(AGENPARL) – ven 23 giugno 2023 ANTARCTICA | Permanent Volcanological Observatory realized
Created by the University of Catania and the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia,
it will have multidisciplinary expertise for new volcanological research
[Catania-Rome, 23rd June 2023]
PressRelease/ComunicatoStampa
Established the new permanent volcanological Observatory in Antarctica I-VOLCAN (Italian
VOLCanological observatory in ANtarctica), run by the University of Catania (UniCT) and the
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), which aims to develop a multi-parameter
monitoring system of the Melbourne volcano and later the Rittmann volcano. It will be
multidisciplinary in nature and will involve participants with complementary expertise in different
areas such as seismology, geodesy, gas and rock geochemistry, tephrochronology, technology and
instrumentation, data science, volcano monitoring, and database creation and management.
Active volcanoes are widespread all over the world, even in remote areas such as Antarctica.
In recent years, Antarctic volcanism has attracted the attention of the international scientific
community partly as a result of recent eruptions of remote volcanoes, such as Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland
in 2010 and Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai in 2022, which reminded us how even the most distant and
least known volcanoes on Earth can pose significant dangers to large communities.
The permanent settlement and seasonal presence of scientists, technicians, tourists and logistical
personnel in Antarctica have increased significantly in recent decades. Therefore, the need to learn
more about and monitor these volcanoes is becoming greater and more urgent.
The University of Catania and INGV have been collaborating intensively for years in the study of
Antarctic volcanism through research projects funded by the National Program for Research in
Antarctica (PNRA). In particular, with the projects ICE-VOLC (MultiparametrIC Experiment at
antarctica VOLCanoes: data from volcano and cryosphere-ocean-atmosphere dynamics) coordinated
by Prof. Andrea Cannata of the Department of Biological Geological and Environmental Sciences
of the University of Catania, MIMIC (Multidisciplinary Investigations on mount Melbourne volcano
and its fumarolic Ice Caves) coordinated by Eng. Gaetano Giudice of the INGV’s Osservatorio Etneo
(INGV-OE), and CHIMERA (CryptotepHra In Marine sEquences of the Ross Sea, Antarctica:
implications and potential applications) coordinated by Dr. ssa Paola Del Carlo of the Pisa Section
of INGV (INGV-PI), detailed studies were carried out primarily on the Melbourne volcano -, located
about 40 km from the Italian base Mario Zucchelli, and secondarily on the Rittmann volcano, located
about 140 km from the base.
The results of the studies showed that both volcanoes are active, have fumaroles fueled by volcanic
gases, and generate seismic signals typical of volcanic environments, such as long-period events and
tremors. In addition, tephrostrastigraphic and petrological studies performed on rock samples
collected from various outcrops of Mount Melbourne have allowed reconstruction of explosive
eruptions, with styles ranging from Strombolian/Vulcanian to Subplinian/Plinian that occurred as far
back as historical times. This means that Mount Melbourne is capable of generating highly
explosive eruptions and is therefore potentially dangerous to nearby scientific stations and
aviation safety throughout the Antarctic continent.
Other interesting aspects were the exploration and mapping for the first time of ice-caves, located at
the top of volcanoes, which are ice caves formed by hot fumarolic gases that melt the lower layer of
ice and snow, leaving a cavity that is accompanied by a typical chimney structure called an ice-tower.
Exploration of ice-caves has made it possible both to identify incredibly fascinating environments and
to identify protected locations suitable for housing the instrumentation needed for continuous
monitoring of volcanoes.
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Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Press Office
Università degli Studi di Catania
Press Office
ANTARCTICA | Permanent
Volcanological Observatory realized
PressRelease/ComunicatoStampa
The results of ICE-VOLC, MIMIC and CHIMERA were instrumental in obtaining the establishment of a
new permanent volcanological observatory in Antarctica, recently accepted for funding by PNRA and
called I-VOLCAN (Italian VOLCanological observatory in ANtarctica).
This new project, with its multi-parameter network will provide a continuous flow of
multidisciplinary data (seismic, geodetic, geochemical, volcanological) that will be shared with
the international scientific community, leading to an advancement in knowledge in
volcanology, as well as in other disciplines such as geophysics, geodynamics, glaciology, climate
and biology.
It should also be emphasized that establishing a monitoring network in remote areas such as the
Antarctic continent will require considerable effort from a technological standpoint, as the
instruments that make up the network must cope with the most extreme climate on Earth,
which is characterized by very cold temperatures, strong winds, and considerable variations in the
duration of solar radiation, which varies from a full day of radiation during Antarctic summers to
complete darkness during winters.
This purely technological issue has already been addressed in part in some of the activities conducted
by the ICE-VOLC and MIMIC projects, through which both continuous monitoring stations in ice-caves
and outdoor stations such as the seismic-acoustic sensors installed on the summit of the Rittmann have
been implemented.
Helpful links:
Università di Catania (UniCT)
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide (PNRA)
ITALIA IN ANTARTIDE
Project ICE-VOLC (MultiparametrIC Experiment at antarctica VOLCanoes: data from volcano and
cryosphere-ocean-atmosphere dynamics)
Project MIMIC (Multidisciplinary Investigations on mount Melbourne volcano and its fumarolic Ice Caves)
Project CHIMERA (CryptotepHra In Marine sEquences of the Ross Sea, Antarctica: implications and
potential applications)
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Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
– Press Office –
Università di Catania
– Press Office –