Next Article in Journal
When Relief Becomes Unstable: Analyzing the Role of Tensile and Hybrid Fractures in Maximum Escarpment Heights
Previous Article in Journal
Effects of Carnian Pluvial Episode on the Yanchang Formation Depositional Environment and Hydrocarbon Accumulation, Ordos Basin, China
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Geosciences
Volume 16
Issue 6
10.3390/geosciences16060225
geosciences-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Tectonic Control on Soil CO2 Emissions in an Active Volcanic System: Insights from Vulcano Island

by
Sofia De Gregorio
1,*,
Marco Camarda
1,
Giorgio Capasso
1,
Roberto M. R. Di Martino
1,
Antonino Pisciotta
1,
Vincenzo Prano
2 and
Giuseppe M. Riolo
1,3
1
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Palermo, 90146 Palermo, Italy
2
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Ambiente e della Terra, 20126 Milano, Italy
3
Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Dipartimento di Scienze di Base e Applicate, 85100 Potenza, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Geosciences 2026, 16(6), 225; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences16060225
Submission received: 21 April 2026 / Revised: 27 May 2026 / Accepted: 1 June 2026 / Published: 4 June 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Geochemistry)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Soil CO2 emissions are widely used to trace fluid circulation in the crust, as faults and fracture networks act as preferential pathways for fluid ascent from depth. Their spatial distribution may reveal tectonic lineaments controlling fluid migration, while temporal variations may reflect stress changes associated with seismogenic processes. In active volcanic systems, however, identifying tectonic influences is challenging because volcanic and hydrothermal activity can mask tectonically controlled signals. Vulcano Island is particularly suitable for investigating these interactions, as it is characterized by both persistent volcanic–hydrothermal activity and a tectonic setting shaped by major regional fault systems. In this study, we analyze continuous soil CO2 flux records and periodic surveys conducted over a fixed measurement grid during the last 20 years. Continuous records show that a clear tectonic signal is recognizable only at the Faraglione site, where the most pronounced increase in soil CO2 flux occurred after the 16 August 2010 M 4.8 earthquake. Spatial analysis reveals two anomalous phases following this event, in September 2010 and January 2011, both showing a NNW-SSE alignment consistent with the regional structural framework. Analysis of data collected during the 2021 unrest confirms that the tectonic framework exerts strong control on fluid release both during quiescence and during phases of enhanced volcanic activity.
Keywords: soil CO2 emission; tectonic control; fluid migration; Vulcano island soil CO2 emission; tectonic control; fluid migration; Vulcano island

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

De Gregorio, S.; Camarda, M.; Capasso, G.; Di Martino, R.M.R.; Pisciotta, A.; Prano, V.; Riolo, G.M. Tectonic Control on Soil CO2 Emissions in an Active Volcanic System: Insights from Vulcano Island. Geosciences 2026, 16, 225. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences16060225

AMA Style

De Gregorio S, Camarda M, Capasso G, Di Martino RMR, Pisciotta A, Prano V, Riolo GM. Tectonic Control on Soil CO2 Emissions in an Active Volcanic System: Insights from Vulcano Island. Geosciences. 2026; 16(6):225. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences16060225

Chicago/Turabian Style

De Gregorio, Sofia, Marco Camarda, Giorgio Capasso, Roberto M. R. Di Martino, Antonino Pisciotta, Vincenzo Prano, and Giuseppe M. Riolo. 2026. "Tectonic Control on Soil CO2 Emissions in an Active Volcanic System: Insights from Vulcano Island" Geosciences 16, no. 6: 225. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences16060225

APA Style

De Gregorio, S., Camarda, M., Capasso, G., Di Martino, R. M. R., Pisciotta, A., Prano, V., & Riolo, G. M. (2026). Tectonic Control on Soil CO2 Emissions in an Active Volcanic System: Insights from Vulcano Island. Geosciences, 16(6), 225. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences16060225

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop