and damage scenarios), and 2) not requiring long-drawn out, possibly unsuccessful searches that would hardly fit with their generally tight deadlines. Unavoidably, this approach mean to discard interesting but elusive evidence, whose records are buried too deep to make a search cost- effective, or were never written down at all but survive as the marks which past earthquakes left on buildings. It is up to the scholar to find ways and means to interpret these unwritten records, even if the readings taken are not always conclusive.
The archaeoseismological study of historic towns and buildings allows to gain in-depth knowledge of how a given earthquake interacted with architectures and building components and in some cases, it can also provide evidence of the social, economic, or even political consequences of some earthquakes. The project PROTECT – Knowledge for PReventiON - Technique s for repairing seismic damage from the medieval period to the modern era (financed by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program together with a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship) applies, on an entirely experimental basis, the methods of archaeoseismological analysis to the historic centre of Siena (Tuscany), to improve the knowledge of its context for purposes of seismic risk reduction. By weaving together the information gathered by different humanistic and scientific disciplines, the PROTECT project aims to define an operational protocol for the archaeoseismological reading of the historic centre of Siena (or part of it). This protocol could be exported to other Italian/European towns, with a view to improve our understanding of their historic heritage and the best ways to protect it from seismic risk.
Session 1.1 GNGTS 2024
The PROTECT project started in December 2021 with a first step aimed at a general analysis of the historic city centre with reference to a specific earthquake. After an initial look at the seismic history of Siena, the choice fell on the August-September 1467 seismic sequence (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1 – The 1467 Siena seismic sequence according to CPTI15 v. 4.0 (Rovida et al., 2022).
What led to the choice of this comparatively “minor” earthquake (Mw 4.8 according to Rovida et al., 2022) was dictated by the awareness that the Archivio di Stato of Siena preserved a a so far unexploited source of exceptional documentary value, the “Lira” of the year 1468. This is a huge collection of tax statements compiled less than a year after the earthquake, by all Sienese citizens and including details on the state of repair of their property. A careful sifting of this “Lira” allows to extract a “snapshot” of the state of conservation of Sienese buildings in 1468. The thematic cartography derived from the collected data was transferred into a GIS environment and the data obtained from this analysis have been used as the basis for undertaking some specific archaeological expeditious analyses of architectural complexes in the historic centre of Siena in order to verify whether the historical source data were legible in the stratigraphy of the buildings.
This paper presents the preliminary results of the analysis carried out within the PROTECT project on the 1467 Siena earthquake. The picture of the seismic sequence – as handed down by the Italian “seismological tradition” and reconstructed by two separate teams of historical seismologists (Castelli et al., 1996; Guidoboni et al., 2007) on the basis of a set of mainly narrative, contemporary or nearly contemporary sources - is challenged by the output of the consultation of the “Lira” of 1468. Was the 1467 earthquake a stronger and more damaging event than contemporary witnesses made it out to have been? Or, perhaps, did its moderate shaking interact with buildings whose vulnerability was already enhanced by some other factor? As it often happens in historical investigation, looking at a “well-known” situation from an unusual point of view makes way for new interpretative perspectives.UnpublishedFerraraOST1 Alla ricerca dei Motori Geodinamic
Last interglacial and MIS 9e relative sea-level highstands in the Central Mediterranean: a reappraisal from coastal cave deposits in the Cilento area, Southern Italy
No full textA revaluation of the relative sea-level (RSL) indicators in the Baia di Infreschi (Cilento, Southern Italy) supported by new 30 U/Th dating on speleothems indicates that the upper level of Lithophaga burrows identified by Bini et al. (2020) at ~9 m a.s.l. and correlated to the Last Interglacial (LIG) highstand should be referred to the highstand of the MIS 9e, whereas the local RSL for the highstand of the LIG is now reassessed at 5.3 ± 0.18 m a.s.l. The upper level of the Lithophaga marker can be followed for ~12 km along the coast, suggesting a substantial absence of important relative tectonic movements. In the Baia di Infreschi an additional marine indicator, a notch
sealed by a flowstone dated ~110 ka, indicates several phases of RSL stationing below the maximum highstand of the LIG. The presence of flowstones as low as 2 m a.s.l. dated to the MIS 7 shows that the highstand of MIS 7 was probably below the present sea level. All these evidences allow us to reassess the stratigraphy of some archaeological caves in the area, indicating that the sedimentary successions preserved there are older than what was previously believed.Published100212OSA2: Evoluzione climatica: effetti e loro mitigazioneJCR Journa
Grid-search method for short-term over long-term average parameter tuning: an application to Stromboli explosion quakes
No full textG (2024) Grid-search method for short-term over long-term average parameter tuning: an application to Stromboli explosion quakes.Published1440967JCR Journa
Eruption plumes extended more than 30 km in altitude in both phases of the Millennium eruption of Paektu (Changbaishan) volcano
No full textAbstractThe Millennium Eruption of Paektu volcano, on the border of China and North Korea, generated tephra deposits that extend >1000 km from the vent, making it one of the largest eruptions in historical times. Based on observed thicknesses and compositions of the deposits, the widespread tephra dispersal is attributed to two eruption phases fuelled by chemically distinct magmas that produced both pyroclastic flows and fallout deposits. We used an ensemble-based method with a dual step inversion, in combination with the FALL3D atmospheric tephra transport model, to constrain these two different phases. The volume of the two distinct phases has been calculated. The results indicate that about 3-16 km3 (with a best estimate of 7.2 km3) and 4-20 km3 (with a best estimate of 9.3 km3) of magma were erupted during the comendite and trachyte phases of the eruption, respectively. Eruption rates of up to 4 × 108 kg/s generated plumes that extended 30-40 km up into the stratosphere during each phase.Published6OSV3: Sviluppo di nuovi sistemi osservazionali e di analisi ad alta sensibilitàJCR Journa
Inferences from plants studies and environmental radioactivity at the Maccalube natural reserve (Ag)
No full textThis research is devoted to the characterization of the Maccalube di Aragona reserve (Ag, Italy) in terms of environmental radioactivity and plants’ activity. The interest for such area is born in the context of mud volcanoes dynamics, being the reserve a wide area where several gryphons and pools are located. The latter emit for 97% methane and, in a small quantity, hydrocarbons and water with high salinity [Etiope et al. GRL 2002; Bonini, Tectonophysics 2009; Cangemi & Madonia 2013]. Time to time, one of these volcanoes undergoes a paroxysmal as occurred in the past 2014, when two children died for a sudden explosion. The shallow activity of these emitting centers and/pools is related to the fluid in overpressure state which make their way to the surface producing the typical cone shape. It is well known the mud volcanoes are hazardous and recently much attention is devoted to them. Promud project (https://progetti.ingv.it/it/promud) aims at characterizing the reserve from geophysical, seismological, geodetical, and plant biodiversity point of view in order to develop a protocol also for civil protection. In line with previous thoughts, we performed two field surveys for assessing the environmental radioactivity. Thus, we measured, in the first campaign, radon in soil gas, coupling the detector RAD7 Durridge with a surface soil accumulation chamber. Then, in the second one, we performed radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn) measurement by using the same instrumentation, set up and protocol. Such recordings allowed us to better constrain the source location in a compact clay layer.
Additional information about the interaction between soil properties and the reservoir can be obtained by investigating the plants able to survive in this extreme environment. Abiotic stressors in agriculture, such as drought, salinity, heavy metals and other environmental conditions, pose significant challenges to agricultural productivity [Agudelo et al. Foods 2021]. These stressors disrupt vital physiological processes resulting in decreased crop yields and compromised quality. To reduce the impact of abiotic stresses, strategies such as cultivating stress-tolerant plants and implementing effective management practices could enhance plant resilience. Consequently, this aspect of the investigation seeks to enhance comprehension of these species specialized metabolite production and their responses to the stress conditions present within “Maccalube” mud volcanoes. Furthermore, the study aims to obtain data pertaining to the dynamics of these volcanoes. The results of this study may also elucidate the advantages of these plants, and the potential use for agricultural purpose. To this end, Suaeda vera, a halophytic plant belonging to Amaranthaceae family with the ability to survive within extreme environmental conditions, has been collected. A preliminary phytochemical characterisation of the hydroalcoholic extract of S. vera aerial parts was conducted via liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (HRESIMS) and NMR. This analysis led to the identification of a plethora of specialized metabolites belonging to various classes, such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, and their glycosides, alkaloids, and fatty acids. A metabolomic profile of the plant was also compared with that of a
sample of S. vera, which was collected in a different reserve located in Saline di Cervia (Ravenna, Italy) and environmental conditions. This showed a similar metabolomic profile, with the exception of sulphated flavonoids, which were observed to be synthesised only by the plant collected in the Maccalube area.PublishedCatania (Italy)OSV3: Sviluppo di nuovi sistemi osservazionali e di analisi ad alta sensibilit
The role of women in the geosciences: the case of INGV in preparing and managing the emergencies
No full textIt is well known that in the geosciences (as in all STEM disciplines), the percentage of women in top positions decreases in favor of men, despite comparable academic careers and, sometimes, even better results for women.
The authors of this contribution hold managerial roles in preparing and managing seismic and tsunami emergencies at INGV. It has been a long journey, but it is now a positive reality. But it has sometimes been different!
Since its establishment in 1999, the INGV has undergone significant growth and transformation. De Lucia et al. in 2021 [1] analyzed gender diversity within the organization, revealing that the workforce comprised 38% female and 62% male. While these proportions have remained relatively stable over subsequent years, nuances emerge when examining gender distribution with higher representation of women in administrative roles and men in technical positions. What is slowly changing in recent years is the presence of women in research and managerial leadership positions.
Notably, between 2016-2020, a woman served as General manager and, since 2017, one of the three Department Directors (Environment, Earthquakes and Volcanoes) is a woman.
Currently, 4 out of the 10 Directors of the INGV Offices are women, reflecting a positive trend towards gender parity in leadership roles. Additionally, both the recently elected INGV members of the Scientific Council are women, underscoring the growing influence of female voices in shaping scientific discourse and decision-making. In the present day, an increasing number of women fulfill pivotal roles across research, technical, and administrative realms, actively contributing to coordination and leadership. Notable instances include women actively engaged in the preparation and execution of seismic, volcanic and tsunami emergency protocols. Their responsibilities encompass crucial tasks and providing support services for emergency response teams (including operational rooms for seismic, volcanic, and tsunami surveillance, network monitoring infrastructures, or emergency response teams).
In this contribution, the authors recount their experiences.PublishedBari presso il Campus Universitario "Ernesto Quagliarello"OS: Terza mission