Abstract
AbstractOlivine‐hosted melt inclusions (MIs) from tephra of the recent 2013–2018 activity at Mt. Etna were investigated for assessing the chemical evolution of magmas and quantifying their pre‐eruptive volatile budget. Microanalyses revealed two types of MIs present in all investigated eruptions; the inclusions, particularly the less evolved ones, appear to have experienced water loss coupled with SiO2 depletion. Restoration of the original SiO2‐H2O concentrations provides consistency with the thermodynamic modelling of magma evolution. The two types of MIs developed during crystallization of olivine plus clinopyroxene between 200 and 100 MPa, where magmas also experienced CO2 flushing. Degassing processes at these levels are responsible for water depletion in the melt and diffusive water loss from inclusions. Our data suggest that initial water budget is unchanged all over the last 20 years, reflecting therefore a potential in triggering highly explosive eruptions depending on degassing dynamics under open versus closed system conditions at shallow levels.
Highlights
A new eruptive cycle started in January 2011 at Mt
The activity was mainly explosive, with 44 episodes of lava fountaining occurred at the New South East Crater (NSEC) during the 2011–2013 period (e.g. Behncke et al, 2014; Giuffrida & Viccaro, 2017), culminating with the most powerful paroxysmal eruptions of the last 20 years at the Voragine crater (VOR) on December 2015 and May 2016 (Cannata et al, 2018)
Thermodynamic simulations performed by rhyolite-MELTS (Ghiorso & Gualda, 2015; Gualda et al, 2012) fix the evolutionary path for the post-2011 Mt
Summary
An extensive dataset of major and trace elements, together with H2O, CO2, S, Cl and F, has been obtained on melt inclusions entrapped in olivine crystals from three selected recent eruptions occurred at Mt. Etna volcano. These data are novel, original and timely considering that volatile concentrations for post-2011 Mt. Etna magmas are scarce in literature up to date. Assessing of the original volatile budgets of magmas and how their volatile load changes throughout the present configuration of the plumbing system is crucial to reconstruct the degassing dynamics of magmas and to identify the causes leading to energetic versus quiet eruptions of the volcano
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
