L’ERUZIONE ETNEA DEL 1865 (MONTI SARTORIUS): ASPETTI GEOMORFOLOGICI E INQUADRAMENTO NELL’EVOLUZIONE DEL VULCANO

Abstract

Carveni P. & Benfatto S., 1865 Monti Sartorius eruption: morphologic aspects in the frame of Mt. Etna evolution. (IT ISSN
0394 – 3356, 2004).
The eruptive phenomenology and the morphological aspects of 1865, January 28th – June 15th Mount Etna lateral eruption are described in this paper. Mount Etna is the largest European active volcano; it is formed by the volcanic products of many eruptive centres.
Mount Etna is located on the margin of the two main structural domains of Eastern Sicily: the Iblean Foreland and the ApenninesMaghrebian Chain; the first belongs to the Northern part of the African Plate and consists of a mainly carbonate succession of Triassic to Pleistocene age, with several intercalations of mafic volcanic rocks; the Apennines-Maghrebian Chain consists of several thrust sheets, made up of structural units derived from different palaeogeografic regions. Many studies about structural patterns of Mount Etna identified four tectonic trends: N-S, ENE-WSW, NE-SW and NW-SE. This eruption occurred along the NE flank of the volcanic edifice; some prehistorical vents were active in this zone: the position and chronology of these cones demonstrate a progressive displacement of eruptive fissures toward SE. A trustworthy reconstruction of this Etna eruption is based on papers of witnesses, on aerial photo analysis and on geological and geomorphologic surveys. The feeder system of the eruption was characterized by two eruptive fracture systems: the main system, ENE-WSW oriented; a cluster of fractures ranging N-S to NNW-SSE forms the latter. Morphological analysis suggests several volcanic activities at different times; the last is witnessed by undated new vent.