Rosa Anna Corsaro | Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (original) (raw)

Papers by Rosa Anna Corsaro

Frontiers in Earth Science, 2022

The South-East crater of Etna (SEC) is the most active summit crater over the last 20 years, prod... more The South-East crater of Etna (SEC) is the most active summit crater over the last 20 years, producing lava fountains in 2000, 2007–08, and 2011–14. It has been monitored by the INGV Etna Observatory by instrumental networks, field surveys and petrologic monitoring. The syn-eruptive petrologic monitoring consists of an articulated work chain which is generally carried out within 24 h from the moment the sample was emplaced to detect possible changes of magma composition episode by episode, as well as over a longer period. The findings of petrologic monitoring are integrated with the results provided by geophysical networks and gas geochemistry to check the volcano’s behavior during the eruption and to communicate potentially dangerous variations in eruptive features to the local authorities. This paper presents the variation of volcanic glass compositions during the paroxysmal activity of the SEC, which began in December 2020 and climaxed with 17 episodes from 16 February to 1 April...

AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, Dec 1, 2016

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2016

Abstract Ashes emitted during volcanic explosive activity present peculiar surface chemical and m... more Abstract Ashes emitted during volcanic explosive activity present peculiar surface chemical and mineralogical features related in literature to the interaction in the plume of solid particles with gases and aerosols. The compositional differences of magmas and gases, the magnitude, intensity and duration of the emission and the physical condition during the eruption, strongly influence the results of the modification processes. Here we report the characterization of the products emitted during the 2013 paroxysmal activity of Mt. Etna. The surface features of the ash particles were investigated through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) allowing the analysis at nanometer scale. TEM images showed on the surface the presence of composite structures formed by Ca, Mg and Na sulphates and halides and of droplets and crystals of chlorides; nanometric magnesioferrite and metallic iron dendrites are observable directly below the surface. From the chemical point of view, the most external layer of the volcanic glassy particles (

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 2000

The subalkaline rocks outcropping at the Acicastello Castle Rock, Catania, Sicily, and on its abr... more The subalkaline rocks outcropping at the Acicastello Castle Rock, Catania, Sicily, and on its abrasion platforms, are related to the oldest Etnean volcanism (500–300 ka; [Gillot, P.Y., Kieffer, G., Romano, R., 1994. The evolution of Mount Etna in the light of potassium–argon dating. Acta Vulcanol. 5, 81–87.]). Here, submarine lavas with pillows closely packed onto each other are associated with

Geophysical Research Letters, 2005

Pericolo …, 2010

The Team 4 of RU 11 collected, analyzed and interpreted a set of volcanological and petrologic da... more The Team 4 of RU 11 collected, analyzed and interpreted a set of volcanological and petrologic data (petrography, mineral chemistry, major, trace elements, Sr and Nd isotopic compositions and melt inclusions in olivine), concerning the activity and the products erupted by the ...

ABSTRACT After the 1991-93 eruption, which was the largest one of the last three centuries, Mt. E... more ABSTRACT After the 1991-93 eruption, which was the largest one of the last three centuries, Mt. Etna resumed flank activity on July 2001 through a complex system of eruptive fissures cutting the NE and the S flanks of the volcano down to 2100 m a.s.l. Explosive activity, including fire fountains, Strombolian and phreatomagmatic explosions, was clustered in the southern reach of the eruptive fissure (at 2550 and 2100 m hereafter Lower Vents, LV). Conversely, the NE fissure systems and the upper portion (above the 2550 m a.s.l) of the S one (hereafter Upper Vents, UV), produced mainly effusive activity. Here we present the main compositional features of volcanics produced during this eruption, allowing us to make inferences on the magmatic plumbing system. UV produced porphyritic trachybasalts, with phenocrysts paragenesis dominated by plagioclase (10 vol%), minor clinopyroxene (6 vol%) and olivine (1 vol%). These characters are typical of most volcanics erupted during the last centuries. On the contrary, LV erupted products with quite unusual compositional features; they are trachybasalts, with phenocrysts assemblage dominated by large crystals of clinopyroxene (6 vol%), scarce plagioclase (2 vol%) and olivine (1 vol%). In these volcanics, subhedral crystals of kaersutite-hastingsite amphiboles are quite common, and frequently they form glomeroporphyritic aggregates with other mafic phases. Xenocrysts with a core of ortopyroxene rimmed by clinopyroxene were also found. LV products show abundant angular to subangular sedimentary nodules, ranging in size from a few tens of centimetres to a few hundreds of micron. Most of them are quartz arenites variously interacting with the host magma. The contemporaneous outpouring of such different products suggests that a rather complex magmatic plumbing system fed the eruptive fissures: magmas erupted from UV experienced crystallisation, differentiation and degassing similar to those observed during summit activity of last decades. Conversely LV were fed by a magma that evolved in a closed system where high water pressure allowed the occurrence of the amphibole and inhibited the crystallization of plagioclase.

