The morphostructural setting of Mount Etna sedimentary basement (Italy): Implications for the geometry and volume of the volcano and its flank instability

摘要: Abstract The reinterpretation of more than 2500 subsurface data, consisting geoelectric and borehole prospecting undertaken at Mount Etna, allows reconstructing the contour map sedimentary basement. This reconstruction highlights a complex asymmetric topography due to inhomogeneous long-term updoming region interrelationship between development drainage network flank instability. These different processes have produced major morphological difference eastern sector, characterised by 17 km-wide horseshoe-shaped depression, other flanks formed palaeovalleys. origin wide depression can be attributed large-scale instability involving entire continental margin in Etna offshore. basement was generated series coalescent landslides before beginning eruptive activity Timpe phase 220 ka ago. is main cause that gravitational slope failures Valle del Bove about 10 ka Regarding Mt Etna's geometry, we estimated total volume 532 km3 emplaced during past 330 ka, resulting an average rate volcanic output 0.0016 km3/a. temporal variation drastic increase volcanism last 100 ka response gradual stabilization plumbing system led build-up composite stratovolcano structure. data presented this paper represent state knowledge which used for future studies aimed developing detailed understanding deep structure volcano's unstable flanks.