Insight into the processes driving volcanic activity through continuous gravity observations. Cases of study from Etna, Stromboli and Kilauea.

Temporal changes of the gravity field in volcanic zones are related to sub-surface mass redistributions, in response to magmatic processes. Gravity measurements offer important insights into volcanic activity that cannot be inferred from other datasets. Continuous gravity monitoring of volcanoes offers opportunities to characterize the rate at which volcanic processes occur, for example, rapid mass transfer between areas of magma storage and growing intrusions, convection within an active magma body or changes in the magma/gas ratio within the upper plumbing system of a volcano. Despite this important potential, continuous gravity measurements at volcanoes are relatively rare. Short-term (i.e., days- or monyths-long) continuous gravity experiments have been recorded at some volcanoes, including Merapi, Nisyros, Kilauea and Soufriere Hills Volcano. The only long-term (e.g., years-long) continuous monitoring, however, is performed at Mount Etna where continuous gravity measurements have been ongoing the early 2000s. In this talk I will show the potential of continuous gravity studies to provide new insight into the processes that drive volcanic activity, through cases of study from Etna, Kilauea and Stromboli.