Clinopyroxene and titanomagnetite cation redistributions at Mt. Etna volcano (Sicily, Italy): Footprints of the final solidification history of lava fountains and lava flows

An improved clinopyroxene-based hygrometer for Etnean magmas and implications for eruption triggering mechanisms

“…These experimental conditions are consistent with those estimated for the crystallization of natural clinopyroxene phenocrysts from the Moho transition zone (Giacomoni et al 2016;Armienti et al 2007Armienti et al , 2013 to the shallowest part of the volcanic conduit of Mt. Etna volcano Mollo et al 2015b). …”

“…Etna, the New South East Crater of the volcano was characterized by several episodes of lava fountaining (Viccaro et al 2015). Scoria clasts from these events were rapidly quenched at the contact with the atmosphere, preserving the original mineral textures and compositions (Mollo et al 2015b) and clinopyroxene phenocrysts (Supplementary 1 Data Table 6S) are well constrained by the experimental data set used in this study to refine the hygrometer of Armienti et al (2013).…”

“…The estimates of Mollo et al (2015b) are plotted in Figure 2b showing as the saturation temperature of clinopyroxene progressively decreases from ~1150 to ~1050 °C along a decompression path from ~800 to ~0.1 MPa. Considering these P-T constrains, we have used the natural clinopyroxene compositions as input data for the original hygrometer of Armienti et al (2013) and the refined hygrometer presented in this study.…”

“…The crystallization path of magma feeding lava fountains has been estimated by Mollo et al (2015b), using the compositions of clinopyroxenes phenocrysts and matrix glass from scoria clasts as input data for the thermobarometric models of Putirka (2008). The estimates of Mollo et al (2015b) are plotted in Figure 2b showing as the saturation temperature of clinopyroxene progressively decreases from ~1150 to ~1050 °C along a decompression path from ~800 to ~0.1 MPa.…”

“…Etna plumbing system, i.e., ~20 km depth (Ferlito and Lanzafame 2010). In this scenario, volcanic eruptions are fed by the upward migration of hot, fluid-saturated, poorly dense, and highly buoyant magmas from depth, with implications for mineral and melt compositions, degree of crystallization, magma ascent velocity and type of eruption (Armienti et al 2007;Ferlito et al 2014;Collins et al 2009;Lanzafame et al 2013;Fornaciai et al 2015;Mollo et al 2015aMollo et al , 2015b.…”