Dike propagation within active central volcanic edifices: constraints from Somma-Vesuvius, Etna and analogue models

Dikes within stratovolcanoes are commonly expected to have radial patterns. However, other patterns may also be also found, due to regional stresses, magmatic reservoirs, topographic variations. Here we investigate dike patterns within volcanic edifices, by studying dike and fissure complexes at Somma-Vesuvius and Etna (Italy) and using analogue models. At the surface, the dikes and fissures show a radial configuration. At depths of tens to several hundreds of m, in areas exposed by erosion, tangential and oblique dikes are also present. Analogue models indicate that dikes approaching the flanks of cones, regardless of their initial orientation, reorient to become radial (parallel to the maximum gravitational stress). This reorientation is a significant process in shallow magma migration and may also control the emplacement of dike-fed fissures reaching the lower slopes of the volcano

Dyke Emplacement and Hazard at Stromboli

In February 2007, two effusive vents opened along the flank of Sciara del Fuoco (SdF) depression at Stromboli. The summit craters collapsed, obstructing the central conduit, choking the vents and increasing the deformation within SdF. Here a new vent opened, releasing the excess magmatic pressure. The eruption continued, after a summit explosion, until April. The vents were fed by laterally propagating dykes. Vent location is similar to that of the 2002-2003 eruption, fed by dykes triggering landslides, which in turn produced a tsunami. However, the 2007 eruption did not develop landslides, suggesting that their triggering also depends on other factors, (i.e. magmatic pressure)

The Okun Misery Index in the European Union Countries from 2000 to 2009

The study is composed of four main parts and a summary. The first part, introduction, discusses various measures of the economic system's efficiency that are used in practice. Part two emphasises that the GDP per capita according to purchasing power parity still remains the most popular among those measures. Further, it presents the ranking of the European Union countries taking that measure into account, the research period being 1999-2009. Part three points out that it is also the level of poverty (misery) that determines the economic system's efficiency. That level can be measured by means of various indicators, among others, the so called HPI-2 index calculated by the UN. It will be the Okun misery index, however, computed as the sum of inflation and unemployment rates that will be presented as an alternative being of interest from the macroeconomic point of view. The ranking of the European Union member states according to that measure in the 2000-2004 and 2005-2009 periods will be provided in part four. The article will end in a summary containing synthetic conclusions drawn from earlier observations.Opracowanie składa się z czterech części zasadniczych i podsumowania. W punkcie pierwszym omówiono różnorodne mierniki sprawności systemu gospodarczego wykorzystywane w praktyce. W części drugiej podkreślono, iż nadal najpopularniejszym z nich jest PKB per capita według parytetu siły nabywczej. Zgodnie z tym miernikiem przedstawiono ranking państw Unii Europejskiej w latach 1999-2009. W punkcie trzecim podkreślono, że o sprawności systemu gospodarczego decyduje także poziom ubóstwa. Może być on mierzony różnymi wskaźnikami, m.in. tzw. indeksem HPI-2 obliczanym przez ONZ. Jako ciekawą z makroekonomicznego punktu widzenia alternatywę ukazano jednak miarę wskaźnika ubóstwa Okuna obliczanego poprzez zsumowanie stopy inflacji i stopy bezrobocia. Ranking państw Unii Europejskiej według tej miary w okresach 2000-2004 oraz 2005-2009 zaprezentowano w części czwartej. Całość zamknięto podsumowaniem, w którym zawarto syntetyczne wnioski z przeprowadzonych obserwacji

Stress inversions to forecast magma pathways and eruptive vent location

When a batch of magma reaches Earth\u2019s surface, it forms a vent from which volcanic products are erupted. At many volcanoes, successive batches may open vents far away from previous ones, resulting in scattered, sometimes seemingly random spatial distributions. This exposes vast areas to volcanic hazards and makes forecasting difficult. Here, we show that magma pathways and thus future vent locations may be forecast by combining the physics of magma transport with a Monte Carlo inversion scheme for the volcano stress history. We validate our approach on a densely populated active volcanic field, Campi Flegrei (Italy), where we forecast future vents on an onshore semi-annular belt located between 2.3 and 4.2 km from the caldera center. Our approach offers a mechanical explanation for the vent migration over time at Campi Flegrei and at many calderas worldwide and may be applicable to volcanoes of any type

Effective Potential and Quantum Dynamical Correlators

The approach to the calculation of quantum dynamical correlation functions is presented in the framework of the Mori theory. An unified treatment of classic and quantum dynamics is given in terms of Weyl representation of operators and holomorphic variables. The range of validity of an approximate molucular dynamics is discussedComment: 8 pages, Latex fil

A dynamic distention protocol for whole-organ bladder decellularization: histological and biomechanical characterization of the acellular matrix

A combined physical\u2013chemical protocol for whole full-thickness bladder decellularization is proposed, based on organ cyclic distention through repeated infusion/withdrawal of the decellularization agents through the urethra. The dynamic decellularization was intended to enhance cell removal efficiency, facilitating the delivery of detergents within the inner layers of the tissue and the removal of cell debris. The use of mild chemical detergents (hypotonic solution and non-ionic detergent) was employed to limit adverse effects upon matrix 3D ultrastructure. Inspection of the presence of residual DNA and RNA was carried out on decellularized matrices to verify effective cell removal. Histological investigation was focused on assessing the retention of adequate structural and functional components that regulate the biomechanical behaviour of the acellular tissue. Biomechanical properties were evaluated through uniaxial tensile loading tests of tissue strips and through ex vivo filling cystometry to evaluate the whole-organ mechanical response to a physiological-like loading state. According to our results, a dynamic decellularization protocol of 17 h duration with a 5 ml/min detergent infusion flow rate revealed higher DNA removal efficiency than standard static decellularization, resulting in residual DNA content\u2009<\u200950 ng/mg dry tissue weight. Furthermore, the collagen network and elastic fibres distribution were preserved in the acellular ECM, which exhibited suitable biomechanical properties in the perspective of its future use as an implant for bladder augmentation

Simultaneous magma and gas eruptions at three volcanoes in southern Italy: an earthquake trigger?

In September 2002, a series of tectonic earthquakes occurred north of Sicily, Italy, followed by three events of volcanic unrest within 150 km. On October 28, 2002, Mt. Etna erupted; on November 3, 2002, submarine degassing occurred near Panarea Island; and on December 28, 2002, Stromboli Island erupted. All of these events were considered unusual: the Mt. Etna NE-rift eruption was the largest in 55 yr, the Panarea degassing was one of the strongest ever detected there, and the Stromboli eruption, which produced a landslide and tsunami, was the largest effusive eruption in 17 yr. Here, we investigate the synchronous occurrence of these clustered unrest events, and develop a possible explanatory model. We compute short-term earthquake-induced dynamic strain changes and compare them to long-term tectonic effects. Results suggest that the earthquake-induced strain changes exceeded annual tectonic strains by at least an order of magnitude. This agitation occurred in seconds, and may have induced fluid and gas pressure migration within the already active hydrothermal and magmatic systems

