We investigate the 19 September 2021 eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano (La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain). In particular, we analyze the Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar ...(DInSAR) measurements obtained by processing Sentinel‐1 images acquired from both ascending and descending orbits. First, we show the importance, for oceanic islands like La Palma, of investigating DInSAR products retrieved from time series, instead of single interferograms, to effectively remove possible atmospheric artifacts within the displacement measurements. Subsequently, we invert the retrieved data through analytical modeling. Our results highlight that a sill–like source was active in the pre–eruptive phase (8–16 September), whereas the action of two dikes prevailed during the co‐eruptive phase (17–22 September). This evolution suggests a process of magma rising through a network of interconnected sills and dikes. The seismicity, that preceded and accompanied the onset of the eruption, is consistent with our findings.
Plain Language Summary
Since 19 September 2021, an intense eruptive activity has begun at Cumbre Vieja volcano (La Palma, Canary archipelago, Spain), causing huge social and economic damage. The eruption was preceded and accompanied by numerous phenomena, such as gas emissions and seismic activity. In this work, we exploit the Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) measurements, obtained by processing Sentinel‐1 images, to quantify the retrieved pre‐ and co‐eruptive deformation patterns. In particular, this eruption provided us the opportunity to show the importance, for oceanic islands like La Palma, of investigating DInSAR products retrieved from time series, instead of conventional single interferograms, to effectively remove possible atmospheric artifacts within the displacement measurements. Subsequently, we invert the retrieved surface deformation measurements to investigate the geometries of the volcanic sources responsible for the observed deformations. Our results show the evolution of this eruptive phenomenon from the pre‐to the co‐eruptive phases, suggesting that a complex network of sills and dikes has allowed the magma rising. Moreover, our findings are in good agreement with the recorded seismicity and several geophysical evidence.
Key Points
We retrieve the pre‐ and co‐eruptive deformation patterns of Cumbre Vieja volcano through an advanced processing of Sentinel‐1 radar data
We show that a sill‐like source was active in the pre‐eruptive phase, whereas the action of two dikes prevailed in the co‐eruptive one
The retrieved sources are consistent with magma rising through a network of interconnected sills and dikes, and the seismicity evolution
This is a seven-year study (1/7/2011-31/12/2017) of radon monitoring at two sites of Campi Flegrei caldera (Neaples, Southern Italy) that in the last 70 years experienced repeated phases of volcanic ...unrest. The sites are equipped with devices for radon detection, based on the spectrometry analysis of the α-particles of radon daughters. A hybrid method, as combination of three known methods, is applied for the identification of residuals (anomalies) and trends of the time series of Radon. The results are compared with the following indicators of current caldera unrest: the tremor caused by the major fumarolic vent registered by a seismic station; the cumulative of background seismicity; the maximum vertical deformation acquired by GPS networks during the current phase of uplift; the temperature-pressure of the hydrothermal system estimated based on gas geo-indicators. The comparisons show strong correlation among independent signals and suggest that the extension of the area affected by current Campi Flegrei crisis is larger than the area of seismicity and of intense hydrothermal activity from which the radon stations are 1-4 km away. These results represent an absolute novelty in the study of a such calderic area and mark a significant step forward in the use and interpretation of the radon signal.
Eruption source parameters (ESP) characterizing volcanic eruption plumes are crucial inputs for atmospheric tephra dispersal models, used for hazard assessment and risk mitigation. We present ...FPLUME-1.0, a steady-state 1-D (one-dimensional) cross-section-averaged eruption column model based on the buoyant plume theory (BPT). The model accounts for plume bending by wind, entrainment of ambient moisture, effects of water phase changes, particle fallout and re-entrainment, a new parameterization for the air entrainment coefficients and a model for wet aggregation of ash particles in the presence of liquid water or ice. In the occurrence of wet aggregation, the model predicts an effective grain size distribution depleted in fines with respect to that erupted at the vent. Given a wind profile, the model can be used to determine the column height from the eruption mass flow rate or vice versa. The ultimate goal is to improve ash cloud dispersal forecasts by better constraining the ESP (column height, eruption rate and vertical distribution of mass) and the effective particle grain size distribution resulting from eventual wet aggregation within the plume. As test cases we apply the model to the eruptive phase-B of the 4 April 1982 El Chichón volcano eruption (México) and the 6 May 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption phase (Iceland). The modular structure of the code facilitates the implementation in the future code versions of more quantitative ash aggregation parameterization as further observations and experiment data will be available for better constraining ash aggregation processes.
