Mount Etna Scanned

Sicily's tallest peak, Mount Etna, got its first semi CAT scan. The seismic tomography technique layers many images to create a three-dimensional image of spatial changes over time within the volcano's volume of rock.

Detailed seismic data collected on Mt. Etna before and after a violent 2002 outburst clearly show gas-rich magma rising up in the volcano a few months before it erupted in fountains of fire and explosive sprays of debris.

Images created with this technique revealed the appearance of strange low-velocity zones, indicating a new batch of magma filled with explosive carbon dioxide gas, on the volcano's flank months prior to eruption.

This knowledge could be used to better monitor and plan for eruptions, researchers say in the Aug. 11 issue of the journal Science.

--LiveScience Staff

• Amazing Images: Photos You Submit
• Image Galleries: Science All Around You
• Videos: Science and Nature in Action

Credit: Science