Feuillet, Nathalie

Volcanoes are complex systems that evolve in space and time as a result of their internal dynamics. These internal dynamics span both long and short time scales, reflecting the different steps for the magma to form, accumulate and evolve before being eventually erupted. All of these stages may be influenced by processes external to the volcano, although most of the evidence that has been gathered on this has considered influences on the magmatic fluids stored at crustal depths, or emerging at surface. External forcing acts either through the stress or gravitational fields that may accelerate or slow down the transfer of magma towards the surface. Changing tectonic stresses and Earth tides may induce changes in the dynamical state of volcanoes, ultimately providing the triggers that may lead to eruption. Water, which is ubiquitous on Earth, and present in its different fluid and solid envelopes, appears to play a key role, acting on volcanic systems from pore- to global-scale in various ways (hydrological modulation, ice cap loading), due to its physico-chemical properties. This Research Topic brings together contributions, which provide new constraints and lines of evidence on the nature and variety of external processes influencing activity at quiet, restless and erupting volcanoes.

After 25 years of gradual increase, volcanic unrest at La Soufrière of Guadeloupe reached its highest seismic en- ergy level on 27 April 2018, with the largest felt volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquake (ML 4.1 or MW 3.7) recorded since the 1976–1977 phreatic eruptive crisis. This event marked the onset ofa seismic swarm(180 events, 2 felt) occurring after three previous swarms on 3–6 January (70 events), 1 st February (30 events, 1 felt) and 16–17 April (140 events, 1 felt). Many events were hybrid VTs with long-period codas, located 2–4 km below the vol- cano summit and clustered within 2 km along a regional NW-SE fault cross-cutting La Soufrière. Elastic energy release increased with eachswarmwhereas inter-event time shortened. At the same time, summit fractures con- tinued to open and thermal anomalies to extend. Summit fumarolic activity increased significantly until 20 April, with a maximum temperature of111.4 °C and gas exit velocity of80 m/s, before declining to ~95 °C and ~33 m/s on 25 April. Gas compositions revealed increasing C/S and CO2/CH4 ratios and indicate hydrothermal P-T condi- tions that reached the critical point ofpure water. Repeated MultiGAS analysis of fumarolic plumes showed in- creased CO2/H2S ratios and SO2 contents associated with the reactivation of degassing fractures (T = 93 °C, H2S/SO2 ≈ 1). While no direct evidence ofupward magma migration was detected, we attribute the above phe- nomena to an increased supply ofdeepmagmatic fluids that heated and pressurized the La Soufrière hydrother- mal system, triggering seismogenic hydro-fracturing, and probable changes in deep hydraulic properties (permeability) and drainage pathways, which ultimately allowed the fumarolic fluxes to lower. Although this magmatic fluid injectionwasmodulated by the hydrothermal system, the unprecedented seismic energy release and the critical point conditions ofhydrothermal fluids suggest that the 2018 sequence ofevents can be regarded as a failed phreatic eruption. Should a similar sequence repeat, we warn that phreatic explosive activity could re- sult fromdisruption ofthe shallowhydrothermal system that is currently responsible for 3–9mm/y ofnearly ra- dial horizontal displacements within 1 km from the dome. Another potential hazard is partial collapse of the dome's SW flank, already affected by basal spreading above a detachment surface inherited from past collapses. Finally, the increased magmatic fluid supply evidenced by geochemical indicators in 2018 is compatible with magma replenishment of the 6–7 kmdeep crustal reservoir feeding La Soufrière and, therefore, with a potential evolution of the volcano's activity towards magmatic conditions.

We provide a database of the coseismic geological surface effects following the Mw 6.5 Norcia earthquake that hit central Italy on 30 October 2016. This was one of the strongest seismic events to occur in Europe in the past thirty years, causing complex surface ruptures over an area of >400 km2. The database originated from the collaboration of several European teams (Open EMERGEO Working Group; about 130 researchers) coordinated by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia. The observations were collected by performing detailed field surveys in the epicentral region in order to describe the geometry and kinematics of surface faulting, and subsequently of landslides and other secondary coseismic effects. The resulting database consists of homogeneous georeferenced records identifying 7323 observation points, each of which contains 18 numeric and string fields of relevant information. This database will impact future earthquake studies focused on modelling of the seismic processes in active extensional settings, updating probabilistic estimates of slip distribution, and assessing the hazard of surface faulting.

