The magmatic evolution of South-East Crater (Mt. Etna) during the February-April 2021 sequence of lava fountains from a mineral chemistry perspective

The South-East Crater (SEC) at Mt. Etna started a period of lava fountaining in December 2020, producing over 60 paroxysms until February 2022. The activity had an intense sequence from February 16 to April 1, 2021, totaling 17 paroxysmal events separated by repose times varying from 1 to 7 days. The eruptive sequence was extensively monitored, providing a unique opportunity to relate the chemistry and texture of the erupted products to eruption dynamics. We investigate the temporal evolution of the magmatic system through this eruptive sequence by quantifying variations in the composition and texture of clinopyroxene. Clinopyroxene major element transects across crystals from five representative lava fountains allow us to determine the relative proportions of deep versus shallow-stored magmas that fed these events. We use hierarchical clustering (HC), an unsupervised machine learning technique, to objectively identify clinopyroxene compositional clusters and their variations during this intense eruptive phase. Our results show that variations of monitoring parameters and eruption intensity are expressed in the mineral record both as changes in cluster proportions and the chemical complexity of single crystals. We also apply random forest thermobarometry to relate each cluster to P-T conditions of formation. We suggest that the February-April 2021 eruptive sequence was sustained by the injection of a hotter and deeper magma into a storage area at 1-3 kbar, where it mixed with a slightly more evolved magma. The February 28 episode emitted the most mafic magma, in association with the highest mean lava fountain height and highest time-averaged discharge rate, which make it the peak of the analyzed eruptive interval. Our results show that after this episode, the deep magma supply decreased and the erupted magma become gradually more chemically evolved, with a lower time-average discharge rate and fountain height. We propose this approach as a means to rapidly, objectively, and effectively link petrological and geophysical/geochemical monitoring during ongoing eruptions. We anticipate that the systematic application of this approach will serve to shed light on the magmatic processes controlling the evolution of ongoing eruptions.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00445-023-01643-2.

VIGIA: A Thermal and Visible Imagery System to Track Volcanic Explosions

The monitoring of the frequency, intensity/magnitude and dynamics of explosive events at volcanoes in a state of unrest is key to surveying and forecasting their activity. Thermal and visual video observations of eruptive phenomena, and their correlation with data from deformation and seismic networks, are often limited by technical constraints including lack of time synchronisation, data volumes and power consumption. Several solutions are currently available and here we present an instrument designed for the permanent and real-time observation of volcanic explosive events in the visible and thermal infrared wavelengths, the output of which can be fully synchronised with ancillary monitoring data. Our system (VIGIA: visual and infrared ground-based imagery analyser) follows an edge computing approach whereby information is processed on-site, and periodic reports are sent to the local observatory and the system “decides” when to acquire high-temporal resolution data so as to capture key explosive events. As a permanent installation, VIGIA enables the continuous, long-term and time-synchronised observation of volcanic activity while reducing power consumption and data volumes. We suggest that VIGIA-style instruments could provide useful scientific and monitoring information, and provide here the key details of the components, assembly, and code so that observatories can replicate the system and build their own VIGIA at minimal cost. We use the Reventador volcano, in Ecuador, as a case study to present the capabilities of the instrument.

Comparison between Automated and Manual Detection of Lava Fountains from Fixed Monitoring Thermal Cameras at Etna Volcano, Italy

The Etna volcano is renowned worldwide for its extraordinary lava fountains that rise several kilometers above the vent and feed eruptive columns, then drift hundreds of kilometers away from the source. The Italian Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia-Osservatorio Etneo (INGV-OE) is responsible for the monitoring of Mt. Etna, and for this reason, has deployed a network of visible and thermal cameras around the volcano. From these cameras, INGV-OE keeps a keen eye, and is able to observe the eruptive activity, promptly advising the civil protection and aviation authorities of any changes, as well as quantifying the spread of lava flows and the extent of pyroclastic and ash plumes by using a careful analysis of the videos recorded by the monitoring cameras. However, most of the work involves analysis carried out by hand, which is necessarily approximate and time-consuming, thus limiting the usefulness of these results for a prompt hazard assessment. In addition, the start of lava fountains is often a gradual process, increasing in strength from Strombolian activity, to intermediate explosive activity, and eventually leading to sustained lava fountains. The thresholds between these different fields (Strombolian, Intermediate, and lava fountains) are not clear cut, and are often very difficult to distinguish by a manual analysis of the images. In this paper, we presented an automated routine that, when applied to thermal images and with good weather conditions, allowed us to detect (1) the starting and ending time of each lava fountain, (2) the area occupied by hot pyroclasts, (3) the elevation reached by the lava fountains over time, and (4) eventually, to calculate in real-time the erupted volume of pyroclasts, giving results close to the manual analysis but more focused on the sustained portion of the lava fountain, which is also the most dangerous. This routine can also be applied to other active volcanoes, allowing a prompt and uniform definition of the timing of the lava fountain eruptive activity, as well as the magnitude and intensity of the event.

The Thermal Imbalances Recorded at the NE Rift during the 2012 Explosive Activity at the South East Cone (Mt. Etna, Italy)

Mild thermal anomalies are sensitive to change in the advection processes in a volcanic system. A mild thermal anomaly, near the top of the North-East Rift of Mt. Etna (Italy), has been monitored from January 2010 to September 2012 by means of four temperature sensors buried in the shallow ground. The pulses of the convective circulation have been tracked and the diffuse heat flux has been evaluated. The positive pulses of the convective front reflected the local increases of volcanic degassing; conversely, the negative pulses showed the contraction of the convective front emerging through the North-East Rift. The steam condensation depth fluctuated below the monitoring site, from depths of a couple of meters to more than 30 meters, while the New South-East crater was erupting. The data hourly recorded, relative to the 2012 eruptive period, were compared to the radiant energy released by the paroxysms. We registered a dramatic decrease in the diffuse heat flux several hours before the onset of the two most energetic paroxysms (12 and 23 April). Thereafter, the convective front (the steam condensation depth) showed many negative pulses, reaching the deepest recorded levels. Thermal transients could be one of the early signals, possibly heralding transitions in the dynamic equilibrium conditions.

Intense overpressurization at basaltic open-conduit volcanoes as inferred by geochemical signals: The case of the Mt. Etna December 2018 eruption

The balance between the amount of gas coexisting with mantle-derived magmas at depth and that emitted during intereruptive phases may play a key role in the eruptive potential of volcanoes. Taking the December 2018 eruption at Mt. Etna volcano as a case study, we discuss the geochemical data streams observed. The signals indicate a long-lasting prelude stage to eruption, starting in 2017 and involving magma-fluid accumulation in the deep (>7 km bsl) reservoir, followed by pressure buildup in the system at intermediate depth (5 to 2 km bsl), 6 to 7 months before the eruption. A brief preeruptive phase marks the pressurization at 2 to 3 km below the craters. By comparing the magma and fluid recharge at depth to the measured volcanic degassing from the plume, we provide evidence that Mt. Etna was in a state of extreme overpressurization in the weeks before the onset of the eruption.

Anatomy of a Paroxysmal Lava Fountain at Etna Volcano: The Case of the 12 March 2021, Episode

On 13 December 2020, Etna volcano entered a new eruptive phase, giving rise to a number of paroxysmal episodes involving increased Strombolian activity from the summit craters, lava fountains feeding several-km high eruptive columns and ash plumes, as well as lava flows. As of 2 August 2021, 57 such episodes have occurred in 2021, all of them from the New Southeast Crater (NSEC). Each paroxysmal episode lasted a few hours and was sometimes preceded (but more often followed) by lava flow output from the crater rim lasting a few hours. In this paper, we use remote sensing data from the ground and satellite, integrated with ground deformation data recorded by a high precision borehole strainmeter to characterize the 12 March 2021 eruptive episode, which was one of the most powerful (and best recorded) among that occurred since 13 December 2020. We describe the formation and growth of the lava fountains, and the way they feed the eruptive column and the ash plume, using data gathered from the INGV visible and thermal camera monitoring network, compared with satellite images. We show the growth of the lava flow field associated with the explosive phase obtained from a fixed thermal monitoring camera. We estimate the erupted volume of pyroclasts from the heights of the lava fountains measured by the cameras, and the erupted lava flow volume from the satellite-derived radiant heat flux. We compare all erupted volumes (pyroclasts plus lava flows) with the total erupted volume inferred from the volcano deflation recorded by the borehole strainmeter, obtaining a total erupted volume of ~3 × 106 m3 of magma constrained by the strainmeter. This volume comprises ~1.6 × 106 m3 of pyroclasts erupted during the lava fountain and 2.4 × 106 m3 of lava flow, with ~30% of the erupted pyroclasts being remobilized as rootless lava to feed the lava flows. The episode lasted 130 min and resulted in an eruption rate of ~385 m3 s−1 and caused the formation of an ash plume rising from the margins of the lava fountain that rose up to 12.6 km a.s.l. in ~1 h. The maximum elevation of the ash plume was well constrained by an empirical formula that can be used for prompt hazard assessment.