The causative source of the first damaging earthquake instrumentally recorded in the Island of Ischia, occurred on 21 August 2017, has been studied through a multiparametric geophysical approach. In ...order to investigate the source geometry and kinematics we exploit seismological, Global Positioning System, and Sentinel‐1 and COSMO‐SkyMed differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar coseismic measurements. Our results indicate that the retrieved solutions from the geodetic data modeling and the seismological data are plausible; in particular, the best fit solution consists of an E‐W striking, south dipping normal fault, with its center located at a depth of 800 m. Moreover, the retrieved causative fault is consistent with the rheological stratification of the crust in this zone. This study allows us to improve the knowledge of the volcano‐tectonic processes occurring on the Island, which is crucial for a better assessment of the seismic risk in the area.
Key Points
Investigation of the ground deformation and source geometry of the 2017 Ischia Island earthquake (Italy) is discussed
The available seismological, GPS, and DInSAR data permit to investigate the causative fault and define its geometry and kinematics
The results suggest that the rheology properties of the crust beneath the Ischia Island have an influence on the volcano‐tectonic processes
FALL3D is a 3-D time-dependent Eulerian model for the transport and deposition of volcanic ashes and lapilli. The model solves the advection–diffusion–sedimentation (ADS) equation on a structured ...terrain-following grid using a second-order finite differences (FD) explicit scheme. Different parameterizations for the eddy diffusivity tensor and for the particle terminal settling velocities can be used. The code, written in FORTRAN 90, is available in both serial and parallel versions for Windows and Unix/Linux/Mac X operating systems (OS). A series of pre- and post-process utility programs and OS-dependent scripts to launch them are also included in the FALL3D distribution package. Although the model has been designed to forecast volcanic ash concentration in the atmosphere and ash loading at ground, it can also be used to model the transport of any kind of airborne solid particles. The model inputs are meteorological data, topography, grain-size distribution, shape and density of particles, and mass rate of particle injected into the atmosphere. Optionally, FALL3D can be coupled with the output of the meteorological processor CALMET, a diagnostic model which generates 3-D time-dependent zero-divergence wind fields from mesoscale forecasts incorporating local terrain effects. The FALL3D model can be a tool for short-term ash deposition forecasting and for volcanic fallout hazard assessment. As an example, an application to the 22 July 1998 Etna eruption is also presented.
La Fossa Caldera at Vulcano (Italy) has been showing signs of unrest since September 2021. To investigate this phenomenon, we conducted an analysis of geodetic and seismological data from July to ...December 2021. In particular, we analyzed Multi Temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar and Global Navigation Satellite System data, showing a pronounced elliptical uplift signal, which we elaborated using analytical source modeling. Additionally, seismic data were used to identify seismicity associated with hydrothermal system activity and assess its temporal evolution. The results indicate that the observed deformation is consistent with the expansion of the hydrothermal system within the La Fossa Caldera. These findings align with the analysis of seismic data, revealing signals indicative of hydrothermal activity, such as Very Long Period events. The results suggest that the ongoing phenomenon since 2021 represents a hydrothermal unrest, similar to the one observed during the late 1970s to early 1990s.
Plain Language Summary
La Fossa Caldera at Vulcano Island, part of the Aeolian Islands archipelago in Italy, has shown an increased volcanic activity since September 2021. This activity is characterized by an increase in fumarole temperatures, massive gas emissions, as well as a marked uplift of the crater area, accompanied by an increase in seismicity. To investigate the nature of these phenomena, an analysis of ground deformation data obtained from Multi Temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar and Global Navigation Satellite System measurements is presented. Additionally, a detailed analysis of data recorded by the seismic network on Vulcano Island has been conducted. The results indicate that these anomalies can be attributed to the expansion of the hydrothermal system, a phenomenon previously observed in the late 1970s and early 1990s.
Key Points
Multi Temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar enabled investigating localized ground deformation in the La Fossa Caldera
The analysis of local seismicity indicates it is associated with the injection of fluids into conduit‐like structures
The modeled source of ground deformation associated with the 2021 unrest is consistent with the pressurization of the hydrothermal system
Volcanic ash fallout represents a serious threat to people living near active volcanoes because it can produce several undesirable effects such as collapse of roofs by ash loading, respiratory ...sickness, air traffic disruption, or damage to agriculture. The assessment of such volcanic risk is therefore an issue of vital importance for public safety and its mitigation often requires to evaluate the temporal evolution of the phenomenon through reliable computational models.
