Volcanological evolution of Pantelleria Island (Strait of Sicily) peralkaline volcano: a review

Abstract

Pantelleria volcano has a particularly intriguing evolutionary history intimately related to the peralkaline composition of its explosively erupted magmas. Due to the stratigraphic complexity, studies over the last two decades have explored either only the pre-Green Tuff ignimbrite volcanism or the post-Green Tuff activity. We here focus on the whole evolutionary history, detailing the achieve- ments since the first pioneering studies, in order to illustrate how the adoption and integration of pro- gressively more accurate methods (40Ar/39Ar, paleomagnetism, petrography, and detailed field study) have provided many important independent answers to unresolved questions. We also discuss rheo- morphism, a distinct feature at Pantelleria, at various scales and possible evidence for multiple, now hidden, caldera collapses. Although the evolutionary history of Pantelleria has shown that each ign- imbrite event was followed by a period of less intense explosivity (as could be the present-day case), new geochronological and geochemical data may indicate a long-term waning of volcanic activity.