The November 2002 degassing event at Panarea Island (Italy): five months of geochemical monitoring

On 3rd November 2002, at about 3 km off-shore of Panarea Island (Aeolian Islands, Southern Italy), a series of gas vents suddenly and violently opened from the seafloor at the depth of 10-15 m, with an unusually high gas flux and superimposing on the already existing submarine fumarolic field. Starting from the 12th November 2002 a discontinuous geochemical monitoring program was carried out. The emissions consisted in an emulsion whose liquid phase derived from condensation of an uprising vapor phase occurring close to the fluid outlets without significant contamination by seawater. The whole composition of the fluids was basically H2O- and CO2-dominated, with minor amounts of typical «hydrothermal» components (such as H2S, H2, CO and light hydrocarbons), atmospheric-related compounds, and characterized by the occurrence of a significant magmatic gas fraction (mostly represented by SO2, HCl and HF). According to the observed temporal variability of the fluid compositions, between November and December 2002 the hydrothermal feeding system was controlled by oxidizing conditions due to the input of magmatic gases. The magmatic degassing phenomena showed a transient nature, as testified by the almost complete disappearance of the magmatic markers in a couple of months and by the restoration, since January 2003, of the chemical features of the existing hydrothermal system. The most striking feature of the evolution of the «Panarea degassing event» was the relatively rapid restoration of the typical reducing conditions of a stationary hydrothermal system, in which the FeO/Fe1.5O redox pair of the rock mineral phases has turned to be the dominating redox controlling system

Radiological risk from thoron, a case study: The particularly radon-prone area of Bolsena, and the lesson learned

Abstract The contribution of 220 Rn is usually negligible compared to that of 222 Rn: its very short half-life makes escape from its source site within the rock very unlikely and it never has time enough to filtrate through the ground and through cracks in the floors or cellar walls to reach living quarters. This however becomes untrue if walls built with 232 Th-rich materials are present: then sizeable amounts of thoron may be detected in the closed areas bounded by those walls. This is the case for many dwellings in central Italy, and the town of Bolsena (northern Latium) is presented as a case study. A typical building of the area, entirely constructed with tuff blocks, is investigated and the annual dose rates calculated for varying distances from the wall. Thoron concentration was found to decrease with a relaxation length of 13 cm. Thoron was found to pose a significant risk. The rate of air exchange was found to produce little effect. Wall plastering acts as a filter: thoron diffuses through it but a HVL of less than 1 cm was found to prevail

The Dallol Geothermal Area, Northern Afar (Ethiopia) — An Exceptional Planetary Field Analog on Earth

The Dallol volcano and its associated hydrothermal field are located in a remote area of the northern Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, a region only recently appraised after decades of inaccessibility due to severe political instability and the absence of infrastructure. The region is notable for hosting environments at the very edge of natural physical-chemical extremities. It is surrounded by a wide, hyperarid salt plain and is one of the hottest (average annual temperatureDallol: 36–38°C) and most acidic natural system (pHDallol ≈0) on Earth. Spectacular geomorphologies and mineral deposits produced by supersaturated hydrothermal waters and brines are the result of complex interactions between active and inactive hydrothermal alteration of the bedrock, sulfuric hot springs and pools, fumaroles and geysers, and recrystallization processes driven by hydrothermal waters, degassing, and rapid evaporation. The study of planetary field analog environments plays a crucial role in characterizing the physical and chemical boundaries within which life can exist on Earth and other planets. It is essential for the definition and assessment of the conditions of habitability on other planets, including the possibility for biosignature preservation and in situ testing of technologies for life detection. The Dallol area represents an excellent Mars analog environment given that the active volcanic environment, the associated diffuse hydrothermalism and hydrothermal alteration, and the vast acidic sulfate deposits are reminiscent of past hydrothermal activity on Mars. The work presented in this paper is an overview of the Dallol volcanic area and its hydrothermal field that integrates previous literature with observations and results obtained from field surveys and monitoring coupled with sample characterization. In so doing, we highlight its exceptional potential as a planetary field analog as well as a site for future astrobiological and exploration programs

Geochemistry of fluid discharges from Peteroa volcano (Argentina-Chile) in 2010-2015: Insights into compositional changes related to the fluid source region(s).

This study presents the first geochemical data of fluid discharges collected from February 2010 to March 2015 from the Planchon-Peteroa-Azufre Volcanic Complex (PPAVC), located in the Transitional Southern Volcanic Zone (TSVZ) at the border between Argentina and Chile. During the study period, from January 2010 to July 2011, Peteroa volcano experienced phreatic to phreatomagmatic eruption possibly related to the devastating Maule earthquake occurred on February 27, 2010. The compositional dataset includes low temperature (from 43.2 to 102 degrees C) gas discharges from (i) the summit of Peteroa volcano and (ii) the SE flank of Azufre volcano, both marked by a significant magmatic fluid contribution, as well as bubbling gases located at the foothill of the Peteroa volcanic edifice, which showed a chemical signature typical of hydrothermal fluids. In 2012, strong compositional changes affected the Peteroa gases from the summit area: the acidic gas species, especially SO2, increased, suggesting an input of fluids from magma degassing. Nevertheless, the R/Ra and delta C-13-CO2 values decreased, which would imply an enhanced contribution from a meteoric-hydrothermal source. In 2014-2015, the chemical and isotopic compositions of the 2010-2011 gases were partially restored. The anomalous decoupling between the chemical and the isotopic parameters was tentatively interpreted as produced by degassing activity from a small batch of dacitic magma that in 2012 masked the compositional signature of the magmatic fluids released from a basaltic magma that dominated the gas chemistry in 2010-2011. This explanation reliably justifies the observed geochemical data, although the mechanisms leading to the change in time of the dominating magmatic fluid source are not clear. At this regard, a geophysical survey able to provide information on the location of the two magma batches could be useful to clarify the possible relationships between the compositional changes that affected the Peteroa fluid discharges and the 2010-2011 eruptive activity.FONDECYT Iniciacion Project 11100372 FONDAP "Centro de Excelencia en Geotermia de los Andes" 15090013 Universidad de Buenos Aires UBACyT 20020120300077BA IDEAN institute (UBA-CONICET) Laboratory of Fluid and Rock Geochemistry of the Department of Earth Sciences (Florence, Italy

First mineralogical maps of 4 Vesta

Before Dawn arrived at 4 Vesta only very low spatial resolution (~50 km) albedo and color maps were available from HST data. Also ground-based color and spectroscopic data were utilized as a first attempt to map Vesta’s mineralogical diversity [1-4]. The VIR spectrometer [5] onboard Dawn has ac-quired hyperspectral data while the FC camera [6] ob-tained multi-color data of the Vestan surface at very high spatial resolutions, allowing us to map complex geologic, morphologic units and features. We here re-port about the results obtained from a preliminary global mineralogical map of Vesta, based on data from the Survey orbit. This map is part of an iterative map-ping effort; the map is refined with each improvement in resolution

Thermal maps and properties of comet 67P as derived from Rosetta/VIRTIS data

After a 10-year cruise, the Rosetta spacecraft began a close exploration of its main target, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, in July 2014. Since then, the Visible InfraRed Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) acquired hyperspectral images of the comet’s surface with an unprecedented spatial resolution. VIRTIS data are routinely used to map the surface composition and to retrieve surface temperatures on the dayside of the comet. The thermal behavior of the surface of comet 67P is related to composition and physical properties that provide information about the nature and evolution of those materials. Here we present temperature maps of comet 67P that were observed by Rosetta under different illumination conditions and different local solar times

From the Icy Satellites to Small Moons and Rings: Spectral Indicators by Cassini-VIMS Unveil Compositional Trends in the Saturnian System

Despite water ice being the most abundant species on Saturn satellites' surfaces and ring particles, remarkable spectral differences in the 0.35-5.0 μm range are observed among these objects. Here we report about the results of a comprehensive analysis of more than 3000 disk-integrated observations of regular satellites and small moons acquired by VIMS aboard Cassini mission between 2004 and 2016. These observations, taken from very different illumination and viewing geometries, allow us to classify satellites' and rings' compositions by means of spectral indicators, e.g. 350-550 nm - 550-950 nm spectral slopes and water ice band parameters [1,2,3]. Spectral classification is further supported by indirect retrieval of temperature by means of the 3.6 μm I/F peak wavelength [4,5]. The comparison with syntethic spectra modeled by means of Hapke's theory point to different compositional classes where water ice, amorphous carbon, tholins and CO2 ice in different quantities and mixing modalities are the principal endmembers [3, 6]. When compared to satellites, rings appear much more red at visible wavelengths and show more intense 1.5-2.0 μm band depths [7]. Our analysis shows that spectral classes are detected among the principal satellites with Enceladus and Tethys the ones with stronger water ice band depths and more neutral spectral slopes while Rhea evidences less intense band depths and more red visible spectra. Even more intense reddening in the 0.55-0.95 μm range is observed on Iapetus leading hemisphere [8] and on Hyperion [9]. With an intermediate reddening, the minor moons seems to be the spectral link between the principal satellites and main rings [10]: Prometheus and Pandora appear similar to Cassini Division ring particles. Epimetheus shows more intense water ice bands than Janus. Epimetheus' visible colors are similar to water ice rich moons while Janus is more similar to C ring particles. Finally, Dione and Tethys lagrangian satellites show a very flat reflectance in the visible, making them remarkably different with respect to the other small moons. Moreover, we have observed that the two Tethys' lagrangian moons appear spectrally different, with Calypso characterized by more intense water ice bands than Telesto. Conversely, at visible wavelengths Polydeuces, Telesto and Methone are in absolute the more blue objects in the Saturn's system. The red slopes measured in the visible range on disk-integrated spectral data, showing varying degrees on all of the satellites, could be caused more by exogenic processes than by geologic and endogenic events which are operating on more localized scales. The principal exogenic processes active in the Saturn's system [11] which alter the satellites and rings surfaces are the E ring particles bombardment, the interaction with corotating plasma and energetic particles, the bombardment of exogenic dark material [12] and the water ice photolysis. A discussion about the correlations between these processes and the o bserved spectral classes is given. With the approaching of the Cassini "Gran Finale" orbits, VIMS will unveil with unprecedented spatial resolution the spectral properties of many small moons and rings. These data will be extremely valuable to improve our classification of the Saturn's satellites and rings