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The explosive activity of the 1669 Monti Rossi eruption at Mt. Etna (Italy)
Language
English
Obiettivo Specifico
3V. Dinamiche e scenari eruttivi
Status
Published
JCR Journal
JCR Journal
Title of the book
Issue/vol(year)
/328 (2016)
ISSN
0377-0273
Electronic ISSN
1872-6097
Publisher
Elsevier Science Limited
Pages (printed)
115-133
Issued date
2016
Keywords
Abstract
Preceded by 14 days of intense seismic activity, a new eruption started
on the south flank of Mt Etna, Sicily (Italy) early in the morning of 11
March 1669 opening up a series of NS eruptive fissures.
The eruption is one of the most destructive flank eruptions of Etna in
historical times; it lasted until 11 July, and was characterized by
simultaneous explosive and effusive activity during the first three
months, while only lava flow output in the last month. The activity
built up the large composite cone of the ``Monti Rossi{'' at the lower
end of the eruptive fissures, and caused severe damage to the nearby
inhabited areas. The prolonged effusive activity generated lava flows
for >15 km, which destroyed several villages and the western part of the
town of Catania before reaching the coastline and entering the sea.
In this paper, we examine the tephro-stratigraphy of the products of the
explosie activity. An in-depth analysis of historical accounts was used
to define the chronology of the main eruptive phases (precursors,
explosive activity and initial effusive phenomena). The geology of the
cone and of the fallout deposits were defined through a field survey
over a distance of 5 km from the Monti Rossi. Textural (grain-size,
morphological, componentry), density and petrological analyses of tephra
samples provided a sedimentological, physical and geochemical
characterization of erupted products. Integrating ground and historical
data enabled defining the evolution of the cone, identifying and
correlating four main cone-forming units. By tracing the dispersal map
of the main distal tephra beds (the finer ash being dispersed mainly to
the NE as far as Calabria and to the south of Sicily and the 10-cm
isopach of the total deposit covering an area up to 53 km(2)), we
estimated a total tephra fallout volume, including the Monti Rossi cone,
of about 6.6 x 10(7) m(3) (about 32 x 10(7) m(3) DRE).
The 1669 event can be considered an archetype of the most hazardous
expected eruption on the densely populated flanks of Etna.
Reconstructing the eruptive chronology and styles of the 1669 eruption
therefore, represents the basic data to assess volcanic hazard from
eventual similar flank events in the future. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All
rights reserved.}
on the south flank of Mt Etna, Sicily (Italy) early in the morning of 11
March 1669 opening up a series of NS eruptive fissures.
The eruption is one of the most destructive flank eruptions of Etna in
historical times; it lasted until 11 July, and was characterized by
simultaneous explosive and effusive activity during the first three
months, while only lava flow output in the last month. The activity
built up the large composite cone of the ``Monti Rossi{'' at the lower
end of the eruptive fissures, and caused severe damage to the nearby
inhabited areas. The prolonged effusive activity generated lava flows
for >15 km, which destroyed several villages and the western part of the
town of Catania before reaching the coastline and entering the sea.
In this paper, we examine the tephro-stratigraphy of the products of the
explosie activity. An in-depth analysis of historical accounts was used
to define the chronology of the main eruptive phases (precursors,
explosive activity and initial effusive phenomena). The geology of the
cone and of the fallout deposits were defined through a field survey
over a distance of 5 km from the Monti Rossi. Textural (grain-size,
morphological, componentry), density and petrological analyses of tephra
samples provided a sedimentological, physical and geochemical
characterization of erupted products. Integrating ground and historical
data enabled defining the evolution of the cone, identifying and
correlating four main cone-forming units. By tracing the dispersal map
of the main distal tephra beds (the finer ash being dispersed mainly to
the NE as far as Calabria and to the south of Sicily and the 10-cm
isopach of the total deposit covering an area up to 53 km(2)), we
estimated a total tephra fallout volume, including the Monti Rossi cone,
of about 6.6 x 10(7) m(3) (about 32 x 10(7) m(3) DRE).
The 1669 event can be considered an archetype of the most hazardous
expected eruption on the densely populated flanks of Etna.
Reconstructing the eruptive chronology and styles of the 1669 eruption
therefore, represents the basic data to assess volcanic hazard from
eventual similar flank events in the future. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All
rights reserved.}
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