High resolution aeromagnetic anomaly map of Mount Etna volcano, Southern Italy

• First high resolution aeromagnetic anomaly map of Etna volcano
• Identification of magnetic domains corresponding to different structural areas
• Highlighting the geometry of an ancient sub-volcanic body
• Use of directional analysis to show preferential magnetic directions
• Magnetic anomalies are controlled by the morphology of the pre-volcanic basement

A high resolution aeromagnetic survey of Mount Etna Volcano was carried out by the Airborne Geophysics Science Team of Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), aimed at producing the most detailed magnetic anomaly map existing so far for this area. Two datasets of the total intensity of the Earth's Magnetic Field were collected at different altitudes to take into account the huge topographic variations of Etna volcano, that reaches elevations above 3300 m asl. One level was flown at the altitude of 2200 m whereas a second one over the central part, at about 3500 m of altitude. Since the region is characterized by a large presence of strongly magnetized volcanic products, the survey was carried out acquiring profile lines only, in order to optimize the resources. From the residual magnetic anomaly analysis we inferred two main trending lineaments (− 35°N and 0°N) that are related to regional tectonic stress field and we interpret the main magnetic anomaly as the effect of thickness variation of magnetized volcanic products due to the complex pre-volcanic basement morphology of Etna.