Quaternary International, 2012

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 2014

ABSTRACT Between January 2011 and April 2012, the Southeast Crater (SEC) on Mount Etna was the si... more ABSTRACT Between January 2011 and April 2012, the Southeast Crater (SEC) on Mount Etna was the site of 25 episodes of lava fountaining, which led to the construction of a new pyroclastic cone on the eastern flank of the SEC. During these episodes lava overflows reached 4.3 km in length with an area of 3.19 km2 and a volume of 28 × 106 m3. The new cone, informally called New Southeast Crater (NSEC), grew over a pre-existing subsidence depression (pit crater), which had been formed in 2007–2009. The evolution of the NSEC cone was documented from its start by repeated GPS surveys carried out both from a distance and on the cone itself, and by the acquisition of comparison photographs. These surveys reveal that after the cessation of the lava fountains in April 2012, the highest point of the NSEC stood 190 m above the pre-cone surface, while the cone volume was about 19 × 106 m3, representing 38% of the total (bulk) volume of the volcanic products including pyroclastic fallout erupted in 2011–2012, which is 50 × 106 m3 (about 33 × 106 m3 dense-rock equivalent). Growth of the new cone took place exclusively during the paroxysmal phases of the lava fountaining episodes, which were nearly always rather brief (on the average 2 h). Overall, the paroxysmal phases of all 25 episodes represent 51 h of lava fountaining activity—the time needed to build the cone. This is the fastest documented growth of a newborn volcanic cone both in terms of volumeand height. Mean effusion rates during the lava fountaining episodes on 20 August 2011 (E11), as well as 12 and 24 April 2012 (E24 and E25) exceeded 500 m3/s (with maximum rates of 980 m3/s during E11) and thus they are among the highest effusion rates ever recorded at Etna. The composition of the erupted products varies in time, reflecting different rates of magma supply into the shallowfeeding system, but without notable effects on the eruptive phenomenology. This implies that the dynamics leading to the episodic lava fountaining was largely, though not entirely, controlled by the repeated formation and collapse of a foam layer in the uppermost portion of the magmatic reservoir of the NSEC.

Bulletin of Volcanology, 2006

... Rosa Anna Corsaro . Lucia Miraglia . Massimo Pompilio ... The 2001 Mt. Etna eruption was prec... more ... Rosa Anna Corsaro . Lucia Miraglia . Massimo Pompilio ... The 2001 Mt. Etna eruption was preceded by a seismic swarm occurring in the night between 12 and 13 July (Patanè et al. 2002) accompanied by ground deformation evidenced by tilt and GPS data (Bonaccorso et al. ...

Bulletin of Volcanology, 2010

Frontiers in Earth Science, 2021

The structure of an active volcano is highly dependent on the interplay between the geodynamic co... more The structure of an active volcano is highly dependent on the interplay between the geodynamic context, the tectonic assessment as well as the magmatic processes in the plumbing system. This complex scenario, widely explored at Etna during the last 40 years, is nevertheless incomplete for the recent historical activity. In 1763 two eruptions occurred along the west flank of the volcano. There, an eruption started on 6th February and formed the scoria cone of Mt. Nuovo and a roughly 4-km-long lava flow field. Another small scoria cone, known as Mt. Mezza Luna, is not dated in historical sources. It is located just 1 km eastward of Mt. Nuovo and produced a 700 m long flow field. We focused on the activity of Mts. Nuovo and Mezza Luna for several reasons. First, the old geological maps and volcanological catalogues indicate that Mt. Mezza Luna and Mt. Nuovo cones were formed during the same eruption, while historical sources described Mt. Nuovo’s activity as producing a single scoria c...

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 2021

Abstract A questionnaire to survey the common petrological monitoring procedures adopted by volca... more Abstract A questionnaire to survey the common petrological monitoring procedures adopted by volcano monitoring institutions has been developed, aimed at identifying prevailing techniques and rating their suitability in terms of costs versus benefits. The collected information resulted from a sample of eighteen participating institutions, which include countries with some of the most important active volcanic provinces worldwide. The participating institutions also offer insights into volcanoes with a variety of volcanic activity, providing a comprehensive picture of the state of art of petrological monitoring. The final purposes are (i) to promote the advancement that petrologic monitoring brings in the comprehension of the eruptive processes, providing the only “signals” (i.e., rock samples) concerning the physico-chemical properties of the magma feeding the eruption; (ii) to design best practices, and (iii) to define the minimum requirements needed to perform an efficient petrological monitoring during ongoing eruptions. The survey also highlighted the main problems to overcome to have a profitable petrological monitoring infrastructure, including (i) the time required to accomplish both field survey and laboratory works (sampling, sample preparation, and analyses), (ii) the lack of onsite analytical facilities, (iii) the shortage of qualified staff. Starting from the state of the art of petrological monitoring, how it is performed by the different institutions worldwide, and what participants considered as the major problems, we identified the Best Practices in Petrological Monitoring as the best compromise between fast and easy analyses and the relevance of the acquired results.

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 2017

Geophysical Monograph Series, 2013

Periodic lava sampling was carried out at the active vents during the entire duration ofthe 28 De... more Periodic lava sampling was carried out at the active vents during the entire duration ofthe 28 December 2002 to 22 July 2003 effusive eruption. Major and trace element bulk rock analyses were performed at different laboratories, thereby acquiring four independent sets of analysis. Nd and Sr isotope ratios were obtained on whole rocks and groundmasses, together with micro-Sr isotope analyses on plagioclase and clinopyroxene by microdrilling technique. Crystal size distribution, mineral, and glassy matrix chemistry were analyzed on selected samples. The products show a fairly homogeneous composition, close to that of the crystal-rich scoria that erupted in the previous years. Slight variations of trace elements and isotope ratios between products that erupted before and after the 5 April paroxysm are likely accounted for by limited mixing between the fresh, volatile-rich magma that erupted during the paroxysm and the volatile-poor magma feeding the lava flow. Micro-Sr isotope data show large isotopic disequilibria pointing to the persistence of highly Sr-radiogenic xenocrysts or crystal cores in the shallow magmatic system, probably recycled from the previous activity. Data rule out important changes in the dynamics of the plumbing system shortly before the eruption. A discrete input of deep magma into the lower part of the shallow system some months before the eruption may be at the origin of the increase of the magmatostatic pressure in the conduits, leading to the effusive eruption. An alternative hypothesis considers a nearly steady-state feeding system undergoing gradual, long-term pressure increase in its upper part, eventually leading to periodic lava effusions.