Etna Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

L’articolo è uno studio sui miti relativi all’Etna e sulla sua triplice natura di ninfa, madre e vulcano.
Come ninfa e madre, essa presenta una genealogia e una discendenza divine: figlia di Urano e Gea e madre degli dei Palici. Come vulcano, invece, è sede dell’officina di Efesto e luogo legato agli episodi mitici del ratto di Persefone, della sconfitta di Tifone e di quella di Encelado.
È presente, inoltre, un approfondimento sul culto dei Palici e di Persefone.
Di ciascun mito sono citate le fonti antiche analizzate ed è presente una personale interpretazione.
[Link articolo: http://www.instoria.it/home/etna_mito.htm]

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- Latin Literature, Classical Mythology, Ancient Greek Literature, Etna

L'insegnamento primario nella Contea di Mascali parte dal Settecento. Con la diffusione del benessere economico gli abitanti avvertono l'esigenza di ottenere una istruzione migliore. Nel corso dell'Ottocento vengono aperte scuole... more

- by Mario C. Cavallaro
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- Storia Della Sicilia, Sicilia, Catania, Scuola Ed Educazione

Francesco di Paola, la cui edificazione risale alla fine del XVI secolo. La prima notizia che abbiamo della chiesa risale al 1584, quando i frati minimi decise-ro di costruire un monastero a Linguagrossa. Era l'ottavo convento fondato in terra di Sicilia dopo quello di Milazzo del 1464. "Nam ad diem XXI. mensis Iulij Lingua Gros-sa consederunt, & in ipso seu oppido seu Vico Monasterium sub nomine B. Maria Lauretana instituerunt." 1 Santo Calì così scri-ve: "Noi pensiamo che tanto la Cappella quanto l'attuale porta secondaria del sacro edificio ap-partengono alla piccola chiesa primitiva, che solo più tardi, ma forse prima dello stesso ar-rivo dei Minimi a Linguaglossa, subì dei vasti restauri e dei notevoli ampliamenti." 2 Una piccola cappella con unico altare, quello della Madonna " 'a Ritu o 'a Litu ", questa la chiesetta della metà del quattrocento, molto

- by Antonio Cavallaro
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- Storia, Etna, Linguaglossa, Storia ecclesiastica
- by Ferdinando Raffaele
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- Incunabula, Medieval Sicily, History of Archeology, Sicily
- by Stefano Branca
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- Geology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics, Morphostructural Analysis

rinceps templum unicum parochiale, Deipare sacrum, Archi-presbytero commissum, medio serae opido assurgit non inelegans, in quo Do-minicae Coronae Sacra Spina religiose colitur, eiusque onori III maji, festum ingenti pompa ab incolis celebratur. 1 Sulla piazza più ampia del paese, nel cuore del centro storico, sor-ge la Chiesa Madre, dedicata alla Madonna delle Grazie, la cui fabbrica ebbe inizio nel 1613. La facciata elegante, eseguita probabilmente da Filippo Vasta, sfrutta con equilibrio le tonalità bicrome risultanti dall'accosta-mento della pietra lavica con quella arenaria, che le danno un tono se-vero e armonioso. Incisa su di un finto pilastro di arenaria, un'antica meridiana, una delle poche esistenti a Linguaglossa.

- by Antonio Cavallaro
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- Storia, Etna, Linguaglossa, Storia ecclesiastica

La chiesa deve essere riconoscibile al fedele, sia al bambino sia all’anziano, in quanto luogo di raccoglimento; ma deve anche raccontare l’annuncio di Cristo attraverso le opere conservate al suo interno. Le nostre chiese hanno assolto a questo compito accogliendo il gregge in cerca di salvezza.
Non vi è storico o studioso della nostra terra che non abbia fatto un accenno anche fugace alle nostre chiese, scomparse, antiche o recenti, dentro e fuori il centro abitato. Oggi abbiamo la possibilità di parlarne in modo completo ed esauriente, grazie al grande materiale, alle notizie, studi e documenti che si sono accumulati durante gli anni. Non è nostra intenzione creare un catalogo generale delle opere conservate nelle nostre chiese, ma si cercherà di offrire un agile indirizzo di lettura della storia delle nostre chiese, che sono un tutt’uno con la storia di Linguagrossa. Ed è proprio un documento ecclesiastico quello che dà inizio alla nostra storia recente, il Privilegio del 1145 nel quale Ruggero II designa i confini del territorio soggetto all’Archimandrita Luca della Diocesi di Messina. Anche se, come vedremo più avanti, una gran parte di storia era già stata vissuta, della quale ancora oggi abbiamo pochissimi elementi documentali per poterla scrivere in modo più compiuto e certo.

