Morphologic evidence for ancient volcanic centres and indications of magma reservoirs underneath Mt. Etna, Sicily

Abstract

The overall morphologic features of Mt. Etna, such as the acclivity field distribution (fig. 1) and the slope line pattern, indicate that below the recent strato-volcanoes of the Mongibello and Trifoglietto systems, at least other four edifices partly over-lapping each other can be recognized, scattered over an area of some hundreds square kilometers (figs. 2, 3). These centers developed probably at the intersections of several distinct fault systems, and their areal distribution is consistent with a complex magma storage system at depth, that fed their activity, the presence of which is also supported by recent sismological and petrologic data.