Deformations and slope instability on Stromboli volcano: Integration of GBInSAR data and analog modeling

To understand the relationship between volcano deformations, magma overpressure and flank instability, the results of analog experiments of slope instability and ground deformations, recorded by the GBInSAR system on the western flank of the Stromboli volcano during the period 2009-2011 have been analyzed. Analog experiments that consider both the external (accumulation on the slope) and the endogenous (intrusion-related bulging) trigger phenomena. The effect of accumulation on the sub-aqueous slope on the initiation of sub-marine mass movements has been analyzed. By combining the monitoring data with analog modeling, the observed deformations from the combined action of overpressure in the volcanic system and gravity have been related. The results suggest that the superficial movements observed by the GBInSAR system represent the response of the Stromboli volcano to overpressure changes in the conduit. The movements observed on the Sciara del Fuoco were slope instability phenomena where the gravitational component produced a constant creep, while changes in the magma overpressure explain why certain periods are characterized by accelerations, which induce instability on the external flanks of the crater area and in the Sciara del Fuoco and eventually promote failure of the volcanic slopes. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.