Sandbox simulations of relay ramp evolution

The interaction between two offset overlapping normal faults is characterised by the presence of a relay ramp. In order to investigate the way these structures develop, sandbox experiments were carried out. To simulate the brittle crust, we used dry quartz sand that was extended by means of a rubber sheet located at its base.We imposed the initial configuration of the two interacting normal faults by placing silicone bars at the base of the sand-pack, above the rubber sheet. These, under extension, generated a velocity discontinuity responsible for the development of the normal faults, which later interacted and grew further within the sand package. By varying the initial configuration of the silicone bars, we could easily vary the spacing (distance) between the segments, their overlap, their length and their orientation, and test the influence of these parameters on the development of the ramp between the segments. The modeled faults had aspect ratio’s varying between 2.5 and 5.The relay structures in the experiments were characterised by birth, growth and decay. Birth of a relay ramp marked the onset of interaction and was inferred when a tilt of the sand surface could be observed between the two overlapping faults. Growth was characterised by the propagation of the two interacting faults, increasing the distance of overlap and the tilting of the sand layers. During this growth stage often the deflection of one of the fault traces could be observed. Decay occurred when the two initially isolated faults eventually got connected with each other and the ramp breached.A large part of the relay ramps that were formed in the models were breached — or were getting breached — before the final amount of extension was reached (ß ˜ 20%). For 55% of these ramps it was the hanging-wall fault that propagated towards the footwall fault, for 27% the footwall fault linked up with the hanging-wall fault, and for 18% of these breached ramps, a new fault developed that cross-cut the ramp. The new fault developed only in those cases where the original spacing of the faults was very small compared to their length. An experimental relation between the overlap and spacing of two segments was also determined and compared with earlier theoretical work.Finally, relay ramp evolution in the experiments was also characterised sometimes by several minor-order features which are not commonly observed in natural examples, such as: the further propagation of the fault tips after breaching, an increased displacement gradient just outside the relay ramp instead of inside, etc..

Hydrothermal fluid venting in the offshore sector of Campi Flegrei caldera: A geochemical, geophysical, and volcanological study

The ongoing unrest at the Campi Flegrei caldera (CFc) in southern Italy is prompting exploration of its poorly studied offshore sector. We report on a multidisciplinary investigation of the Secca delle Fumose (SdF), a submarine relief known since antiquity as the largest degassing structure of the offshore sector of CFc. We combined high-resolution morphobathymetric and seismostratigraphic data with onshore geological information to propose that the present-day SdF morphology and structure developed during the initial stages of the last CFc eruption at Monte Nuovo in AD 1538. We suggest that the SdF relief stands on the eastern uplifted border of a N-S-trending graben-like structure formed during the shallow emplacement of the Monte Nuovo feeding dike. We also infer that the high-angle bordering faults that generated the SdF relief now preferentially allow the ascent of hot brines (with an equilibrium temperature of 1798C), thereby sustaining hydrothermal degassing on the seafloor. Systematic vertical seawater profiling shows that hydrothermal seafloor venting generates a sizeable CO2, pH, and temperature anomaly in the overlying seawater column. Data for the seawater vertical profile can be used to estimate the CO2 and energy (heat) outputs from the SdF area at 50 tons/d (0.53 kg/s) and 80 MW, respectively. In view of the cause-effect relationship with the Monte Nuovo eruption, and the substantial gas and energy outputs, we consider that the SdF hydrothermal system needs to be included in monitoring programs of the ongoing CFc unrest

Complex circular subsidence structures in tephra deposited on large blocks of ice: Varða tuff cone, Öræfajökull, Iceland

Several broadly circular structures up to 16 m in diameter, into which higher strata have sagged and locally collapsed, are present in a tephra outcrop on southwest Öræfajökull, southern Iceland. The tephra was sourced in a nearby basaltic tuff cone at Varða. The structures have not previously been described in tuff cones, and they probably formed by the melting out of large buried blocks of ice emplaced during a preceding jökulhlaup that may have been triggered by a subglacial eruption within the Öræfajökull ice cap. They are named ice-melt subsidence structures, and they are analogous to kettle holes that are commonly found in proglacial sandurs and some lahars sourced in ice-clad volcanoes. The internal structure is better exposed in the Varða examples because of an absence of fluvial infilling and reworking, and erosion of the outcrop to reveal the deeper geometry. The ice-melt subsidence structures at Varða are a proxy for buried ice. They are the only known evidence for a subglacial eruption and associated jökulhlaup that created the ice blocks. The recognition of such structures elsewhere will be useful in reconstructing more complete regional volcanic histories as well as for identifying ice-proximal settings during palaeoenvironmental investigations