Examples of Multi-Sensor Determination of Eruptive Source Parameters of Explosive Events at Mount Etna

Multi-sensor strategies are key to the real-time determination of eruptive source parameters (ESPs) of explosive eruptions necessary to forecast accurately both tephra dispersal and deposition. To explore the capacity of these strategies in various eruptive conditions, we analyze data acquired by two Doppler radars, ground- and satellite-based infrared sensors, one infrasound array, visible video-monitoring cameras as well as data from tephra-fallout deposits associated with a weak and a strong paroxysmal event at Mount Etna (Italy). We find that the different sensors provide complementary observations that should be critically analyzed and combined to provide comprehensive estimates of ESPs. First, all measurements of plume height agree during the strong paroxysmal activity considered, whereas some discrepancies are found for the weak paroxysm due to rapid plume and cloud dilution. Second, the event duration, key to convert the total erupted mass (TEM) in the mass eruption rate (MER) and vice versa, varies depending on the sensor used, providing information on different phases of the paroxysm (i.e., unsteady lava fountaining, lava fountain-fed tephra plume, waning phase associated with plume and cloud expansion in the atmosphere). As a result, TEM and MER derived from different sensors also correspond to the different phases of the paroxysms. Finally, satellite retrievals for grain-size can be combined with radar data to provide a first approximation of total grain-size distribution (TGSD) in near real-time. Such a TGSD shows a promising agreement with the TGSD derived from the combination of satellite data and whole deposit grain-size distribution (WDGSD).

Multisensor Characterization of the Incandescent Jet Region of Lava Fountain-Fed Tephra Plumes

Explosive basaltic eruptions eject a great amount of pyroclastic material into the atmosphere, forming columns rising to several kilometers above the eruptive vent and causing significant disruption to both proximal and distal communities. Here, we analyze data, collected by an X-band polarimetric weather radar and an L-band Doppler fixed-pointing radar, as well as by a thermal infrared (TIR) camera, in relation to lava fountain-fed tephra plumes at the Etna volcano in Italy. We clearly identify a jet, mainly composed of lapilli and bombs mixed with hot gas in the first portion of these volcanic plumes and here called the incandescent jet region (IJR). At Etna and due to the TIR camera configuration, the IJR typically corresponds to the region that saturates thermal images. We find that the IJR is correlated to a unique signature in polarimetric radar data as it represents a zone with a relatively high reflectivity and a low copolar correlation coefficient. Analyzing five recent Etna eruptions occurring in 2013 and 2015, we propose a jet region radar retrieval algorithm (JR3A), based on a decision-tree combining polarimetric X-band observables with L-band radar constraints, aiming at the IJR height detection during the explosive eruptions. The height of the IJR does not exactly correspond to the height of the lava fountain due to a different altitude, potentially reached by lapilli and blocks detected by the X-band weather radar. Nonetheless, it can be used as a proxy of the lava fountain height in order to obtain a first approximation of the exit velocity of the mixture and, therefore, of the mass eruption rate. The comparisons between the JR3A estimates of IJR heights with the corresponding values recovered from TIR imagery, show a fairly good agreement with differences of less than 20% in clear air conditions, whereas the difference between JR3A estimates of IJR height values and those derived from L-band radar data only are greater than 40%. The advantage of using an X-band polarimetric weather radar in an early warning system is that it provides information in all weather conditions. As a matter of fact, we show that JR3A retrievals can also be obtained in cloudy conditions when the TIR camera data cannot be processed.

The Estimation of Lava Flow Temperatures Using Landsat Night-Time Images: Case Studies from Eruptions of Mt. Etna and Stromboli (Sicily, Italy), Kīlauea (Hawaii Island), and Eyjafjallajökull and Holuhraun (Iceland)

Using satellite-based remote sensing to investigate volcanic eruptions is a common approach for preliminary research, chiefly because a great amount of freely available data can be effectively accessed. Here, Landsat 4-5TM, 7ETM+, and 8OLI night-time satellite images are used to estimate lava flow temperatures and radiation heat fluxes from selected volcanic eruptions worldwide. After retrieving the spectral radiance, the pixel values were transformed into temperatures using the calculated calibration constants. Results showed that the TIR and SWIR bands were saturated and unable to detect temperatures over the active lava flows. However, temperatures were effectively detected over the active lava flows in the range ~500–1060 °C applying the NIR-, red-, green- or blue-band. Application of the panchromatic band with 15 m resolution also revealed details of lava flow morphology. The calculated radiant heat flux for the lava flows accords with increasing cooling either with slope or with distance from the vent.

