[1] The 1974 western flank eruption of Mount Etna produced a rare, nearly aphyric and plagioclase-free trachybasalt that could not be derived from the central volcano conduits and was more alkaline and more radiogenic than all previous historical lavas. New results for the petrochemistry and volatile content of its products, combined with contemporaneous seismic and volcanological observations, allow us to reinterpret the origin and significance of this event. We show that the eruption was most likely triggered by deep tectonic fracturing that allowed a dike-like intrusion to propagate in 9 days from !11 km depth up to the surface, bypassing the central conduits. Relatively fast, closed system decompression of the volatile-rich magma initially led to lava fountaining and the rapid growth of two pyroclastic cones (Mounts De Fiore), followed by Strombolian activity and the extrusion of viscous lava flows when gas-melt separation developed in the upper portion of the feeding fracture. The 1974 trachybasalt geochemistry indicates its derivation by mixing 25% of preexisting K-poor magma (best represented by 1763 La Montagnola eruption's products) and 75% of a new K-rich feeding magma that was gradually invading Mount Etna's plumbing system and became directly extruded during two violent flank eruptions in [2001][2002][2003]. We propose to classify 1974-type so-called ''eccentric'' eruptions on Etna as deep dike-fed (DDF) eruptions, as opposed to more common central conduit-fed flank eruptions, in order to highlight their actual origin rather than their topographic location. We ultimately discuss the possible precursors of such DDF eruptions.
The 3.7 ka year-old Averno 2 eruption is one of the rare eruptions to have occurred in the northwest sector of the Phlegraean Fields caldera (PFc) over the past 5 ka. We focus here on the fallout deposits of the pyroclastic succession emplaced during this eruption. We present major and trace element data on the bulk pumices, along with major and volatile element data on clinopyroxene-hosted melt inclusions, in order to assess the conditions of storage, ascent, and eruption of the feeding trachytic magma. Crystal fractionation accounts for the evolution from trachyte to alkali-trachyte magmas; these were intimately mingled (at the micrometer scale) during the climactic phase of the eruption. The Averno 2 alkali trachyte represents one of the most evolved magmas erupted within the Phlegraean Fields area and belongs to the series of differentiated trachytic magmas erupted at different locations 5 ka ago. Melt inclusions record significant variations in H 2 O (from 0.4 to 5 wt%), S (from 0.01 to 0.06 wt%), Cl (from 0.75 up to 1 wt%), and F (from 0.20 to [0.50 wt%) during both magma crystallization and degassing. Unlike the eruptions occurring in the central part of the PFc, deep-derived input(s) of gas and/or magma are not required to explain the composition of melt inclusions and the mineralogy of Averno 2 pumices. Compositional data on bulk pumices, glassy matrices, and melt inclusions suggest that the Averno 2 eruption mainly resulted from successive extrusions of independent magma batches probably emplaced at depths of 2-4 km along regional fractures bordering the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff caldera.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.