Lava Flow Invasion Hazard map of the Southern Rift (Mount Etna, Italy)
Abstract
We present an integrated approach and a multidisciplinary methodology to compile volcanic hazard map for lava flow invasion. In addition we display an application of the proposed methodology to a sector of Mount Etna, the Southern Rift, one of the most active areas of the Volcano (Behncke & Neri, 2003). The basis and the starting point are a detailed geological and structural survey and a high-resolution stratigraphy (at 1:10,000 scale) that allow us to recognize and to map about 30 lava flows along the Southern Rift. The geological data (lava flow emission point location, relative or historical age, length and outcropping area) are organized in a geographic database. In addition GIS software analyses (Groppelli & Norini, 2005), statistical tests and probabilistic lava flow model (Damiani et al., 2006) are applied. Our methodology rests on five steps. 1) Detailed geological survey and historical descriptions (Branca & Del Carlo, 2004) to produce a geological map identifying recent lava flows and their distribution. 2) GIS analyses of geological data (e.g. lava flow length, eruptive fissure age, qualitative and quantitative spatial probability map that allows to recognize the areas where eruption probability is more relevant based on emission point density, etc.). 3) Testing of a lava flow simulation model (ELFM) based on a high resolution DEM to obtain the morphological constraint of the lava flow simulation (Damiani et al., 2006). 4) Preliminary lava flow hazard map computation based on the ELFM combined with the eruption probability of each pixel of the DEM. 5) Hazard map validation based on the geological map and its analyses. We applied the previous described steps to the Southern Rift, from 2002-03 eruptive fissure (2900 m a.s.l.) to Monte S. Leo (1100 m a.s.l.). We recognized in that area three main eruptive areas, each characterized by different frequency of eruptions and length of lava flows. For each area we calculated the probability of eruption in the next 50 years and we performed digital flow simulations with different parameters after a tuning phase. Merging the three resulting hazard maps, we obtained the hazard map for lava flow invasion of the Southern Rift, which can be helpful for land use and urban planning.
- Publication:
-
AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2007
- Bibcode:
- 2007AGUSM.V33C..04G
- Keywords:
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- 8425 Effusive volcanism;
- 8486 Field relationships (1090;
- 3690);
- 8488 Volcanic hazards and risks