From mud volcanoes, such as those found in Emilia Romagna, new clues come about earthquakes. In particular, the rise of gases in the earth's crust helps to monitor the deformation of the rocks. This is indicated by the study conducted by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (Ingv) and the University of Palermo, published in the journal Scientific Reports and coordinated by Antonio Caracausi, of Ingv.
One of the mud volcanoes of Nirano and Regnano, near Modena (source: INGV)
The researchers studied the movements of helium, the lightest of the so-called noble gases, in the mud volcanoes of Nirano and Regnano, near Modena. "These are geological structures whose formation is linked to the emission of mud mixed with salt water and gas, including methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and helium", explained Caracausi. "Under certain conditions - he continues - the method with which gases go back through the earth's crust can give information on the deformation of rocks in the preparatory phase of earthquakes ".
Mud volcanoes of Nirano and Regnano, near Modena (source: INGV)
The authors of the study reconstructed 3D models of the gaseous reservoirs present in the crust beneath the mud volcanoes, which feed their activity. Their conclusion is that "the production of helium in the earth's crust generated by the natural decay of uranium and thorium, and its spread over time scales of even millions of years, may not be the main process that regulates the transfer of this gas through the Earth's crust towards the atmosphere ". According to experts, in fact, it can also be "determined by the deformation of rocky volumes, to which seismic phenomena can be associated".
