The 2016 field campaign of La Solfatara volcano: monitoring methods and instruments for volcanic surveillance

Abstract

For the purpose of testing miniaturized instruments for volcanic monitoring, a field campaign on La Solfatara volcano was planned and carried out from 21 to 24 September 2016. The results obtained from the previous field campaigns performed in this same volcano in 2014 and 2015 [Silvestri et al., 2015 and 2016] are being used for comparison to determine the improvements required on the miniaturized instruments as part of an ongoing collaboration within the different institutions. The research was done in close cooperation among INGV, the University of Costa Rica and the U. S. Geological Survey. The La Solfatara volcano is a tuff cone located in the central part of the repeatedly collapsed Campi Flegrei caldera (in the south of Italy), which is continuously monitored by INGV through permanent network and field campaigns. Volcanic activity is expressed through fumarole emissions that are most active within the crater, thermal pools, and regions with seismic activity. The entire area is characterized by a diffuse degassing [Chiodini et al., 2001] even if the fumarolic activity is mainly concentrated in its south-eastern part. In this report, the measurements collected with different instruments such as MiniGAS, Mini Mass Spectrometer mounted on a drone, thermal camera, spectro-radiometer and measurements with satellite data are reported.