Evolution of the magmatic plumbing system at Mt Etna: new evidence from gravity and magnetic data

New gravity and aeromagnetic data from Mt Etna volcano are presented which provide evidence for and constraints on relatively dense, high magnetizatio n bodies at shallow levels below the summit craters. These are modelled and interpreted in terms of dyke/ sill complexes, which may be the sites of sh ort-term magma storage. A similar but larger body with high density and hig h magnetization is modelled below the southern wall of the Valle de Bove an d may be the remnant of a prehistoric storage system. This body is close to the Valle del Bove, a major collapse feature, and may have influenced its geometry by buttressing and/or focusing zones of weakness.