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Temporal Evolution of Etna\'s Eruptive Activity: Evidence from Geodetic and Petrological Data During the 2020-2022 Paroxysmal Activity

Alejandra Vásquez Castillo 1, Rosa Anna Corsaro1, Francesco Guglielmino1, Giuseppe Puglisi1, Alessandro Bonforte1

  • Affiliations: 1Istituto Nazionale Di Geofisica E Vulcanologia, Sezione Di Catania, Osservatorio Etneo (INGV-OE), Catania, Italy

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Friday 16:30 - 18:00, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 50

  • Programme No: 2.3.36

  • Theme 2 > Session 3

Abstract

Mount Etna experienced a remarkable eruptive cycle between 2020 and 2022. In December 2020 a paroxysmal period began, which intensified in February 2021 and lasted until the end of March (Sequence 1). After a short pause, a new paroxysmal period occurred from May 2021 to October 2021 (Sequence 2). The last paroxysms of this cycle were observed in February 2022. A total of 64 events occurred between December 2020 and February 2022. We investigated ground deformation patterns and magmatic processes associated with these paroxysmal sequences by integrating GNSS, InSAR, and petrological analysis. The eruptive sequences exhibited different characteristics in terms of magma supply rates, eruptive styles, and ground deformation patterns. Sequence 1 was characterized by higher magma supply rates, larger erupted volumes, progressive mixing with deeper magma, and pronounced deflation signal corresponding to larger paroxysms and dominant lava effusion. In contrast, Sequence 2 exhibited lower supply rates, more frequent but smaller paroxysms, a gradual trend toward primitive compositions and a lower-magnitude deformation signal associated with prevalent explosive activity. The time lapse between the sequences is interpreted to have prepared the conditions in the shallow reservoir for the shift from a prevalent effusive activity in Sequence 1 to explosive activity in Sequence 2. This period would introduce increased complexity, reflected not only in the potential magmatic processes during the second sequence, but also in the modeling of the associated deformation source. This analysis provides insights into how variations in magma storage conditions can influence both ground deformation patterns and eruptive styles.