Radon enrichment in the volcanic plume of Etna
Anne Fornier
Anne Fornier
Source: CNRS INSU
Often measured in fumaroles and volcanic soils, radon – a radioactive gas produced by the decay of uranium – had never been measured in primary volcanic gases because of the difficulty of collecting it and its short half-life. This has now been achieved thanks to the work of researchers from Clermont-Ferrand and Italy. By equipping the summit of Mount Etna for more than five months with a novel device consisting of 70 passive dosimeters, they were able to draw up the first map of radon emanation around the central crater of the Sicilian volcano, the most active in Europe.
The effects on the climate
In addition to the preferential outgassing of radon through the soil in highly hydrothermalised and/or fractured areas, their study shows very high radon enrichments in the summit areas exposed to the prevailing wind, and thus to the gas plume continuously emitted by the active craters. This is the first time that the radon content of primary gases has been determined in this way, revealing radon activities of up to 550 Bq/m3.
Environmental and Health Impact
In addition to the potential environmental and health impact of such natural radioactivity levels, knowledge of radon activities in volcanic gases opens the door to future studies in gas geochemistry. The aim is to better understand the magmatic surface processes prior to eruption, as well as the characteristic time scales of degassing. In addition, this study shows in an unprecedented way that the radon activity in the Etna gas plume is likely to vary according to the eruptive intensity of the volcano. A first step towards using radon measured in the air as an eruption precursor signal?
Radon Activity in Volcanic Gases of Mt. Etna by Passive Dosimetry, J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 125.
Terray L., P.J. Gauthier, V. Breton, S. Giammanco, O. Sigmarsson, G. Salerno, T. Caltabiano et A. Falvard.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JB019149
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