Recognizing Eruptions of Mount Etna through Machine Learning Using Multiperspective Infrared Images

Detecting, locating and characterizing volcanic eruptions at an early stage provides the best means to plan and mitigate against potential hazards. Here, we present an automatic system which is able to recognize and classify the main types of eruptive activity occurring at Mount Etna by exploiting infrared images acquired using thermal cameras installed around the volcano. The system employs a machine learning approach based on a Decision Tree tool and a Bag of Words-based classifier. The Decision Tree provides information on the visibility level of the monitored area, while the Bag of Words-based classifier detects the onset of eruptive activity and recognizes the eruption type as either explosion and/or lava flow or plume degassing/ash. Applied in real-time to each image of each of the thermal cameras placed around Etna, the proposed system provides two outputs, namely, visibility level and recognized eruptive activity status. By merging these outcomes, the monitored phenomena can be fully described from different perspectives to acquire more in-depth information in real time and in an automatic way.

The VEI 2 Christmas 2018 Etna Eruption: A Small But Intense Eruptive Event or the Starting Phase of a Larger One?

The Etna flank eruption that started on 24 December 2018 lasted a few days and involved the opening of an eruptive fissure, accompanied by a seismic swarm and shallow earthquakes, significant SO2 flux release, and by large and widespread ground deformation, especially on the eastern flank of the volcano. Lava fountains and ash plumes from the uppermost eruptive fissure accompanied the opening stage, causing disruption to Catania International Airport, and were followed by a quiet lava effusion within the barren Valle del Bove depression until 27 December. This was the first flank eruption to occur at Etna in the last decade, during which eruptive activity was confined to the summit craters and resulted in lava fountains and lava flow output from the crater rims. In this paper, we used ground and satellite remote sensing techniques to describe the sequence of events, quantify the erupted volumes of lava, gas, and tephra, and assess volcanic hazards.

Long range infrasound monitoring of Etna volcano

Among ground-based volcano monitoring techniques, infrasound is the only one capable of detecting explosive eruptions from distances of thousands of kilometers. We show how infrasound array analysis, using acoustic amplitude and detection persistency, allows automatic, near-real-time identification of eruptions of Etna volcano (Italy), for stations at distances greater than 500 km. A semi-empirical attenuation relation is applied to recover the pressure time history at the source using infrasound recorded at global scale (>500 km). An infrasound parameter (IP), defined as the product between the number of detections, filtered for the expected back-azimuth of Etna volcano, and range corrected amplitude, is compared with the explosive activity at Etna volcano that was associated with aviation color code RED warnings. This shows that, during favourable propagation conditions, global arrays are capable of identifying explosive activity of Etna 87% of the period of analysis without negative false alerts. Events are typically not detected during unfavourable propagation conditions, thus resulting in a time variable efficiency of the system. We suggest that infrasound monitoring on a global scale can provide timely input for Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAAC) even when a latency of ~1 hour, due to propagation time, is considered. The results highlight the capability of infrasound for near-real-time volcano monitoring at a regional and global scale.

Changes in SO2 Flux Regime at Mt. Etna Captured by Automatically Processed Ultraviolet Camera Data

We used a one-year long SO2 flux record, which was obtained using a novel algorithm for real-time automatic processing of ultraviolet (UV) camera data, to characterize changes in degassing dynamics at the Mt. Etna volcano in 2016. These SO2 flux records, when combined with independent thermal and seismic evidence, allowed for capturing switches in activity from paroxysmal explosive eruptions to quiescent degassing. We found SO2 fluxes 1.5–2 times higher than the 2016 average (1588 tons/day) during the Etna’s May 16–25 eruptive paroxysmal activity, and mild but detectable SO2 flux increases more than one month before its onset. The SO2 flux typically peaked during a lava fountain. Here, the average SO2 degassing rate was ~158 kg/s, the peak emission was ~260 kg/s, and the total released SO2 mass was ~1700 tons (in 3 h on 18 May, 2016). Comparison between our data and prior (2014–2015) results revealed systematic SO2 emission patterns prior to, during, and after an Etna’s paroxysmal phases, which allows us to tentatively identify thresholds between pre-eruptive, syn-eruptive, and post-eruptive degassing regimes.

Space- and Ground-Based Geophysical Data Tracking of Magma Migration in Shallow Feeding System of Mount Etna Volcano

After a month-long increase in activity at the summit craters, on 24 December 2018, the Etna volcano experienced a short-lived lateral effusive event followed by a rapid resumption of low-level explosive and degassing activity at the summit vents. By combining space (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer; MODIS and SENTINEL-2 images) and ground-based geophysical data, we track, in near real-time, the thermal, seismic and infrasonic changes associated with Etna’s activity during the September–December 2018 period. Satellite thermal data reveal that the fissural eruption was preceded by a persistent increase of summit activity, as reflected by overflow episodes in New SouthEast Crater (NSE) sector. This behavior is supported by infrasonic data, which recorded a constant increase both in the occurrence and in the energy of the strombolian activity at the same crater sectors mapped by satellite. The explosive activity trend is poorly constrained by the seismic tremor, which shows instead a sudden increase only since the 08:24 GMT on the 24 December 2018, almost concurrently with the end of the infrasonic detections occurred at 06:00 GMT. The arrays detected the resumption of infrasonic activity at 11:13 GMT of 24 December, when tremors almost reached the maximum amplitude. Infrasound indicates that the explosive activity was shifting from the summit crater along the flank of the Etna volcano, reflecting, with the seismic tremor, the intrusion of a gas-rich magma batch along a ~2.0 km long dyke, which reached the surface generating an intense explosive phase. The dyke propagation lasted for almost 3 h, during which magma migrated from the central conduit system to the lateral vent, at a mean speed of 0.15–0.20 m s−1. Based on MODIS and SENTINEL 2 images, we estimated that the summit outflows erupted a volume of lava of 1.4 Mm3 (±0.5 Mm3), and that the lateral effusive episode erupted a minimum volume of 0.85 Mm3 (±0.3 Mm3). The results presented here outline the support of satellite data on tracking the evolution of volcanic activity and the importance to integrate satellite with ground-based geophysical data in improving assessments of volcanic hazard during eruptive crises.

Dome-like behaviour at Mt. Etna: The case of the 28 December 2014 South East Crater paroxysm

On the 28 December 2014, a violent and short paroxysmal eruption occurred at the South East Crater (SEC) of Mount Etna that led to the formation of huge niches on the SW and NE flanks of the SEC edifice from which a volume of ~3 × 10⁶ m³ of lava was erupted. Two basaltic lava flows discharged at a rate of ~370 m³/s, reaching a maximum distance of ~5 km. The seismicity during the event was scarce and the eruption was not preceded by any notable ground deformation, which instead was dramatic during and immediately after the event. The SO₂ flux associated with the eruption was relatively low and even decreased few days before. Observations suggest that the paroxysm was not related to the ascent of volatile-rich fresh magma from a deep reservoir (dyke intrusion), but instead to a collapse of a portion of SEC, similar to what happens on exogenous andesitic domes. The sudden and fast discharge eventually triggered a depressurization in the shallow volcano plumbing system that drew up fresh magma from depth. Integration of data and observations has allowed to formulate a novel interpretation of mechanism leading volcanic activity at Mt. Etna and on basaltic volcanoes worldwide.

Balancing bulk gas accumulation and gas output before and during lava fountaining episodes at Mt. Etna

We focus on a sequence of 9 lava fountains from Etna that occurred in 2011, separated by intervals of 5 to 10 days. Continuous measurements allowed to discover the occurrence of gravity decreases before the onset of most fountaining episodes. We propose that the gravity changes are due to the pre-fountaining accumulation of a foam layer at shallow levels in the plumbing system of the volcano. Relying on the relationship between amount of gas trapped in the foam and amount of gas emitted during each episode, we develop a conceptual model of the mechanism controlling the passage from Strombolian to lava fountaining activity. Gas leakage from the foam layer during the late stages of its accumulation increases the gas volume fraction at upper levels, thus inducing a decrease of the magma-static pressure in the trapping zone and a further growth of the foam. This feedback mechanism eventually leads to the collapse of the foam layer and to the onset of lava fountaining. The possibility to detect the development of a foam layer at depth and to set quantitative constraints on the amount of trapped gas is important because of the implications for forecasting explosive eruptions and predicting their intensity.