Hydrothermal weakening and slope instability at Vulcano (Italy) analyzed using drones and in-situ strength measurements.

ABSTRACT: Instability at volcanic edifices poses significant hazards, yet the processes driving rock weakening, particularly on steep, eroding flanks, remain poorly understood due to limited accessibility. Hydrothermal alteration is a key factor in weakening volcanic rocks, contributing to edifice destabilization and flank instability. La Fossa cone (Vulcano, Italy) provides an ideal setting for this study, with accessible hydrothermal alteration at the crater rim and similar alteration along inaccessible flanks that have a recent history of mass wasting. Here, we developed an integrated methodology combining drone photogrammetry with in situ Schmidt hammer testing to derive an empirical alteration-to-strength relationship for the crater rim and applied this knowledge to alteration sites on inaccess

SUBMITTER: De Jarnatt BF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12764430 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature