Motivations for muon radiography of active volcanoes

Muon radiography represents an innovative tool for investigating the interior of active volcanoes. This method
integrates the conventional geophysical techniques and provides an independent way to estimate the density of
the volcano structure and reveal the presence of magma conduits. The experience from the pioneer experiments
performed at Mt. Asama, Mt. West Iwate, and Showa-Shinzan (Japan) are very encouraging. Muon radiography
could be applied, in principle, at any stratovolcano. Here we focus our attention on Vesuvius and Stromboli
(Italy).

Bertagnini, A., N. Métrich, P. Landi, and Rosi, Stromboli volcano (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy): An open window on the deep-feeding system of a steady state basaltic volcano, J. Geophys. Res., 108(B7), 2336, doi:10.1029/2002JB002146, 2003.
Bonaccorso, A., S. Calvari, G. Garfì, L. Lodato, and D. Patanè, Dynamics of the December 2002 flank failure and tsunami at Stromboli volcano inferred by volcanological and geophysical observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(18), 1941, doi:10.1029/2003GL017702, 2003.
Cassano, E., and P. La Torre, Geophysics, in Somma-Vesuvius, edited by Santacroce, R., Quaderni della Ricerca Scientifica, 114, 175–196, CNR, Roma, 1987.
Cella, F., M. Fedi, G. Florio, M. Grimaldi, and A. Rapolla, Shallow structure of the Somma-Vesuvius volcano from 3D inversion of gravity data, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 161, 303–317, 2007.
Chouet, B., P. Dawson, T. Ohminato, M. Martini, G. Saccorotti, F. Giudicepietro, G. De Luca, G. Milana, and R. Scarpa, Source mechanisms of explosions at Stromboli Volcano, Italy, determined from momenttensor inversion of very-long period data, J. Geophys. Res., 108(B1), doi:10.1029/2002JB001919, 2003.
Chouet, B., P. Dawson, and M. Martini, Shallow-conduit dynamics at Stromboli Volcano, Italy, imaged from waveform inversions, Geol. Soc., London, Special Publications, 307, 57–84, 2008a.
Chouet, B., P. Dawson, and M. Martini, Upper conduit structure and explosion dynamics at stromboli, in The Stromboli volcano, an integrated study of the 2002-2003 eruption, edited by Calvari, S., S. Inguaggiato, G. Puglisi, M. Ripepe, and M. Rosi, Geophysical Monography, 182, 81–92, AGU, 2008b.
Cioni, R., A. Bertagnini, R. Santacroce, and D. Andronico, Explosive activity and eruption scenarios at Somma-Vesuvius (Italy): Towards a new classification scheme, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 178(3), 331–346, 2008.
Di Maio, R., P. Mauriello, D. Patella, Z. Petrillo, S. Piscitelli, and A. Siniscalchi, Electric and electromagnetic outline of Mt. Vesuvius structural setting, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 82, 219–238, 1998.
Macedonio, G., A. Neri, J. Mart`ı, and A. Folch, Temporal evolution of flow conditions in sustained magmatic explosive eruptions, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 143(1–3), 153–172, 2005.
MU-RAY International Workshop, Università di Napoli, Dipartimento di Fisica, Napoli, Italy, 11–12 September 2008, http://muray.fisica.unina.it/events/workshop sep08, 2008.
Principe, C., M. Rosi, R. Santacroce, and A. Sbrana, Explanatory notes to the geological map, in Somma-Vesuvius, edited by Santacroce, R., Quaderni della Ricerca Scientifica, 114, 11–52, CNR, Roma, 1987.
Ricciardi, G. P., Vesuvio: Tu vuoi che io ti narri, DVD, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Vesuviano, Napoli, Italy, 2005.
Santacroce, R., A general model for the behaviour of the Somma Vesuvius volcanic complex, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 17, 237–248, 1983.
Scaillet, B., M. Pichavant, and R. Cioni, Upward migration of Vesuvius magma chamber over the past 20,000 years, Nature, 455, 216–220, doi:10.1038/nature07232, 2008.
Scarpa, R., F. Tronca, F. Bianco, and E. Del Pezzo, High resolution velocity structure beneath Mt. Vesuvius from seismic array data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(21), 2040–2043, doi:10.1029/2002GL015576, 2002.
Scarpato, G., G. Ricciardi, F. Giudicepietro, and M. De Lucia, L’evoluzione morfologica del vesuvio in relazione alla sua storia eruttiva attraverso un’applicazione Web: SlideVes, Open File Report 6, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Vesuviano, Napoli, Italy, http://www.ov.ingv.it/doc/ofr05006.pdf, 2005.
Tanaka, H. K. M., K. Nagamine, N. Kwamura, S. Nakamura, K. Ishida, and K. Shimomura, Development of a two-fold segmented detection system for near horizontal cosmic-ray muons to probe the internal structure of a volcano, Nucl. Instr. Meth. A, 507, 657, 2003.
Tanaka, H. K. M., K. Nagamine, S. Nakamura, and K. Ishida, Radiographyc measurements of the internal structure of Mt. West Iwate with near-horizontal cosmic-ray muons and future developments, Nucl. Instr. Meth. A, 555, 164–172, 2005.
Tanaka, H. K. M., T. Nakano, S. Takahashi, J. Yoshida, and K. Niwa, Development of an emulsion imaging system for cosmic-ray muon radiography to explore the internal structure of a volcano, Mt. Asama, Nucl. Instr. Meth. A, 575, 489–497, 2007a.
Tanaka, H. K. M., T. Nakano, S. Takahashi, J. Yoshida, H. Ohshima, T. Maekawa, H. Watanabe, and K. Niwa, Imaging the conduit size of the dome with cosmic-ray muons: The structure beneath Showa Shinzan lava dome, Japan, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L22311, doi:10.1029/2007GL031389, 2007b.
Tanaka, H. K. M., T. Nakano, S. Takahashi, J. Yoshida, M. Takeo, J. Oikawa, T. Ohminato, Y. Aoki, E. Koyama, H. Tsuji, and K. Niwa, High resolution imaging in the inhomogeneous crust with cosmic-ray muon radiography: The density structure below the volcanic crater floor of Mt. Asama, Japan, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 263, 104–113, 2007c.
Tibaldi, A., Multiple sector collapses at Stromboli volcano, Italy: how they work, Bull. Volcanol., 63(2/3), 112–125, 2001.
Zollo, A., P. Gasparini, J. Virieux, H. Le Meur, G. De Natale, G. Biella, E. Boschi, P. Capuano, R. de Franco, P. Dell’Aversana, R. De Matteis, I. Guerra, G. Iannaccone, L. Mirabile, and G. Vilardo, Seismic evidence for a low-velocity zone in the upper crust beneath Mount Vesuvius, Science, 274, 592–594, 1996.
Zollo, A., L. D’Auria, R. De Matteis, A. Herrero, J. Virieux, and P. Gasparini, Bayesian estimation of 2-D P-velocity models from active seismic arrival time data: Imaging the shallow structure of Mt. Vesuvius (Southern Italy), Geophys. J. Int., 151, 566–582, 2002.