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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 31, L07615, doi:10.1029/2004GL019480, 2004

Carbon dioxide Earth degassing and seismogenesis in central and southern Italy

G. Chiodini

Osservatorio Vesuviano, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Naples, Italy


C. Cardellini

Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy


A. Amato

Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy


E. Boschi

Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy


S. Caliro

Osservatorio Vesuviano, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Naples, Italy


F. Frondini

Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy


G. Ventura

Osservatorio Vesuviano, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Naples, Italy


Abstract

We present the first regional map of CO2 Earth degassing from a large area (most of central and south Italy) derived from the carbon of deep provenance dissolved in the main springs of the region. The investigation shows that a globally significant amount of deeply derived CO2 (10% of the estimated global CO2 emitted from subaerial volcanoes) is released by two large areas located in western Italy. The anomalous flux of CO2 suddenly disappears in the Apennine in correspondence to a narrow band where most of seismicity concentrates. Here, at depth, the gas accumulates in crustal traps generating CO2 overpressurized reservoirs which induce seismicity.

Received 13 January 2004; accepted 16 March 2004; published 9 April 2004.

Index Terms: 1099 Geochemistry: General or miscellaneous; 1030 Geochemistry: Geochemical cycles (0330); 1040 Geochemistry: Isotopic composition/chemistry; 7299 Seismology: General or miscellaneous; 8120 Tectonophysics: Dynamics of lithosphere and mantle—general.

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Citation: Chiodini, G., C. Cardellini, A. Amato, E. Boschi, S. Caliro, F. Frondini, and G. Ventura (2004), Carbon dioxide Earth degassing and seismogenesis in central and southern Italy, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L07615, doi:10.1029/2004GL019480.