Water-Rock Interaction 2001, Cidu (ed.), 2001 Swets & Zeitlinger.

Lisse, ISBN 90 2651 824 2

Geochemical model of the phreatic system of Vulcano (Aeolian Islands,

Italy)

G.Cortecci
Dipartimento di Scienze delta Terra e Geologico-Ambientali, Universita di Bologna, Italy
T.Boschetti
Dipartimento di Scienze de/la Terra, Universita di Parma, Italy

ABSTRACT: Most thermal and cold waters from shallow wells in the Vulcano Porto plain were sampled in
June 1995, June 1996 and January-February 1997, and analysed chemically for major ions and isotopically
2
for & 0 , o H of water and o34S of dissolved sulfate. A few water samples were also analysed for the 87Sr/86Sr
18

ratio. When combined with relevant chemical and isotopic data on rocks, mineralizations and fumarolic gases,
the hydrogeochemical features from this study lead to a conceptual model by which the groundwaters at
Vulcano are ultimately mixtures, in quite variable proportions, of a meteoric component and a hydrothermal-
magmatic component. Minor contributions of seawater may be restricted to wells close to shoreline.

1 INTRODUCTION rocks at Vulcano (Cortecci et al. 1996). Preliminary

results from the 1995 sampling were published in
Vulcano Island (Aeolian archipelago in the southern Cortecci et al. (200 1).
Tyrrhenian Sea) is the site of an active volcano, its
cone being situated at a very short distance from the
Vulcano Porto plain where the studied groundwaters
come from (Fig. 1). Present-day activity is
manifested by fumaroles at the La Fossa crater (high
temperature gases, with C02, S02, H2S and HCl as
the major components in the dry fraction) and at the
Baia di Levante beach (low temperature gases, with
C02 and H2S as the major components in the dry
fraction). The last eruption took place in 1888-1890.
Volcanic rock deposits range from leucitic tephrites
to highly potassic trachytes, with some occurrences
of alkali-rhyolitic obsidian.
Many studies on the chemical and isotopic
compositions of the phreatic system of Vulcano
were carried out during the 1980s and 1990s, and
several genetic models were proposed. Controversial
is the i.nvolvement of seawater in feeding the
hydrologic system. In the present work, the chemical
and isotopic data acquired from water samples
collected during 1995 to 1997 from most of the
existing wells in the Vulcano Porto plain are O PlmEATIC-VOI.CAHIC
presented and a genetic model drawn out. The data WATal

include the sulfur isotopic composition of sulfate in

solution. This parameter is of particular relevance
* GEOTHERMAL WEU.

Figure 1. Map of Vulcano Porto area and location of studied

for assessing the role of seawater, its value in well waters. The latter are subdivided in three groups as
seawater sulfate being largely different from those of defined later on in the text. The dashed lines represent main
sulfur species in both fumarolic gases and volcanic structural lineaments (GabbianeUi et al. 1991 ).

795
 2 SAMPLING AND ANALYSES low in bicarbonate and have higher temperatures in
the range 44 to 74C. Steam-heated waters (2 1 to
Water from twenty-two to thirty-seven wells was 57C} are depleted in chloride, and fall within the
sampled in June 1995, June 1996 and January- mixing polygon delimited by bicarbonate-rich
February 1997, and analysed for the major chemical meteoric-phreatic waters and crater-type fumarolic
composition and the hydrogen (o2H) and oxygen sulfate-rich condensates, the sulfate in these latter
(o 180) isotopic composition of water and the sulfur deriving from complete oxidation of fumarolic S02
isotopic composition (o34S) of dissolved sulfate. and H2S. Seawater inputs may be concluded for
Some water samples were also analysed for the water samples close to the seawater point. These
87
Sr,Usr ratio. Sampling and analytical procedures samples refer to the Scarcella W20 well (June 1996)
and accuracies of measurements are reported in and the Camping Togo-Togo W34 well (June 1996),
Cortecci et al. (200 I). both situated close to the shoreline.
The relative concentrations of major cations are
shown in Figure 3. Most samples plot close to the
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION isochemical rock dissolution line relevant for
Vulcano, thus supporting the importance of this
3. 1 Chemical results
process in determining the chemical composition of
Most of the studied ground waters are rich in alkalies groundwaters. Waters appear to be immature, with
(especially sodium) and low in magnesium and W 19 and WO samples being the most immature and
calcium. The major anions ratio is shown in Figure the most mature, respectively. The application of the
2, where all samples lie outside the field expected Giggenbach's (1988) K-Mg thermometer to the WO
for mature (equilibrated) geothermal waters as water samples provides an equilibrium temperature
defined by Giggenbach (1988). of 190 4C. The Na-K-Mg composition of the
In the diagram, the majority of samples fall within a geothermal water may lie on the intersection
ternary m1xmg triangle, with endmembers between the K-Mg isothermal line at 190C,
represented by bicarbonate-meteoric water (W19; provided by the WO well, and the K-Na isothermal
Scrivio well) and local volcanic (hydrothermal- line at 250C estimated for the geothermal reservoir
magmatic) water, the latter with extreme sulfate to that probably exists beneath Vulcano (Cortecci et al.
chloride ratios as calculated from the chemical data 200 I and reference therein).
reported by Chiodini et al. (1995) for hydrothermal ln the diagram of Figure 4, main features are: (I)
and magmatic components of crater fumaroles. steam-heated waters are shifted towards higher K to
In the calculation, sulfate in volcanic waters is Na ratios and lower Mg to Ca ratios, as expected
assumed to be derived exclusively from complete from dissolution of advanced argillic alteration
disproportionation of the fumarolic S02. Named facies depleted in Mg relative to Ca, coupled with
phreatic-volcanic waters (14 to 41 C) are distinct
with respect to the sulfate-chloride waters which are

Cl

K/100

Figure 3. Trilinear diagram for cations (in ppm). Their relative

HCO, concentration values are compared with the nonequilibrium to
equilibrium fields as discussed by Giggenbach (1988). Stars
Figure 2. Triangular diagram for major anions (in ppm). For identify the amount of dissolved volcanic rock from Vulcano.
explanation of depicted fields, see text. Symbols as in Figure I. Other symbols as Figure I.

