Tomographic images and analysis of stress and strain tensors at Mt. Etna: the magmatic unrest leading to the 2008 Etna eruption

Abstract

We analysed the seismic activity preceding and accompanying the onset of the 2008 Mt. Etna eruption. Since January 2008, a clear seismic evidence of a magmatic unrest of the volcano was observed. Seismicity was firstly located in the southwestern sector of the volcano, at depth ranging between 10 and 20 km, along two tectonic structures (NE-SW and NNW-SSE) usually associated with deeper magmatic recharge mechanisms (Figs. 1, 2). Afterwards, the seismicity was located along the shallower portions of the main structures of the northeastern and southern flanks of the volcano (Figs. 1, 2). On May 13, 2008 an intense seismic swarm (about 230 events in 7 hours) announced the beginning of the eruption (Fig. 1, white circles). In order to provide seismological constraints to the magmatic unrest of the volcano, 336 earthquakes recorded from January 2007 to May 2008 (magnitude greater than 1.0) were selected for stress and strain tensors computation and 3D velocity and attenuation structure determination. This in order to individuate possible stress variations caused by the activation of magmatic sources which can be well evidenced by 3D tomographic images.