Imaging magma ascent and discharge during the 2020-2022 paroxysmal activity at Mount Etna from geodetic data

Imaging magma ascent and discharge during the 2020-2022 paroxysmal activity at Mount Etna from geodetic data | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Imaging magma ascent and discharge during the 2020-2022 paroxysmal activity at Mount Etna from geodetic data Alejandra Vásquez Castillo, Francesco Guglielmino, Giuseppe Puglisi, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9316552/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Mount Etna has shown persistent summit activity in recent decades, with the South‑East Crater producing frequent lava fountains and explosive events. A phase of intense paroxysms began in December 2020, preceding two major paroxysmal sequences that lasted until February 2022, with 17 events in the first sequence (February–March 2021) and 33 in the second (concentrated predominantly between May–August 2021). To investigate the processes driving this activity, we analysed ground deformation recorded by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) between January 2020 and February 2022. The pre‑paroxysmal period exhibits a composite deformation field dominated by the eastward acceleration of the eastern flank and accompanied by deep (20–30 km) and intermediate‑depth seismicity that we interpret as evidence of repeated magma injections. Our modelling identifies two distinct pre‑paroxysmal phases marked by upward migration of pressurised sources from ~ 5.5 km to ~ 4.2 km depth. During the paroxysmal sequences, Etna exhibited pronounced centripetal deflation centred on the summit. Sequence 1 produced strong, volcano‑wide deformation driven by rapid magma withdrawal from a shallow reservoir. Sequence 2 showed weaker but more complex deformation, reflecting overlapping contributions from shallow magma input, crystallisation, volatile exsolution and persistent flank slip. The temporal alignment between deep seismicity, compositional shifts towards more primitive magmas and geodetic source migration indicates a vertically stratified and dynamically connected plumbing system. Our results show that Etna’s 2020–2022 paroxysmal cycle was driven by stepwise magma ascent from deep reservoirs to shallow levels, strongly modulated by flank kinematics and evolving storage conditions. Volcano geodesy Mount Etna InSAR GNSS 3D surface deformation Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 07 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 22 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 13 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 07 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 07 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 03 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9316552","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":624585965,"identity":"405b5284-b33e-40d1-9df6-b5711ac56437","order_by":0,"name":"Alejandra Vásquez Castillo","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABFElEQVRIie2RsWrDMBCGzwiU5YpXGbfWK0h4Ki7kVWw6eGynkK0OBmXqntIX6aggiJeQvVtLIVshHQr2UKgdZzC08lyovkEnTvq4XwjA4fiLTAAEABl2FkVX0KqQHwque8XqkMHaw9KTajH8kujb5im58QuUH/XMRPzhTb1+KjifWhRmaCrvt/nlSmMc4s7E3mO2jC/USDCDQpwpI0DTNPSUycowUyHb2hVu/IP8ahWu6XXTKHOngvW4IgxC3E0RmmxYu0mReSo4zO2KNFS0yXMhDdkkuMvlCttgMGeI+nclqsq9fFeJiKpF+VzPEs6X1T6oxdV0UtjeD1Qcy/FraN8iCMx6vzt/Geh98eoxweFwOP4b30grT/J2/qbhAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Volcanologia","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alejandra","middleName":"Vásquez","lastName":"Castillo","suffix":""},{"id":624585980,"identity":"e138c0e8-73b6-4540-a155-9682d63ad354","order_by":1,"name":"Francesco Guglielmino","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Volcanologia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Francesco","middleName":"","lastName":"Guglielmino","suffix":""},{"id":624585982,"identity":"89891b9a-d0e9-459c-a410-c183a1e949de","order_by":2,"name":"Giuseppe Puglisi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Volcanologia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Giuseppe","middleName":"","lastName":"Puglisi","suffix":""},{"id":624585990,"identity":"a1a55cd4-d063-4c92-8e5c-655acba88213","order_by":3,"name":"Alessandro Bonforte","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Volcanologia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alessandro","middleName":"","lastName":"Bonforte","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-03 23:53:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9316552/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9316552/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":107748504,"identity":"a1d70d82-bab9-4361-8966-3931ef45945a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-24 16:33:45","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1513795,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptEtnaVasquezetal2026.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9316552/v1_covered_9820ed6e-aa78-400a-81bd-38b2cd775da7.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Imaging magma ascent and discharge during the 2020-2022 paroxysmal activity at Mount Etna from geodetic data","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bulletin-of-volcanology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"buvo","sideBox":"Learn more about [Bulletin of Volcanology](http://link.springer.com/journal/445)","snPcode":"445","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/buvo/default2.aspx","title":"Bulletin of Volcanology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Volcano geodesy, Mount Etna, InSAR, GNSS, 3D surface deformation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9316552/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9316552/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eMount Etna has shown persistent summit activity in recent decades, with the South‑East Crater producing frequent lava fountains and explosive events. A phase of intense paroxysms began in December 2020, preceding two major paroxysmal sequences that lasted until February 2022, with 17 events in the first sequence (February\u0026ndash;March 2021) and 33 in the second (concentrated predominantly between May\u0026ndash;August 2021). To investigate the processes driving this activity, we analysed ground deformation recorded by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) between January 2020 and February 2022. The pre‑paroxysmal period exhibits a composite deformation field dominated by the eastward acceleration of the eastern flank and accompanied by deep (20\u0026ndash;30 km) and intermediate‑depth seismicity that we interpret as evidence of repeated magma injections. Our modelling identifies two distinct pre‑paroxysmal phases marked by upward migration of pressurised sources from ~\u0026thinsp;5.5 km to ~\u0026thinsp;4.2 km depth. During the paroxysmal sequences, Etna exhibited pronounced centripetal deflation centred on the summit. Sequence 1 produced strong, volcano‑wide deformation driven by rapid magma withdrawal from a shallow reservoir. Sequence 2 showed weaker but more complex deformation, reflecting overlapping contributions from shallow magma input, crystallisation, volatile exsolution and persistent flank slip. The temporal alignment between deep seismicity, compositional shifts towards more primitive magmas and geodetic source migration indicates a vertically stratified and dynamically connected plumbing system. Our results show that Etna\u0026rsquo;s 2020\u0026ndash;2022 paroxysmal cycle was driven by stepwise magma ascent from deep reservoirs to shallow levels, strongly modulated by flank kinematics and evolving storage conditions.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Imaging magma ascent and discharge during the 2020-2022 paroxysmal activity at Mount Etna from geodetic data","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-20 18:57:22","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9316552/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-08T06:38:16+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-07T21:05:50+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-22T21:11:04+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"68466084183597395355695978075344125271","date":"2026-04-16T23:55:15+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"318676071466319866323655206190978303854","date":"2026-04-13T22:06:18+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-13T09:27:36+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-07T22:50:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-04-07T22:49:51+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Bulletin of Volcanology","date":"2026-04-03T23:45:08+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bulletin-of-volcanology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"buvo","sideBox":"Learn more about [Bulletin of Volcanology](http://link.springer.com/journal/445)","snPcode":"445","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/buvo/default2.aspx","title":"Bulletin of Volcanology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"bb2c7fc9-e603-4523-b600-d201385d7013","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 20th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-08T06:38:16+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-07T21:05:50+00:00","index":15,"fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"in-revision","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-08T06:54:51+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-20 18:57:22","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9316552","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9316552","identity":"rs-9316552","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}