“…Detailed field studies reveal that diffuse CO 2 ‐H 2 S degassing occurs commonly along the dense network of faults (OVSG‐IPGP data base, Allard et al ., ). On these islands, the CO 2 dominates the gaseous emissions (about 70% of dry gas), followed by hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) (up to 29% of dry gas), sulfuric acid (SO 2 ) (< 1% of dry gas) and hydrogen chloride (HCl) (110–210 ppmv) (OVSG‐IPGP data base, Pedroni et al ., ; Brombach et al ., ; Bernard et al ., ; Joseph et al ., ). Isotope compositions of CO 2 (δ 13 C = –3 · 5 ± 0 · 7‰, OVSG‐IPGP data base, Pedroni et al ., ; Brombach et al ., ; Agrinier et al ., ) and of helium (He) ( 3 He/ 4 He at R/Ra ~ 8, Pedroni et al ., ; Ruzié et al ., ) confirm that the degassed volatiles have a mantle source.…”