The Campi Flegrei caldera is a large volcanic complex lying in the Campanian Plain, Southern Italy. During its history the caldera experienced episodes of bradyseism and intense swarm seismicity. The mechanism leading to unrest episodes is still debated, and great efforts are ongoing to improve the knowledge of this structure and its evolution due to the high volcanic risk in such a densely populated area. Here we present a resistivity model from a two‐dimensional inversion of audiomagnetotelluric data acquired along an approximately 5.6‐km long profile crosscutting the Solfatara‐Pisciarelli district and the Agnano plain. The resistivity model shows (1) very low resistivity values confined in the first 500 m of depth both in correspondence of the Solfatara‐Pisciarelli districts and the Agnano depression; (2) a resistive plume that extends underneath the Solfatara crater down to 2,000‐ to 3,000‐m depth, and (3) an adjoining relative conductive unit eastward. We discuss the resistivity structures in a multidisciplinary framework integrating inedited geochemical and seismological observations with existing surface geology and subsurface information. The Solfatara‐Pisciarelli district and the Agnano plain, both being expression of intense hydrothermal activity, show different characteristics. Below the Solfatara‐Pisciarelli area, the shallow conductive zone is interpreted as a faulted clay cap that overlies a highly active vapor‐dominated reservoir characterized by a convective mechanism. Conversely, below the Agnano plain, a liquid phase seems to prevail in the reservoir. The spatiotemporal variations of seismicity imply a combined action of preexisting tectonic lineaments and fluid interaction between the gas/steam reservoir and the outflow zone.

On March 15th 2007 a paroxysmal explosion occurred at the Stromboli volcano. This event generated a large amount of products, mostly lithic blocks, some of which impacted the ground as far as down to 200 m a.s.l., about 1.5 km far away from the active vents.Two days after the explosion, a new vapour emission was discovered on the north-eastern flank of the volcanic edifice, at 560 m a.s.l., just above the area called "Nel Cannestra". This new vapour emission was due to a block impact. In order to investigate the block impact area to understand the appearance of the vapour emission, we conducted on May 2008 a multidisciplinary study involving Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Self-Potential (SP), CO(2) soil diffuse degassing and soil temperature surveys. This complementary data set revealed the presence of an anomalous conductive body, probably related to a shallow hydrothermal level, at about 10-15 m depth, more or less parallel to the topography. It is the first time that such a hydrothermal fluid flow, with a temperature close to the water boiling point (76 degrees C) has been evidenced at Stromboli at this low elevation on the flank of the edifice. The ERT results suggest a possible link between (1) the main central hydrothermal system of Stromboli, located just above the plumbing system feeding the active vents, with a maximum of subsurface soil temperature close to 90 degrees C and limited by the NeoStromboli summit crater boundary and (2) the investigated area of Nel Cannestra, at similar to 500 m a.s.l., a buried eruptive fissure active 9 ka ago. In parallel, SP and CO(2) soil diffuse degassing measurements suggest in this sector at slightly lower elevation from the block impact crater a magmatic and hydrothermal fluid rising system along the N41 degrees regional fault. A complementary ERT profile, on May 2009, carried out from the NeoStromboli crater boundary down to the block impact crater displayed a flank fluid flow apparently connected to a deeper system. The concept of shallow hydrothermal level have been compared to similar ERT results recently obtained on Mount Etna and La Fossa cone of Vulcano. This information needs to be taken into account in general fluid flow models on volcanoes. In particular, peripheral thermal waters (as those bordering the northeastern coast of Stromboli) could be contaminated by hydrothermal and magmatic fluids coming from regional faults but also from the summit. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

a b s t r a c tThe Atlas Mountains in Morocco are considered as type examples of intracontinental mountain chains, with high topography that contrasts with moderate crustal shortening and thickening. Whereas recent geological studies and geodynamic modelling suggest the existence of dynamic topography to explain this apparent contradiction, there is a lack of modern geophysical data at the crustal scale to corroborate this hypothesis. To address this deficiency, magnetotelluric data were recently acquired that image the electrical resistivity distribution of the crust from the Middle Atlas to the Anti-Atlas, crossing the tabular Moulouya plain and the High Atlas. All tectonic units show different, distinct and unique electrical signatures throughout the crust reflecting the tectonic history of development of each one. In the upper crust, electrical resistivity values and geometries can be associated to sediment sequences in the Moulouya and Anti-Atlas and to crustal scale fault systems in the High Atlas developed likely during Cenozoic times. In the lower crust, the low resistivity anomaly found below the Moulouya plain, together with other geophysical (low velocity anomaly, lack of earthquakes and minimum Bouguer anomaly) and geochemical (Neogene-Quaternary intraplate alkaline volcanic fields) evidences, infer the existence of a small degree of partial melt at the base of the crust. Resistivity values suggest a partial melt fraction of the order of 2-8%. The low resistivity anomaly found below the Anti-Atlas may be associated with a relict subduction of Precambrian oceanic sediments, or to precipitated minerals during the release of fluids from the mantle during the accretion of the Anti-Atlas to the West African Supercontinent during the Panafrican orogeny (ca. 685 Ma).

Abstract:One of the major issues in buried archeological sites especially if characterized by intense human activity, complex structures, and several constructive phases, is: to what depth conduct the excavation? The answer depends on a number of factors, among these one of the most important is the a priori and reliable knowledge of what the subsoil can preserve. To this end, geophysics (if used in strong synergy with archaeological research) can help in the planning of time, depth, and modes of excavation also when the physical characteristics of the remains and their matrix are not ideal for archaeo-geophysical applications. This is the case of a great part of the archaeological sites in Henan, the cradle of the most important cultures in China and the seat of several capitals for more than two millennia. There, the high depth of buried remains covered by alluvial deposits and the building materials, mainly made by rammed earth, did not favor the use of geophysics. In this paper, we present and discuss the GPR and ERT prospection we conducted in Kaifeng (Henan, China), nearby a gate of the city walls dated to the Northern Song Dynasty. The integration of GPR and ERT provided useful information for the identification and characterization of archaeological remains buried at different depths. Actually, each geophysical technique, GPR frequency (used for the data acquisition) as well as each way to analyze and visualize the results (from radargrams to time slice) only provided partial information of little use if alone. The integration of the diverse techniques, data processing and visualization enabled us to optimize the penetration capability, the resolution for the detection of archaeological features and their interpretation. Finally, the results obtained from the GPR and ERT surveys were correlated with archaeological stratigraphy, available nearby the investigated area. This enabled us to further improve the interpretation of results from GPR and ERT survey and also to date the anthropogenic layers from Qing to Yuan Dynasty.

[1] This paper presents a magnetotelluric (MT) survey of the unstable eastern flank of Mt. Etna. We take thirty soundings along two profiles oriented in the N-S and NW-SE directions, and from these data recover two 2D resistivity models of the subsurface. Both models reveal three major layers in a resistive-conductive-resistive sequence, the deepest extending to 14 km bsl. The shallow layer corresponds to the volcanic cover, and the intermediate conductive layer corresponds to underlying sediments segmented by faults. These two electrical units are cut by E-W-striking faults. The third layer (basement) is interpreted as mainly pertinent to the Apennine-Maghrebian Chain associated with SW-NE-striking regional faults. The detailed shapes of the resistivity profiles clearly show that the NE Rift is shallow-rooted (0-1 km bsl), thus presumably fed by lateral dikes from the central volcano conduit. The NW-SE profile suggests by a series of listric faults reaching up to 3 km bsl, then becoming almost horizontal. Toward the SE, the resistive basement dramatically dips (from 3 km to 10 km bsl), in correspondence with the Timpe Fault System. Several high-conductivity zones close to the main faults suggest the presence of hydrothermal activity and fluid circulation that could enhance flank instability. Our results provide new findings about the geometry of the unstable Etna flank and its relation to faults and subsurface structures.