- by Antonio Cavallaro
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- STORIA DELL'ARTE, Storia, Etna, Pittura Del Seicento
- by Mario C. Cavallaro
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- Territorio, Sicilia, Etna, Agricoltura

Durante la Grande Guerra molte cittadine del Nord Italia, situate vicine al fronte, furono evacuate e gli abitanti sfollati nel Meridione. Gli abitanti di Cismon del Grappa furono inviati a Giarre, alle pendici dell'Etna, dove trovarono... more

- by Mario C. Cavallaro
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- Storia Della Sicilia, Sicilia, Nord, Etna
- by Tiziana Abate and +1
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- Volcanology, History of Science, History of Cartography, Volcanoes

Reflections, studies, and observations on volcanic phenomena, especially
about Etna, and their consequences on natural and human landscapes can be traced back to early moments of Greek colonization on Sicily. Hesiod (8th-7th c. BC) was the first to mention the myth of the battle between Zeus and Typhon, which conceals the memory of an ancient volcanic eruption. This very same narrative motif is echoed in the production of later authors wherein a description of Etna’s volcanic eruptions is recognizable. The character of Typhon can be found in other volcanic contexts as well, thus becoming a topos alluding to volcanic activity. These considerations demonstrate an archaic aptitude in representing and explaining nature through myth, whose suggestive language permits to encode memories of real events. Defined as ‘geomythology,’ this methodological approach will be employed to analyse the figure of Typhon and its connection with Mount Etna, which will allow new insights into the analysis of ancient volcanic representations.

- by Loredana Lancini
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- History of Science, Geomythology, Greek mythology, Etna

La devozione alla Madre di Dio rappresenta un tratto caratteristico della religiosità siciliana fin dai tempi più remoti: non a caso la patrona dell'isola è proprio la Madonna Odigitria (dal greco "ὸδηγήτρια", ovvero "colei che mostra la direzione"). Nei paesi etnei, in particolare, l'attaccamento alla Madonna ha sempre rivestito un ruolo di primo piano: lo testimonia la grande quantità di chiese, edicole ed immagini sacre sparse per tutto il territorio. Anche nel privato, gli etnei hanno sempre mostrato una spiccata predilezione per la Madre di Dio: in tutte le epoche, immaginette, quadri, statuette ed altri oggetti devozionali dedicati alla Madonna denotano un affetto straordinario verso questa particolare figura.

- by Donatella Pezzino
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- Christianity, Italy, Storia medievale, Sicily

This chapter examines the depiction of the fifth-century tragic poet Aeschylus in Aristophanes’ Frogs by paying particular attention to the play’s engagement with space, especially the space of the earth below from which the poet is welcomed back to Athens in the finale. It offers new arguments for connecting Frogs to the cult of Aeschylus’ tomb in Sicily, including the play’s engagement with the volcanic properties of the Sicilian landscape and with the knowledge that volcanic soil harbours both productive and beneficial, as well as destructive and deadly forces. It argues that understanding hero-worship in terms of fertility, prosperity, well-being, health and their opposites is particularly revealing in Aeschylus’ case, because these concepts played a key role in Aeschylean dramaturgy, especially in connection to the Aeschylean images of nature and the earth. This, in turn, leads to a new interpretation of the relationship between Aeschylus’ biography, his literary reception, and his cult.

- by Emmanuela Bakola
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- Aeschylus, Aristophanes Frogs, Ancient Sicily, Ancient Greek Hero Cult
- by Arne Eickenberg
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- Christianity, Geology, Roman History, Volcanology

A lengthy period of eruptive activity from the summit craters of Mt. Etna started in January 2011. It culminated in early December 2015 with a spectacular sequence of intense eruptive events involving all four summit craters (Voragine, Bocca Nuova, New Southeast Crater, and Northeast Crater). The activity consisted of high eruption columns , Strombolian explosions, lava flows and widespread ash falls that repeatedly interfered with air traffic. The most powerful episode occurred on 3 December 2015 from the Voragine. After three further potent episodes from the Voragine, activity shifted to the New Southeast Crater on 6 December 2015, where Strombolian activity and lava flow emission lasted for two days and were fed by the most primitive magma of the study period. Activity once more shifted to the Northeast Crater, where ash emission and weak Strombolian activity took place for several days. Sporadic ash emissions from all craters continued until 18 December, when all activity ceased. Although resembling the summit eruptions of 1998–1999, which also involved all four summit craters, this mul-tifaceted eruptive sequence occurred in an exceptionally short time window of less than three days, unprecedented in the recent activity of Mt. Etna. It also produced important morphostructural changes of the summit area with the coalescence of Voragine and Bocca Nuova in a single large crater, the " Central Crater " , reproducing the morphological setting of the summit cone before the formation of Bocca Nuova in 1968. The December 2015 volcanic crisis was followed closely by the staff of the Etna Observatory to monitor the ongoing activity and forecast its evolution, in accordance with protocols agreed with the Italian Civil Protection Department.

- by Marco Neri and +2
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- Volcanology, Effusive Eruptions, Etna, Explosive volcanism

“Paesi Etnei Oggi”—Dicembre 2015

- by don Giuseppe Guliti
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- Medieval History, Story, Catania, Etna

Etna volcano is characterized by frequent effusive eruptions from the summit craters or
from flank fissures, and these have often threatened villages, infrastructures and tourist facilities.
Considerable experience of lava-flow mitigation has been gained by scientists working on this
volcano, and in this paper we principally discuss the problems arising from lava flows emplaced
during the 2002–03 flank eruption, when eruptive fissures opened both on the northern and
southern flanks of the volcano, feeding lava flows towards several villages, tourist facilities and
forests. We highlight the importance of the monitoring system to follow the spreading of eruptive
fissures and predict when they stopped propagating. We illustrate the value of thermal mapping in
identifying active lava flows, in measuring effusion rates to estimate the maximum distance that
flows can travel, and in obtaining reliable lava-flow simulations in real time in order to predict possible
paths of the lava flow and to adopt the most appropriate solutions to limit its damage. Collaborations
between scientists from different institutions and fields once again proved essential to
understand and model the eruptive processes, to mitigate hazards and to obtain the best results.

- by Sonia Calvari
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- Effusive Eruptions, Volcanic hazards, Etna, Risk and crisis management
- by Agatino Reitano
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- Vulcanology, Etna

Analyzing the occurrences of Typho's myth in Pindaric poetry (Pythian 1, Pythian 3, Nemean 1, Olympian 6), I argue that the way Pindar mentions, recalls or hints at the monster which lies beneath Mount Aitna, aims to support Hieron's political propaganda, and to reassure the Sicilian and Campanian settlers often frightened by Mount Aitna's eruptions.

- by Sabrina Colabella
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- Caldera Volcanoes, Pindar, Snakes, Philoctetes
- by Massimo Petta
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- Urban History, Scenography, France, Spain

Seismology and geodesy are generally seen as the most reliable diagnostic tools for monitoring highly active or erupting volcanoes, like Mt. Etna. From the early 1980's, seismic activity was monitored at Mt. Etna by a permanent seismic network, progressively improved in the following years. This network has been considerably enhanced since 2005 by 24-bit digital stations equipped with broad-band (40 s) sensors. Today, thanks to a configuration of 33 broad-band and 12 short-period stations, we have a good coverage of the volcanic area as well as a high quality of the collected data. In the framework of the VULCAMED project a work-group of Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia has taken on the task of developing the seismic monitoring system , through the installation of other seismic stations. The choice of optimal sites must be clearly made through a careful analysis of the geometry of the existing seismic network. In this paper, we applied the Seismic Network Evaluation through Simulation in order to evaluate the performance of the Etna Seismic Network before and after the addition of the stations in the candidate sites. The main advantage of the adopted method is that we can evaluate the improvement of the network before the actual installation of the stations. Our analysis has permitted to identify some critical issues of the current permanent seismic network related to the lack of stations in the southern sector of the volcano, which is nevertheless affected by a number of seismogenic structures. We have showed that the addition of stations at the candidate sites would greatly extend the coverage of the network to the south by significantly reducing the errors in the hypocenter parameters estimation.

