Structural Analysis in Volcanic Areas: Towards A Multidisciplinary Approach and Small- to Large-Scale Observations

Dear Colleagues,

Structural analysis of volcanic areas represents a first and key step driving future research pathways and the development of conceptual models.

Revealing the structural architecture of volcanic areas is of paramount importance for the sustainable exploitation of their economic resources, as well as for the evaluation of the magma and hydrothermal fluids migration paths and the effective assessment of the volcanic hazard.

In this regard, various disciplines are involved, such as structural geology, igneous petrology, rock magnetism, geochemistry, geodesy and geophysics. This means that different methodologies are used to collect direct and indirect observations at all scales, implying different results and technical challenges. For example, the photogrammetric analysis of UAV images can detect structures at a higher resolution (up to cm scale) but in narrower areas than InSAR data can (tens versus hundreds of km²). Moreover, the petrological evaluation of the microstructure of igneous rocks may reveal small-scale flow patterns in magmatic intrusions that are overlooked when magmatic flow indicators at an outcrop scale are employed.  

Therefore, combining the observations from these methodologies is essential to obtain a more comprehensive view of volcanic area structures and more reliable results from analogue and numerical models of physical processes.

The aim of this Special Issue is to gather contributions on the structural analysis of volcanic areas from researchers in the above-mentioned disciplines in the following topics:

• Magma and hydrothermal fluid transport and storage.
• Geothermal and ore exploration.
• Relationships between magma and hydrothermal fluids migration and volcano–tectonic structures in all geodynamic settings.
• Volcanic edifice instability and collapse.
• Rift propagation and kinematics.
• The interplay between surface deformation and magma transport and storage.

Structural studies that combine results from different methods and disciplines are particularly encouraged. 

Dr. Stefano Urbani
Prof. Dr. Stefano Vitale
Guest Editors

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• magma transport
• hydrothermal fluids migration
• geothermal exploration
• dyke propagation
• analogue modelling
• sill emplacement
• rift propagation
• caldera
• volcano collapse
• fracture
• structural geology