We present a 1:25,000 scale map of the coseismic surface ruptures following the 30 October 2016 M-w 6.5 Norcia normal-faulting earthquake, central Italy. Detailed rupture mapping is based on almost 11,000 oblique photographs taken from helicopter flights, that has been verified and integrated with field data (>7000 measurements). Thanks to the common efforts of the Open EMERGEO Working Group (130 people, 25 research institutions and universities from Europe), we were able to document a complex surface faulting pattern with a dominant strike of N135 degrees-160 degrees (SW-dipping) and a subordinate strike of N320 degrees-345 degrees (NE-dipping) along about 28km of the active Mt. Vettore-Mt. Bove fault system. Geometric and kinematic characteristics of the rupture were observed and recorded along closely spaced, parallel or subparallel, overlapping or step-like synthetic and antithetic fault splays of the activated fault systems, comprising a total surface rupture length of approximately 46km when all ruptures were considered.

Mt Etna lies on the footwall of a large normal fault system, which cuts the eastern coast of Sicily and crosses the volcano eastern flank. These faults are responsible for both large magnitude historical earthquakes and smaller damaging seismic events, closer to the volcano. We investigate here the two-way mechanical coupling between such normal faults and Mt Etna through elastic stress transfer. The comparison between eruptive sequences and historical seismicity reveals that the large earthquakes which struck the eastern Sicily occurred after long periods of activity along the Mt Etna rift zone. The larger the erupted lava volumes, the stronger the earthquake. The smaller earthquakes located on the eastern flank of the volcano occur during periods of rift zone eruptions.We point out that the seismicity rates are well correlated with the rate of erupted lava. By modelling elastic stress changes caused by earthquakes and eruptions in a 3-D elastic half-space, we investigate their interaction. Earthquake dislocations create a vertical stress gradient along fissures oriented perpendicular to the minimum compressive stress and compress shallow reservoirs beneath the volcano. This may perturb the magmatic overpressures in the Etna plumbing system and influence the transport and storage of the magma as well as the style of the eruptions. Conversely, the large rift zone eruptions increase up to several tenths MPa the Coulomb stress along the eastern Sicily normal fault system and may promote earthquakes. We show that the seismic activity of the normal faults that cut the eastern flank of the volcano is likely to be controlled by Coulomb stress perturbations caused by the voiding of shallow reservoirs during flank eruptions.

We study a seismic swarm that occurred in 1989–1990 at the Alban Hills volcano and interpret the seismicity pattern in terms of Coulomb stress changes caused by magma intrusion in a local volcanic source and the extensional tectonic stress field. We first image the three-dimensional (3-D) structure of the volcano through a tomographic inversion of P waves and S-P arrival times recorded by a temporary local network. A high Vp and Vp/Vs body exists beneath the area of most recent volcanic activity, which we interpret as a solidified magma body delimiting the position of the volcanic source. We have relocated 661 events (M 4.0) using this 3-D velocity model and we have computed 64 fault plane solutions. Elevation changes, measured between 1951 and 1994 along a 33-km-long line crossing the western part of the volcano, reveal an uplift of 0.3 m. We model these data to constrain the position and geometry of the volcanic source. We compute the vertical deformation in a homogeneous half-space, testing different volcanic sources (spherical magma chamber, sill and dike). We model the Coulomb stress changes caused by the local volcanic source and the regional tectonic stress field. The inflation of magma generates an increase of Coulomb stress larger than 0.5 MPa in the area where the seismicity is located. More than 85% of fault plane solutions are consistent with the stress perturbations induced by the volcanic source. We conclude that microearthquakes at the Alban Hills are promoted by elastic stress changes caused by volcanic unrest episodes.