The DEM of Mt. Etna: geomorphological and structural implications

A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of Mt. Etna is presented; it has altimetric and planimetric resolution of Im and 5 m, respectively, and covers an area of about 120 km(2). This 3-D view of Mt. Etna allowed both recognition and location of the main morphostructural and volcano-tectonic features of the volcano. A slope map has been generated from the DEM; on the basis of slop e distributions and surface textures, five acclivity domains have been reco gnized. The largest domain, south of the summit craters, reflects the occur rence of old plateau lavas, distinct from central volcanoes which built the present Etnean volcanic system. Interaction between the central volcanoes, with their summit calderas and failed slopes, produced the other recognise d domains. Furthermore, newly identified relevant morphostructural lines ar e discussed. (C) Elsevier, Paris.