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www.solid-earth-discuss.net/3/411/2011/
doi:10.5194/sed-3-411-2011
© Author(s) 2011. This work is distributed
under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
First experimental evidence for the CO2-driven origin of Stromboli's major explosions
1Dip. DiSTeM, Università di Palermo, Italy
2Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Palermo, Italy
3Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Pisa, Italy
4Institut de Physique du Globe, Paris Sorbonne Cité, CNRS UMR 7154, Paris, France
5Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Catania, Italy
Abstract. We report on the first detection of CO2 flux precursors of the till now unforecastable larger than normal ("major") explosions that intermittently occur at Stromboli volcano (Italy). Automated survey of the crater plume emissions in the period 2006–2010, during which 12 such explosions happened, demonstrate that these events are systematically preceded by a brief phase of increasing CO2/SO2 weight ratio (up to >40) and CO2 flux (>1300 t/d) with respect to the time-averaged values of 3.7 and ~500 t/d typical for standard Stromboli's activity. These signals are best explained by the accumulation of CO2-rich gas at a discontinuity of the plumbing system (decreasing CO2 emission at the surface), followed by increasing gas leakage prior to the explosion. Our observations thus support the recent model of Allard (2010) for a CO2-rich gas trigger of recurrent major explosions at Stromboli, and demonstrate the possibility to forecast these events in advance from geochemical precursors. These observations and conclusions have clear implications for monitoring strategies at other open-vent basaltic volcanoes worldwide.
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Notice on Discussion StatusCitation: Aiuppa, A., Burton, M., Allard, P., Caltabiano, T., Giudice, G., Gurrieri, S., Liuzzo, M., and Salerno, G.: First experimental evidence for the CO2-driven origin of Stromboli's major explosions, Solid Earth Discuss., 3, 411-430, doi:10.5194/sed-3-411-2011, 2011. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