796
 20
s'Ht"<)
10
0.8

-10

-20

-30
02

..0
0.0 + - - -..---..---..---...---Qll)
00 02 08 08 1.0 -50
101</( IOKNa)

Figure 4. Mg-Ca-K-Na plot for studied waters. Symbols as in .<!()

-12 -8 -6 -3 0
Figure I. Average composition of volcanic rocks from the La
Fossa cone and the Lentia complex (big star) is from De Astis 18
Figure 5. olH vs 5 0 plot for well waters, compared to the
et al. ( 1997). Small stars refer to advanced argillic alteration isotopic fields of other relevant water types at Vulcano. Data
products from the volcanic cone (Fulignati et al. 1999). sources are: Bolognesi & D' Am ore (1993) for magmatic water,
Capasso et al. (1999) for fumarolcs, Cortecci et al. (2001, and
references therein) for geothennal water, and meteoric
leaching and/or cation exchange involving Na- precipitation. Symbols as in Figure I, with the exception of
minerals, and (2) water WO may be a mixture of open square relative to local rainwaters.
geotbermal water with a groundwater chemically
evolved after isochemical dissolution of v~lcanic
are within the range observed for gaseous species in
rocks. This interpretation may be also applied to W2
and W4 waters. the crater fumaroles, thus suggesting a mostly
volcanic origin of sulfur via hydrolysis of s~
32 Isotopic results oxidation of H2S. Waters W20 and W34 may be
ternary mixtures, composed by groundwater,
Inspection of the ~2H and ~ 180 data in Figure 5 seawater and occasionally diluiting meteoric water.
shows that most waters can be interpreted as almost
purely meteoric. Exceptions are some steam-heated
waters enriched in heavy isotopes probably by steam 4 CONCLUSIONS
separation at 140C (e.g. Bolognesi & D'Amore
1993), and the sulfate-chloride waters, which The chemical and isotopic data series acquired on
arrange along a mixing line between a meteoric the shallow groundwaters ofVulcano during 1995 to
component and a geothermal component. 1997 highlight a conceptual genetic model by which
Interestingly, well water W2 may be interpreted as
geothermal water mixed with a hypothetical largely
shifted steam-heated water.
Strontium isotope analyses were performed on the ..
bot waters WO and W2, and the cold waters W20,
W21 and W34. Following the approach ofPennisi et
al. (2000), the 87Sr/ 86Sr signature was used in
combination with the ~ 18 0 signature, in order to
evaluate the isotopic effects on water due to
interaction with rocks at 250C (Fig. 6). The main
....
~ tOrndMIM~ot

-~ ~ ~ Nto
_
results are (I) the geothermal reservoir at depth is f eoll!leMIIIW1411'

10
actually fed by fumarolic condensate after
interaction with rocks, rather than exchanged Figure 6. The strontium and oxygen isotopic composition of
meteoric water, and (2) seawater may be appreciably selected well waters, compared to the isotopic effects related to
present in well waters W20 and W34. water-rock interaction at 2S0C and for different water to rock
ratios (N; by volume). Symbols as in Figure I. Data on La
The sulfur isotopic composition of well waters Fossa and Lentia rocks are from De Astis et al. (1997). The
are shown in Figure 7, along with relevant data on S- 17
Srl"sr ratio of 0.70918 in sea water and rainwater was used in
hearing sources at Vulcano. The water ~34 S values the computation.

797
: ll
.000 i
Giggenbach, W.F. 1988. Geothermal solute equil ibra.
Derivation of Na-K-Mg-Ca geoindicator. Geochim.
Cosmochim. Acta 52: 2749-2765 .
- li UJ.U.W.WIIJllll.ll.W Pennisi, M., Leeman, W.P., Tonarini, S., Pennisi, A. & P.
-i Nabelek 2000. Boron, Sr, 0 , and H isotope geocbemistry of

:i ;
groundwaters from Mt. Etna (Sicily) - hydrologic
implications. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acto 64(6): 961-974.
'""
TOCIO j

~ l~_---:--~==~~[3~~~-----=~==~~::~~
.
Figure 7. Chemical and sulfur isotopic compositions of sui fate
ions, compared with a number of mi)(ing models involving
geothermal water, steam-heated water, local meteoric water (on
average 25 mgll SO/ and sJs
+0.2"-) and seawater (3050
mg/1 SOt and s,s
+20.2"-). Data on geothermal water are
from Cor1ecci et al. (200 1).

waters are ultimatly mixtures, in quite variable

proportions, of a meteoric component and an
hydrothennal-magmatic component. The latter is
largely prevailing in the hottest groundwaters of
sulfate-chloride type. The contributions of seawater
are very minor and restricted to wells close to the
shoreline.

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