Geochemical and Isotopic Characterisation of Actual Lacustrine Sediments from the Hydrothermal Lake Specchio di Venere, Pantelleria Island (Italy)

Hydrothermal lakes are a very common feature in volcanic environments, and among these lake Specchio di Venere (Pantelleria
island, Italy) has attracted the interest of several researchers due to its peculiar characteristics. With the aim of improving the
knowledge of its mineralogy, our work pointed out the characterisation of the bottom lake sediments. We collected and analysed
5 sediments cores around the shoreline, determining the mineralogical phases, concentration of major, minor, and trace elements,
and the isotopic composition of carbon and oxygen in the carbonate phases. Our findings remarked a general compositional
homogeneity in both the vertical and horizontal distribution of mineral phases, with the exception of peculiar geological niches
connoted by biological and hydrothermal activities.