- by Antonino D'Alessandro
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- Etna, Seismic Noise, Seismic Network
- by Alberto D'Agata
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- Prehistoric Archaeology, Preistoria e protostoria, Etna, Belpasso
- by Marco Neri
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- Etna, glacial morphology
- by Salvatore Orazio Tomaselli
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- Etna, éthique Environnementale, Recensioni Libri, Etica Dell'ambiente
- by don Giuseppe Guliti
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- Etna, Catania's History, Storia urbanistica di Catania

We collected drone data to quantify the kinemat-ics at extensional fractures and normal faults, integrated this information with seismological data to reconstruct the stress field, and critically compared the results with previous fieldwork to assess the best practice. As a key site, we analyzed a sector of the northeast rift of Mt Etna, an area affected by continuous ground deformation linked to gravity sliding of the volcano's eastern flank and dike injections. The studied sector is characterized also by the existence of eruptive craters and fissures and lava flows. This work shows that this rift segment is affected by a series of NNE-to NE-striking, parallel extensional fractures characterized by an opening mode along an average N105.7 • vector. The stress field is characterized by a σ Hmin trending northwest-southeast. Normal faults strike parallel to the extensional fractures. The ex-tensional strain obtained by cumulating the net offset at ex-tensional fractures with the fault heave gives a stretching ratio of 1.003 in the northeastern part of the study area and 1.005 in the southwestern part. Given a maximum age of 1614 CE for the offset lavas, we obtained an extension rate of 1.9 cm yr −1 for the last 406 years. This value is consistent with the slip along the Pernicana Fault system, confirming that the NE rift structures accommodate the sliding of the eastern flank of the volcano.

This article offers a fresh view on the poetics of the pseudo-Vergilian poem Aetna, proposing a carefully planned and executed structure which is supported through a deliberate arrangement of key terms in the poem as well as a network of... more

- by Peter Kruschwitz
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- Ancient Science, Vergil, Latin Didactic Poetry, Latin poetry

Il primo monastero di questa Abbazia di S. Catarina fu edifi¬cato alle radici del Bosco che fin al giorno d’oggi chiamasi dello Monaco per i monaci che vi abitarono. Al presente si vedono le sue reliquie di pietre riquadrate antichissime nel luogo di nocciole di questo Convento dei Padri Carmelitani nella sudetta contrada denominata dello Piano quasi mezzo miglio distante dalla Città. Questo bosco maggior parte è ridotto in vigne, noccioleti, e casta¬gneti soggetti a censi di proprietà di essa Abbazia, e nello sfossar di essi vi han ritrovati sepolcri ed altri segni di antica abbitazione; ma essendo stato detto monastero abbandonato fu fabbrigato nella Città. In cui avendo mancato i Monaci restò disfatto e solamente vi rimase la chiesa, la cisterna, l’orto ed un decrepito cipresso.

- by Antonio Cavallaro
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- Etna, Linguaglossa, Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
- by Marco Neri and +3
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- Digital mapping, Etna
- by Daniele Malfitana and +6
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- Remote Sensing, Geoarchaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Seismic Hazard

- by Rita Blanos
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- Geology, Marine Science, Volcano Seismology, Etna
- by Andreas Petrossiants
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- Comparative Literature, Art History, Communism, Walter Benjamin

