Crustal stress pattern at Mt. Etna volcano

Abstract

Stress fields may exhibit variegated patterns, especially in volcanic areas where several processes superimpose their effects in space and time. The comprehension of such patterns may not be straightforward to investigate. This work investigates the pattern of the crustal stress in the area of Mt. Etna Volcano (Sicily, Italy). This has been possible through a collection of more than 800 stress indicators derived from seismological and volcanological/geological information. In particular, the type of collected data allows to consider, for the first time in this area, two different temporal steps in the evolution of Etna volcano: the present-day and the previous volcanic phase at 15 ka. Results indicate a transition between a background shallow NW-SE tensional regime and a deep SW-NE compressional one that occurs between 6 and 16 km depth and which well fits with the present-day geodynamic framework of the area. The occurrence of small-scale lateral variations is interpreted as the second-order effect of the structures of the active front buried beneath the volcano, to the volcano loading, and to the feeding system. The temporal variations in the area surrounding the volcano suggest a major rearrangement of the background stress field evidenced by the swap between minimum and maximum horizontal stress directions. Conversely, during the same period, the stress pattern in the exact correspondence of the volcanic edifice showed to be stable and with a radial arrangement. Such coherence would support the literature which suggests a long-term inflation process started at least 15 kyr ago.