Aeromagnetic anomaly images of Vulcano and Southern Lipari Islands (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy)

R Supper R Supper,R De Ritis R De Ritis,K Motschka K Motschka,M Chiappini M Chiappini

doi:10.4401/ag-3377

Abstract

Newly acquired high-resolution, low-altitude aeromagnetic data over Vulcano Island and Southwestern Lipari in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea resolve the major volcanic features in the area associated with the past and present activity. The magnetic character changes in amplitude and frequency from south-east to north-west. The Primordial Vulcano, the Lentia Complex, the Piano Caldera units, the Fossa Caldera deposits, and the currently active La Fossa cone and Vulcanello represent the main volcanic phases on Vulcano Island. They show a distinct magnetic anomaly pattern, whereas prior to this survey, no magnetic signatures of these features were found.

Highlights

The Aeolian Arc, in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, is characterized by active volcanism, which may threaten population safety and activities
A high-resolution shaded relief total intensity, magnetic anomaly map was obtained after a helicopter-borne aeromagnetic survey over Vulcano Island
The main stages of volcanic activity in the area are investigated by the new data set: the Primordial Vulcano, the Piano Caldera units older than 20 kyr, the Lentia Complex formed between 24 and 15 kyr, the Fossa Caldera deposits and volcanic units emplaced between 15 and 8 kyr, the currently active La Fossa cone, and Vulcanello

Summary

Introduction

An initial approach was conducted in cooperation between the Geological Survey of Austria and the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia of Rome, acquiring high-resolution airborne geophysical data over Vulcano Island. The aim of the present paper is to image the crustal structure of the area by means of magnetic anomaly data, to characterize the magnetic sources associated with the various Volcanic cycles. We focus our attention on processing the magnetic data to develop the anomaly pattern of the surveyed area and perform mathematical analysis and data enhancement. As far as aeromagnetic data are concerned, previous surveys in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea were performed by the Italian national oil company (Agip) in the late 1970’s. Of the Earth’s magnetic field from the aeromagnetic data. The survey was reduced to a common geomagnetic epoch using the following equation:

Acquisition and processing

Aeromagnetic anomalies

Conclusions