The TOMO-ETNA experiment was planned in order to obtain a detailed geological and structural model of the continental and oceanic crust beneath Mt. Etna volcano and northeastern Sicily up to the Aeolian Islands (southern Italy), by integrating data from active and passive refraction and reflection seismic methodologies, magnetic and gravity surveys. This paper focuses on the marine activities performed within the experiment, which have been carried out in the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas, during three multidisciplinary oceanographic cruises, involving three research vessels ("Sarmiento de Gamboa", "Galatea" and "Aegaeo") belonging to different countries and institutions. During the offshore surveys about 9700 airgun shots were produced to achieve a high-resolution seismic to-mography through the wide-angle seismic refraction method, covering a total of nearly 2650 km of shooting tracks. To register ground motion, 27 ocean bottom seismometers were deployed, extending the inland seismic permanent network of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanolo-gia (INGV) and a temporary network installed for the experiment. A total of 1410 km of multi-channel seismic reflection profiles were acquired to image the subsurface of the area and to achieve a 2D velocity model for each profile. Multibeam sonar and sub bottom profiler data were also collected. Moreover, a total of 2020 km of magnetic and 680 km of gravity track lines were acquired to compile magnetic and gravity anomaly maps offshore Mt. Etna volcano. Here, high-resolution images of the seafloor, as well as sediment and rock samples, were also collected using a remotely operated vehicle.

- by Antonino D'Alessandro
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- Marine Science, Volcano Seismology, Etna, Seismic Tomography

New maps of the summit of Mount Etna volcano (1:5000–1:4000), derived from helicopter
photogrammetry, thermal images and terrestrial laser scanner survey, are here presented.
These maps indicate the main morpho-structural changes occurring during the powerful
explosive and effusive eruptions involving the summit craters of Etna over the first two
weeks of December 2015. The survey enabled identifying the proximal erupted volume
(7.2 ± 0.14 × 106 m3) and the size and location of the vent causing the powerful explosive
activity inside the Central Crater. Our survey also outlines the growth of a recent (2011–2015)
summit cone on top of a former pit crater, named New SE-Crater. This new cone is by now
comparable in size to the former SE-Crater. The shape and size of two small cinder cones
that formed on the upper eastern flank of the summit zone in May–July 2014 are also
shown. This approach can be used in fast and frequent monitoring of very active volcanoes.

- by Marco Neri and +2
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- Morphology, Topography, Volcanoes, Lava Flows

Alla Scoperta delle Cave di Ghiara. Sicilia - Catania - Etna

- by Andrea Candela
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- History of Science, History of Geology, History of earth sciences, Etna

The amphitheater of Catania is one of the main architectural structures built during Roman domination of the town. It was constructed in two successive phases between the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. and fell into disuse from the second half of the 4th century. Detailed geological and petrographic investigations allow better geomorphological reconstruction of the area where the monument was built. In particular, the western and eastern portions of the amphitheater are built on prehistoric lava flows, named Barriera del Bosco and Larmisi, respectively. We infer that the choice of site to build the monument was highly influenced by the morphological setting of the area. In fact, the location at the contact between two lava flow fields facilitated excavation and removal of rocks due to the incoherence of the scoriaceous lateral border of the lava flows. Integrating both archaeological and geological data has revealed that a large number of Neolithic, Greek, and Roman sites are located in the lava fields of Barriera del Bosco and Larmisi within the present urban district of Catania, indicating that during its long history the city was directly impacted by only one lava flow, namely in A.D. 1669. C 2015 Wiley Periodicals , Inc.

- by Rosa Anna Corsaro
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- Archaeology, Etna

Understanding physical processes prior to and during volcanic eruptions has improved significantly in recent years. However, uncertainties about subsurface structures distorting observed signals and undetected processes within the volcano prevent volcanologists to infer subtle triggering mechanisms of volcanic phenomena. Here, we demonstrate that distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) with optical fibres allows us to identify volcanic events remotely and image hidden near-surface volcanic structural features. We detect and characterize strain signals associated with explosions and locate their origin using a 2D-template matching between picked and theoretical wave arrival times. We find evidence for non-linear grain interactions in a scoria layer of spatially variable thickness. We demonstrate that wavefield separation allows us to incrementally investigate the ground response to various excitation mechanisms. We identify very small volcanic events, which we relate to fluid migration and degassing. Those results provide the basis for improved volcano monitoring and hazard assessment using DAS.

