The volume and shape of the 1991–1993 lava flow field at Mount Etna, Sicily

Abstract

 The 1991–1993 lava flow is the most voluminous flow erupted at Mount Etna, Sicily, in over 300 years. Estimates of the volume obtained by various methods range from 205×10⁶ m³ (Tanguy 1996) to over 500×10⁶ m³ (Barberi et al. 1993). This paper describes the results of an electronic distance measurement (EDM)-based field survey of the upper surface of the 1991–1993 flow field undertaken in 1995. The results were digitised, interpolated and converted into a digital elevation model and then compared with a pre-eruption digital elevation model, constructed from a 1 : 25 000 contour map of the area, based on 1989 aerial photographs. Our measurements are the most accurate to date and show that the 1991–1993 lava flow occupies a volume of 231±29×10⁶ m³.