Chronology of the 2007 eruption of Stromboli and the activity 1 of the Scientific Synthesis Group

On 27 February 2007, at 12.49 GMT, a new eruption of Stromboli took place with the effusion of a 15 lava flow from a fracture cutting the flank of the NE cone, which rapidly reached the sea. The eruption 16 had been heralded by an increase in the amplitude of tremor and flank movement since at least the 14th 17 of February. Short-term precursors were an increase in the rate of occurrence of small landslides within 18 the “Sciara del Fuoco” scar on the North-western flank of the volcano. A new effusive vent opened at 19 18.30 GMT on the Sciara del Fuoco at an height of 400 m asl. The new lava emission caused the 20 sudden termination of the summit flow and initiated a period of non-stationary lava outpouring which 21 ended on 2 April, 2007. The eruption has been characterized by a rapid decrease in the eruption rate after the first days and subsequently by episodic pulse increases. On the 15th 22 of March, the increase in 23 lava outpouring, monitored by a thermal camera, heralded by 9 minutes the occurrence of a violent 24 paroxysmal explosion with the formation of an impulsive eruption column and the emission of small 25 pumices mingled with black scoriae. The pumice had a bulk composition similar to that of the lava and 26 of the black scoriae, but with a distinct lower content of phenocrysts. A similar feature has been 27 repeateadly observed during the major explosive paroxysms of Stromboli. Short term precursors of the 28 paroxysm were recorded by strainmeter and tiltmeter stations. The volcano monitoring activity has 29 been made by a joint team of researchers from the INGV sections of Catania, Napoli, Palermo and 30 Rome, along with researchers from the University of Florence, Pisa, Roma Tre, and Palermo. The 31 scientific activity was coordinated by a Synthesis Group made up by the responsibles of the different 32 monitoring techniques of INGV and Universities and by the volcanic experts of Commissione Nazionale Grandi Rischi of the Prime Minister Office (Civil Protection Department). 33 The group made a 34 daily evaluation of the state of the volcano and transmitted its recommendations to the Civil Protection 35 Department (DPC). Several prevention measures were adopted by DPC, the main of which were the 36 evacuation of the coast zone when strong acceleration of the Sciara del Fuoco slope motion (occurred 37 twice) could led to a dangerous tsunami by flank collapse (as last occurred on 30 December 2002) and 38 four days before the 15 March paroxysm when access was prohibited to the part of the volcano above 39 290m as

Crustal blocks and seismicity in the Central Apennines of Italy

Kinematics and geodynamics of crustal-block structures separated by compliant zones with viscoelastic rheology play an important role in defining the conditions for many deformation events such as ordinary seismic ruptures, silent and slow earthquakes and aseismic fault creep phenomena. New seismological data from the Latium-Abruzzi carbonatic platform of central Italy fit a block-tectonic modelling previously proposed for this area on the basis of structural and paleomagnetic evidences

Upward migration of Vesuvius magma chamber over the past 20 thousand years

International audienceForecasting future eruptions of Vesuvius is an important challenge for volcanologists, as its reawakening could threaten the lives of 700,000 people living near the volcano1,2. Critical to the evaluation of hazards associated with the next eruption is the estimation of the depth of the magma reservoir, one of the main parameters controlling magma properties and eruptive style. Petrological studies have indicated that during past activity, magma chambers were at depths between 3 and 16km (refs 3– 7). Geophysical surveys have imaged some levels of seismic attenuation, the shallowest of which lies at 8–9km depth8, and these have been tentatively interpreted as levels of preferential magma accumulation. By using experimental phase equilibria, carried out on material from four main explosive events at Vesuvius, we show here that the reservoirs that fed the eruptive activity migrated from 7–8km to 3–4km depth between the AD 79 (Pompeii) and AD 472 (Pollena) events. If data from the Pomici di Base event 18.5 kyr ago9 and the 1944 Vesuvius eruption7 are included, the total upward migration of the reservoir amounts to 9–11 km. The change of preferential magma ponding levels in the upper crust can be attributed to differences in the volatile content and buoyancy of ascending magmas, as well as to changes in local stress field following either caldera formation10 or volcano spreading11. Reservoir migration, and the possible influence on feeding rates12, should be integrated into the parameters used for defining expected eruptive scenarios at Vesuvius

Groundwater Argon content on the occasion of strong earthquakes in a seismogenetic area of Kamchatka (Russia)

Since 1988 the argon content in underground water has been measured at the Morosnaya well, in the Kamchatka peninsula, with a sampling frequency of three days. In the same well other gases and ions dissolved in water are measured, together with flow rate, pH and temperature. The most active seismogenetic area in Kamchatka is that located offshore, along the south-eastern coast of the peninsula. The strongest earthquakes in this area occurred on March 2, 1992 (M47.1), November 13, 1993 (M47.0) and June 21, 1996 (M47.1), within a distance of 200 km from the well. The focal depth of the earthquakes of 1992 and 1993 was 20 and 40 km, respectively. The earthquake which occurred in 1996 was very shallow; a focal depth of few kilometres was estimated. No anomalies in the argon or other dissolved gas concentration were observed on the occasion of 1992 and 1993 earthquakes; on the other hand, a very clear preseismic anomaly appeared in the concentration of argon and nitrogen on the occasion of the 1996 earthquake. The behaviour of the ion content was opposite; no anomaly on the occasion of the last earthquake and clear preseismic anomalies on the occasion of the two former earthquakes appeared. A possible explanation of the quoted behaviour of dissolved gases and ions in groundwater according to the different focal depth of the subsequent earthquakes is presented