- by Benjamin Schwarz
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- Geophysics, Volcanology, Sensors and Sensing, Volcanic Geology

L’Etna è una star, si sa. Qualunque cosa si dica o scriva su questo enorme vulcano attivo che domina il centro del Mediterraneo diventa subito notizia. Ed infatti, l’articolo pubblicato ieri da un team di ricercatori italiani e tedeschi su una prestigiosa rivista scientifica internazionale è diventato subito virale. Tuttavia, molte delle testate giornalistiche in lingua italiana hanno tradotto e sintetizzato la notizia in modo distorto, enfatizzando soprattutto nei titoli l’aspetto più “sensazionalistico” della speculazione scientifica, scrivendo di tsunami catastrofico imminente, di incombente pericolo e di allarme della comunità scientifica. Ma non è proprio così. Cerchiamo di attenerci ai fatti e di capire meglio la scoperta, puntualizzando quali possono essere i vantaggi in termini di avanzamento delle conoscenze e di utilità per la collettività.

- by Marco Neri
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- Tsunami, Etna

After the major 1991–1993 eruption, Mt. Etna resumed flank activity in July 2001 through a complex system of eruptive fissures cutting the NE and the S flanks of the volcano and feeding effusive activity, fire fountains, Strombolian and minor phreatomagmatic explosions. Throughout the eruption, magmas with different petrogra-phy and composition were erupted. The vents higher than 2,600 m a.s.l. (hereafter Upper vents, UV) erupted porphyritic, plagioclase-rich trachybasalt, typical of present day summit and flank activity. Differently, the vents located at 2,550 and 2,100 m a.s.l. (hereafter Lower vents, LV) produced slightly more primitive trachybasalt dominated by large clinopyroxene, olivine and uncommon minerals for Etna such as amphibole, apatite and orthopyroxene and containing siliceous and cognate xenoliths. Petrologic investigations carried out on samples collected throughout the eruption provided insights into one of the most intriguing aspects of the 2001 activity, namely the coeval occurrence of distinct magmas. We interpret this evidence as the result of a complex plumbing system. It consists in two separate magma storage systems: a shallow one feeding the activity of the UV and a deeper and more complex storage related to the activity of LV. In this deep storage zone, which is thermally and composi-tionally zoned, the favourable conditions allow the crys-tallization of amphibole and the occurrence of cognate xenoliths representing wall cumulates. Throughout 2001 eruption, UV and LV magmas remain clearly distinct and ascended following different paths, ruling out the occurrence of mixing processes between them. Furthermore, integrating the 2001 eruption in the framework of summit activity occurring since 1995, we propose that the 2001 magma feeding the vents lower than 2,600 m a.s.l. is a precursor of a refilling event, which reached its peak during the 2002–2003 Etna flank eruption.

- by Rosa Anna Corsaro and +1
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- Magma, Etna

High-resolution digital topography is essential for land management and
planning in any type of territory as well as the reproduction of the Earth
surface in a geocoded digital format that allows several Digital Earth
applications. In a volcanic environment, Digital Elevation Models are a
valid reference for multi-temporal analyses aimed to observe frequent
changes of a volcano edifice and for the relative detailed morphological
and structural analyses. For the first time, a DTM (Digital Terrain Model)
and a DSM (Digital Surface Model) covering the entire Mt. Etna volcano
(Italy) derived from the same airborne Light Detection and Ranging
(LiDAR) are here presented. More than 250 million 3D LiDAR points have
been processed to distinguish ground elements from natural and
anthropic features. The end product is the highly accurate
representation of Mt. Etna landscape (DSM) and ground topography
(DTM) dated 2005. Both models have a high spatial resolution of 2 m
and cover an area of 620 km2. The DTM has been validated by GPS
ground control points. The vertical accuracy has been evaluated,
resulting in a root-mean-square-error of ± 0.24 m. The DTM is available
as electronic supplement and represents a valid support for various
scientific studies.

- by Marco Neri and +2
- •
- Volcanology, Geo-spatial analysis with GIS and GPS, GPS, Lidar and Satellite Remote Sensing