We develop an Eulerian model, named FALL3D, for the transport and deposition of volcanic ashes. The model is based on the advection–diffusion–sedimentation equation with a turbulent diffusion given by the gradient transport theory, a wind field obtained from a meteorological limited area model (LAM) and the source term derived from by buoyant plume theory. It can be used to forecast either ash concentration in the atmosphere or ash loading on the ground. Model inputs are topography, meteorological data given by a LAM, mass eruption rate, and a particle settling velocity distribution. A test application to the July 2001 Etna eruption is presented.
We apply a novel computational approach to assess, for the first time, volcanic ash dispersal during the Campanian Ignimbrite (Italy) super‐eruption providing insights into eruption dynamics and the ...impact of this gigantic event. The method uses a 3D time‐dependent computational ash dispersion model, a set of wind fields, and more than 100 thickness measurements of the CI tephra deposit. Results reveal that the CI eruption dispersed 250–300 km3 of ash over ∼3.7 million km2. The injection of such a large quantity of ash (and volatiles) into the atmosphere would have caused a volcanic winter during the Heinrich Event 4, the coldest and driest climatic episode of the Last Glacial period. Fluorine‐bearing leachate from the volcanic ash and acid rain would have further affected food sources and severely impacted Late Middle‐Early Upper Paleolithic groups in Southern and Eastern Europe.
Key Points
A new methodology to calculate ash dispersal of a super‐eruption was presented
Ash dispersal of the Campanian Ignimbrite super‐eruption was fully reconstructed
The impact of the Campanian Ignimbrite ash fallout was quantified and discussed
The occurrence of particle aggregation has a dramatic effect on the transport and sedimentation of volcanic ash. The aggregation process is complex and can occur under different conditions and in ...multiple regions of the plume and in the ash cloud. In the companion paper, Costa et al. develop an aggregation model based on a fractal relationship to describe the rate particles are incorporated into ash aggregates. The model includes the effects of both magmatic and atmospheric water present in the volcanic cloud and demonstrates that the rate of aggregation depends on the characteristics of the initial particle size distribution. The aggregation model includes two parameters, the fractal exponent Df, which describes the efficiency of the aggregation process, and the aggregate settling velocity correction factor ψe, which influences the distance at which distal mass deposition maxima form. Both parameters are adjusted using features of the observed deposits. Here this aggregation model is implemented in the FALL3D volcanic ash transport model and applied to the 18 May 1980 Mount St. Helens and the 17–18 September 1992 Crater Peak eruptions. For both eruptions, the optimized values for Df (2.96–3.00) and ψe (0.27–0.33) indicate that the ash aggregates had a bulk density of 700–800 kg m−3. The model provides a higher degree of agreement than previous fully empirical aggregation models and successfully reproduces the depositional characteristics of the deposits investigated over a large range of scales, including the position and thickness of the secondary maxima.
This study compares and evaluates one-dimensional (1D) and three-dimensional (3D) numerical models of volcanic eruption columns in a set of different inter-comparison exercises. The exercises were ...designed as a blind test in which a set of common input parameters was given for two reference eruptions, representing a strong and a weak eruption column under different meteorological conditions. Comparing the results of the different models allows us to evaluate their capabilities and target areas for future improvement. Despite their different formulations, the 1D and 3D models provide reasonably consistent predictions of some of the key global descriptors of the volcanic plumes. Variability in plume height, estimated from the standard deviation of model predictions, is within ~20% for the weak plume and ~10% for the strong plume. Predictions of neutral buoyancy level are also in reasonably good agreement among the different models, with a standard deviation ranging from 9 to 19% (the latter for the weak plume in a windy atmosphere). Overall, these discrepancies are in the range of observational uncertainty of column height. However, there are important differences amongst models in terms of local properties along the plume axis, particularly for the strong plume. Our analysis suggests that the simplified treatment of entrainment in 1D models is adequate to resolve the general behaviour of the weak plume. However, it is inadequate to capture complex features of the strong plume, such as large vortices, partial column collapse, or gravitational fountaining that strongly enhance entrainment in the lower atmosphere. We conclude that there is a need to more accurately quantify entrainment rates, improve the representation of plume radius, and incorporate the effects of column instability in future versions of 1D volcanic plume models.
•We present the main results of an eruptive column model inter-comparison exercise.•Simulations with standard inputs for strong and weak eruptive plumes were performed.•We compare results of empirical, one-dimensional, and three-dimensional models.•Results allowed for evaluating model capabilities and areas for model improvement.
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