3D Naples Campi Flegrei deep

In 2016, a low-frequency 3D MCS dataset has been collected on the Italian R/V  Minerva as part of a cooperation between MTU and IAMC (Naples) to gain a detailed 3D understanding of the deeper subsurface (2-3 km depth) of the Campi Flegrei Caldera (CFc), with particular focus on the identification of hydrothermally or magmatically altered zones, escape pathways as well as the caldera’s architecture.

To achieve that, a full 3D low-frequency dataset of 156 profiles was acquired. Ultimately, the project’s outcomes will provide the ideal foundation for the final adjustment of the marine drilling locations and for the spatial extrapolation and linkage of ICDP-IODP drilling results. This dataset is the first of its kind, thereby holding the potential to provide fundamentally new insights into the caldera’s geometry as well as the geological manifestation of hydrothermalism and magmatism. In fact, the existence of the 3D deep-penetrating MCS dataset was enthusiastically received by the 2017 Magellan Workshop’s participants as it offers a unique window on the deep.

The aims and objectives of the project are mainly to understand the processes behind caldera unrest, and several advances are necessary including a better understanding of (1) the overall volcanic history of each caldera, (2) the caldera’s structural framework and its control on magma ascent, as well as (3) gas budgets and the effect of hydrothermalism at calderas.