Rapid ascent of rhyolitic magma at Chaitén volcano, Chile

International audienceAlthough rhyolite magma has fuelled some of the Earth's largest explosive volcanic eruptions, our understanding of these events is incomplete due to the previous lack of direct observation of these eruptions. On 1 May 2008, Chaitén volcano in Chile erupted rhyolite magma unexpectedly and explosively. Here, petrological and experimental data are presented that indicate that the hydrous rhyolite magma at Chaitén ascended very rapidly from storage depth to near-surface, with velocities of the order of one metre per second

Rapid and slow: Varying magma ascent rates as a mechanism for Vulcanian explosions

Vulcanian explosions are one of the most common types of volcanic activity observed at silicic volcanoes. Magma ascent rates are often invoked as being the fundamental control on their explosivity, yet this factor is poorly constrained for low magnitude end-member Vulcanian explosions, which are particularly poorly understood, partly due to the rarity of ash samples and low gas fluxes. We describe ash generated by small Vulcanian explosions at Volcán de Colima in 2013, where we document for the first time marked differences in the vesicularity, crystal characteristics (volume fraction, size and shape) and glass compositions in juvenile material from discrete events. We interpret these variations as representing differing ascent styles and speeds of magma pulses within the conduit. Heterogeneous degassing during ascent leads to fast ascending, gas-rich magma pulses together with slow ascending gas-poor magma pulses within the same conduit. This inferred heterogeneity is complemented by SO2 flux data, which show transient episodes of both open and closed system degassing, indicating efficient shallow fracture sealing mechanisms, which allows for gas overpressure to generate small Vulcanian explosions

Personalizing Cancer Pain Therapy: Insights from the Rational Use of Analgesics (RUA) Group

Introduction: A previous Delphi survey from the Rational Use of Analgesics (RUA) project involving Italian palliative care specialists revealed some discrepancies between current guidelines and clinical practice with a lack of consensus on items regarding the use of strong opioids in treating cancer pain. Those results represented the basis for a new Delphi study addressing a better approach to pain treatment in patients with cancer. Methods: The study consisted of a two-round multidisciplinary Delphi study. Specialists rated their agreement with a set of 17 statements using a 5-point Likert scale (0 = totally disagree and 4 = totally agree). Consensus on a statement was achieved if the median consensus score (MCS) (expressed as value at which at least 50% of participants agreed) was at least 4 and the interquartile range (IQR) was 3–4. Results: This survey included input from 186 palliative care specialists representing all Italian territory. Consensus was reached on seven statements. More than 70% of participants agreed with the use of low dose of strong opioids in moderate pain treatment and valued transdermal route as an effective option when the oral route is not available. There was strong consensus on the importance of knowing opioid pharmacokinetics for therapy personalization and on identifying immediate-release opioids as key for tailoring therapy to patients’ needs. Limited agreement was reached on items regarding breakthrough pain and the management of opioid-induced bowel dysfunction. Conclusion: These findings may assist clinicians in applying clinical evidence to routine care settings and call for a reappraisal of current pain treatment recommendations with the final aim of optimizing the clinical use of strong opioids in patients with cancer

Transitions between explosive and effusive phases during the cataclysmic 2010 eruption of Merapi volcano, Java, Indonesia

Transitions between explosive and effusive activity are commonly observed during dome-forming eruptions and may be linked to factors such as magma influx, ascent rate and degassing. However, the interplay between these factors is complex and the resulting eruptive behaviour often unpredictable. This paper focuses on the driving forces behind the explosive and effusive activity during the well-documented 2010 eruption of Merapi, the volcano’s largest eruption since 1872. Time-controlled samples were collected from the 2010 deposits, linked to eruption stage and style of activity. These include scoria and pumice from the initial explosions, dense and scoriaceous dome samples formed via effusive activity, as well as scoria and pumice samples deposited during subplinian column collapse. Quantitative textural analysis of groundmass feldspar microlites, including measurements of areal number density, mean microlite size, crystal aspect ratio, groundmass crystallinity and crystal size distribution analysis, reveal that shallow pre- and syn-eruptive magmatic processes acted to govern the changing behaviour during the eruption. High-An (up to ∼80 mol% An) microlites from early erupted samples reveal that the eruption was likely preceded by an influx of hotter or more mafic magma. Transitions between explosive and effusive activity in 2010 were driven primarily by the dynamics of magma ascent in the conduit, with degassing and crystallisation acting via feedback mechanisms, resulting in cycles of effusive and explosive activity. Explosivity during the 2010 eruption was enhanced by the presence of a ‘plug’ of cooled magma within the shallow magma plumbing system, which acted to hinder degassing, leading to overpressure prior to initial explosive activity