Persistence and resilience on Mount Etna's active flank: An integrated geological and archaeological perspective

Volcanic environments illustrate how human communities have learned to persist within dynamic, hazardous landscapes by balancing risk and opportunity. Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy) – one of the world's most active volcanoes – provides an outstanding natural laboratory to investigate the interplay between geodynamic and volcanic processes as well as human adaptation. The site of Santa Venera al Pozzo (SVP) exemplifies this duality: archaeological and geological evidence reveal a persistent human presence since the Late Neolithic, sustained by fault-controlled hydrothermal discharge and a geomorphological position that ensured long-term stability outside major lava flow pathways.

This study integrates geological, geochemical, geodetic, seismological, and archaeological data to examine how tectonic and magmatic processes sustained hydrothermal activity and supported enduring settlement. Results indicate that (i) deformation was largely accommodated by creeping faults, in turn enhancing permeability and maintaining spring discharge; (ii) the site's distal position from eruptive rift zones provided geomorphological stability; and (iii) cultural practices promoted the adaptive reuse of geothermal resources over the time.

The case of SVP demonstrates that the same Earth processes generating hazards also maintain vital resources, enabling long-term human resilience. This integrated geological–archaeological perspective provides a transferable framework for understanding sustainability and risk in volcanically active regions worldwide.