How a complex basaltic volcanic system works: constraints from integrating seismic, geodetic and petrological data at Mt. Etna volcano during the July-August 2014 eruption

Abstract

Integrating geodetic, seismic, and petrological data for a recent eruptive episode at Mount Etna has enabled us to define the history of magma storage and transfer within the multilevel structure of the volcano, providing spatial and temporal constraints for magma movements before the eruption. Geodetic data related to the July–August 2014 activity provide evidence of a magma reservoir at ~4 km below sea level. This reservoir pressurized from late March 2014 and fed magmas that were then erupted from vents on the lower eastern flank of North-East Crater (NEC) and at New South-East Crater (NSEC) summit crater during the July eruptive activity. Magma drainage caused its depressurization since mid-July. Textural and microanalytical data obtained from plagioclase crystals indicate similar disequilibrium textures and compositions at the cores in lavas erupted at the base of NEC and NSEC, suggesting comparable deep histories of evolution and ascent. Conversely, the compositional differences observed at the crystal rims have been associated to distinct degassing styles during storage in a shallow magma reservoir. Seismic data have constrained depth for a shallow part of the plumbing system at 1–2 km above sea level. Timescales of magma storage and transfer have also been calculated through diffusion modeling of zoning in olivine crystals of the two systems. Our data reveal a common deep history of magmas from the two systems, which is consistent with a recharging phase by more mafic magma between late March and early June 2014. Later, the magma continued its crystallization under distinct chemical and physical conditions at shallower levels.