The mud volcanoes at Santa Barbara and Aragona (Sicily, Italy): a contribution to risk assessment

Abstract

The Santa Barbara and Aragona areas are affected by mud volcanism (MV) phenomena, consisting of continuous or intermittent emission of mud, water, and gases. This activity could be interrupted by paroxysmal events, with an eruptive column composed mainly of clay material, water, and gases. They are the most hazardous phenomena, and today it is impossible to define the potential parameters for modelling the phenomenon. In 2017, two digital surface models (DSMs) were performed by drone in both areas, thus allowing the mapping of the emission zones and the covered areas by the previous events. Detailed information about past paroxysms was obtained from historical sources, and, with the analysis of the 2017 DSMs, a preliminary hazard assessment was carried out for the first time at two sites. Two potentially hazardous paroxysm surfaces of 0.12 and 0.20 km2 for Santa Barbara and Aragona respectively were defined. In May 2020, at Aragona, a new paroxysm covered a surface of 8721 m2. After this, a new detailed DSM was collected with the aim to make a comparison with the 2017 one. Since 2017, a seismic station was installed in Santa Barbara. From preliminary results, both seismic events and ambient noise showed a frequency of 5–10 Hz.