SAA, 1st version - Net!Works

eMobility – Strategic Applications AgendaAnnex CHistorically many scientists studying eruptions from unsafe places suffered serious injuries. In the last decadealone, due to both the unpredictable timing and to the magnitude of volcanic phenomena, several volcanologistshave died surveying eruptions.The improvement in the working conditions for volcanologists that are directly involved in the monitoring ofdangerous eruptive activity will enhance the systematic study of these phenomena for which until now data arenot yet available.Another important aspect to be considered concerns the improvement in the anticipatory capability of thevolcanic activity by way of continuous updating during eruptive phenomena also when they become verydangerous for volcanologists.This could improve volcanic risk assessment contributing to an integrated risk management system for obtainingan almost real-time early warning, useful to Civil Protection authorities to inform and protect citizen fromdangerous volcanic eruption consequences. This will lead to huge savings in potential losses caused by damageto buildings, land, equipment, livestock and injury to humans.From this point of view the proposed project will contribute to achieve a very important social objective of theCommunity: the improving of the safety, and in general the quality of life, of the people living around activevolcanoes located in the European countries.Technical ApproachThe main innovative aspect of this project is the possibility of taking measurements during volcanic eruptions andthe development of a robotic system for the exploration of one of the most difficult environments on the surfaceof the Earth. Measurement activities and sampling near active eruptive vents are normally not possible because ofthe extremely dangerous operative conditions due to both the unpredictability of volcanic activity and the veryharsh environmental conditions. Up to date only a few observations close to active vents have been reported.They are related to unusually safe conditions or unscrupulous persons that run strong risks and sometime sufferserious personal injuries. However, only gas and lava sampling close to eruptive vents has been reported,probably due to the difficulties to operate with complex instrumentation.Close to active eruptive vents the measurement and sampling processes are fundamental in volcanology andprogress has been mainly in three fields: magmatic gas geochemistry, physical modelling of magma degassing,and stability assessment of the craters and domes. Even if several volcanological and geophysical topics willbenefit from these data, we highlight the main contribution of the robot-aided fieldwork to the above mentionedtopics.Magmatic gas geochemistry: due to the rapid mixing between the gas released by the magma and atmosphere itis quite difficult to make accurate measurements of the quantity of some gas species produced by volcanoes thatare abundant also in the atmosphere. In particular the CO2 released during the eruption could contributesignificantly to the global warming of the planet. Accurate measurement of this during the eruption of basalticmagma, in which it is more abundant, will help to better discriminate natural and human activity contributions ofthe CO2 increase in the atmosphere.Physical modelling of magma degassing: dynamics of the gas bubbles that rise up in the magma and disrupt atthe surface drives all eruptions. Its modelling depend on the geophysical data collected close to the disruptingsurface where the bubbles burst. This process is very frequent in active craters of the basaltic volcanoes whereexplosive activity is produced. Unfortunately it observation and measurement is often prevented by the funnelshaped geometry of the volcanic vents, so a very close approach with specific instrumentation (stereo cameras,Doppler-radar, etc.) is necessary to collect these data.Stability assessment of the craters and domes: active volcanic crater and dome structures are subject to a rapidgrowth during an eruption and often collapse under their own weight and due to endogenous forces. Domecollapses produce very dangerous pyroclastic flows and surges. Crater collapses block the erupting vent and canproduce large explosions due to gas overpressures inside. The measurement of the instability of craters anddomes will be very useful to forecast dangerous eruptive phenomena, however due to the unpredictability ofthese collapses fieldwork is not possible without a robot.In known, published literature, there is only one example of a robot specifically developed for volcanoexploration, Dante II. Dante II is a frame walking robot designed at CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) FieldRobotics Center (FRC) for Volcano explorations. In particular it was tested on Mt. Spurr volcano (Alaska) in July1994.209