C. Ricco

Short-term ground deformations and seismicity in the resurgent Campi Flegrei caldera Italy/: an example of active block-resurgence in a densely populated area

Abstract The Campi Flegrei caldera is a complex structure in which resurgence occurs through a simple shearing mechanism. The most uplifted block inside the caldera is the La Starza block. The caldera has shown signs of unrest since 1969 with two bradyseismic events which generated a net vertical ground displacement of 3.5 m around the town of Pozzuoli. The first event occurred between 1969 and 1972, when the ground was uplifted of 1.74 m, while the second took place between 1982 and 1984 and produced a vertical displacement of 1.79 m. These events have been followed by subsidence with small uplifts of few centimeters. Uplifting events, despite the amount of ground displacement, are always accompanied by seismicity which is absent during subsidence. We have performed an analysis of the ground deformation and seismic data collected since 1970. The results obtained on the two independent sets of data are very much concordant. The ground deformation is not quasi bell-shaped as previously suggested, instead its geometry is strongly constrained by structural discontinuities. Seismicity is confined in a rectangular area, NE–SW elongated and centered on the La Starza block. The margins of this area are marked by earthquakes whose hypocenters describe vertical planes which reach depths of about 5 km. The hypocenters of the earthquakes located in the La Starza block are shallower than 3 km. Focal mechanisms of the earthquakes whose hypocenters describe a NNW–SSE fault plane in the Pozzuoli bay show reverse fault solutions, while those of the earthquakes located on the opposite side of the La Starza block show normal fault solutions. All these data well constraints the hypothesis that resurgence occurs through a simple shearing mechanism (Orsi et al., 1996). We have also performed a finite elements modeling of the ground deformation data. This modeling shows that the detected deformation can be accounted for by an overpressure of 75 MPa in a source with a radius of 1 km, located at 5 km depth in a medium characterized by the detected structural discontinuities.

Magma transfer at Campi Flegrei caldera (Italy) before the 1538 AD eruption

Calderas are collapse structures related to the emptying of magmatic reservoirs, often associated with large eruptions from long-lived magmatic systems. Understanding how magma is transferred from a magma reservoir to the surface before eruptions is a major challenge. Here we exploit the historical, archaeological and geological record of Campi Flegrei caldera to estimate the surface deformation preceding the Monte Nuovo eruption and investigate the shallow magma transfer. Our data suggest a progressive magma accumulation from ~1251 to 1536 in a 4.6 ± 0.9 km deep source below the caldera centre, and its transfer, between 1536 and 1538, to a 3.8 ± 0.6 km deep magmatic source ~4 km NW of the caldera centre, below Monte Nuovo; this peripheral source fed the eruption through a shallower source, 0.4 ± 0.3 km deep. This is the first reconstruction of pre-eruptive magma transfer at Campi Flegrei and corroborates the existence of a stationary oblate source, below the caldera centre, that has been feeding lateral eruptions for the last ~5 ka. Our results suggest: 1) repeated emplacement of magma through intrusions below the caldera centre; 2) occasional lateral transfer of magma feeding non-central eruptions within the caldera. Comparison with historical unrest at calderas worldwide suggests that this behavior is common.

Common Features and Peculiarities of the Seismic Activity at Phlegraean Fields, Long Valley, and Vesuvius

We analyzed and compared the seismic activity that has occurred in the last two to three decades in three distinct volcanic areas: Phlegraean Fields, Italy; Vesuvius, Italy; and Long Valley, California. Our main goal is to identify and discuss common features and peculiarities in the temporal evolution of earthquake sequences that may reflect similarities and differences in the generating processes between these volcanic systems. In particular, we tried to characterize the time series of the number of events and of the seismic energy release in terms of stochastic, deterministic, and chaotic components. The time sequences from each area consist of thousands of earthquakes that allow a detailed quantitative analysis and comparison. The results obtained show no evidence for either deterministic or chaotic components in the earthquake sequences in Long Valley caldera, which appears to be dominated by stochastic behavior. In contrast, earthquake sequences at Phlegraean Fields and Mount Vesuvius show a deterministic signal mainly consisting of a 24-hour periodicity. Our analysis suggests that the modulation in seismicity is in some way related to thermal diurnal processes, rather than luni-solar tidal effects. Independently from the process that generates these periodicities on the seismicity, it is suggested that the lack (or presence) of diurnal cycles in seismic swarms of volcanic areas could be closely linked to the presence (or lack) of magma motion.

Measuring non-linear deformation of the Campi Flegrei caldera (Naples, Italy) using a multi-method insar-geophysical approach

Geodetic monitoring of Campi Flegrei caldera, west of Naples (Italy), has been historically carried out through ground-based networks and integrated at the end of the nineties with space-borne InSAR techniques, exploiting the C-band sensors onboard ERS1-2 and ENVISAT satellites. In the last years C-band monitoring has been complemented by high-resolution X-band (TerraSAR-X) investigations, in order to point out also small deformations which are typical in the area. The uplift event starting in 2011 was strong enough to be detected by both ENVISAT and TerraSAR-X observations and confirmed by classical geodetic techniques. Besides the integration of geodetical and geochemical data with the InSAR results, we also include the outcomes of the InfraRed (IR) thermal camera located at Pisciarelli site, in order to get also a very local information.

GPS Measurements in the Neapolitan volcanic area

Abstract The surveillance of the Neapolitan volcanic area (Mt. Vesuvius, the Phlegrean Fields and the island of Ischia) represents the principal activity of the Osservatorio Vesuviano. Such an activity is carried out also through the study of ground deformations. This study deals with the use of the GPS as a powerful topographic technique. In the last two years, three GPS networks in the above mentioned area were established, with 8 vertices at Mt. Vesuvius, 20 vertices in the Island of Ischia and 30 vertices in the Phlegrean Fields. In Mt. Vesuvius area a GPS test was carried out, in order to verify the possibility of the installation of a network of GPS permanent stations. In the island of Ischia, three different GPS techniques (Static, Fast Static and RTK-Real Time Kinematics) have been used to get a first set of coordinates and to carry out a comparison between these in small extension areas. GPS data of the Phlegrean Fields are still in processing. The results for Mt. Vesuvius area and the island of Ischia are hereby presented and discussed.