Massimo Guidi

Bio: Massimo Guidi is an academic researcher from University of Florence. The author has contributed to research in topics: Geothermal gradient & Volcano. The author has an hindex of 13, co-authored 23 publications receiving 990 citations.

Fluid geochemistry of Montserrat Island, West Indies

Abstract: Two geochemical surveys carried out in March 1991 and September 1992 revealed the existence of a hydrothermal system in the southern portion of Montserrat Island, below Soufriere Hills Volcano. This conclusion is supported by the presence of: (a) the thermal springs of Plymouth which are fed by deep Na–Cl waters (Cl concentration ∼25 000 mg/kg, temperature ca. 250 °C) mixed with shallow steam-heated waters; (b) the four fumarolic fields of Galway's Soufriere, Gages Upper Soufriere, Gages Lower Soufriere, and Tar River Soufriere, where acid to neutral, steam-heated waters are present together with several fumarolic vents, discharging vapors formed through boiling of hydrothermal aqueous solutions. Involvement of magmatic fluids in the recharge of the hydrothermal aquifers is suggested by: (a) the high 3He/4He ratios of fumarolic fluids, i.e., 8.2 RA at Galway's Soufriere and 5.9 RA at Gages Lower Soufriere; (b) the δD and δ18O values of Na–Cl thermal springs and steam condensates, indicating the involvement of arc-type magmatic water in the formation of deep geothermal liquids; and (c) the CH4/CO2 ratios of fumarolic fluids, which are lower than expected for equilibrium with the FeO–FeO1.5 hydrothermal rock buffer, but being shifted towards the SO2–H2S magmatic gas buffer.

Geochemical and seismological investigations at Vulcano (Aeolian Islands) during 1978–1989

Abstract: Both geochemical and geophysical evidence indicates that the activity of the fumarolic system of the Fossa crater can be divided into two periods. From 1978 to 1983, such activity has been mainly controlled by two competing processes which affect the permeability of the fumarolic system at deep levels: (1) rock fracturing induced by faulting and (2) mineral deposition-alteration. The latter, which causes a slow decrease of the permeability at deep levels through clogging of fractures and voids, prevailed at the end of this period, determining a fluid pressure increment in the deep parts of the system. From 1984 to 1989, fluid pressure at deep levels remained persistently high, triggering local microseismic swarms. Furthermore, PT conditions much higher than before were attained in the zones where hydrothermal fluids seep into the conduits from lateral aquifers, owing to an uprising of the isotherms, a deepening of these seeping zones, or both.

Noble gases and volatile recycling at subduction zones

Abstract: Volatiles are lost from the Earth’s mantle to the atmosphere, hydrosphere and crust through a combination of subaerial and submarine volcanic and magmatic activity. These volatiles can be primordial in origin, trapped in the mantle since planetary accretion, produced in situ, or they may be recycled—re-injected into the mantle via material originally at the surface through the subduction process. Quantifying the absolute and relative contributions of these various volatile sources bears fundamental information on a number of issues in the Earth Sciences ranging from the evolution of the atmosphere and hydrosphere to the nature and scale of chemical heterogeneity in the Earth’s mantle. Noble gases have a pivotal role to play in addressing the volatile mass balance between the Earth’s interior and exterior reservoirs. The primordial isotope 3He provides an unambiguous measure of the juvenile volatile flux from the mantle (Craig et al. 1975). As such, it provides a means to calibrate other volatiles of geological and geochemical interest. A prime example is the CO2 flux at mid-ocean ridges (MOR): by combining estimates of the 3He flux at MOR with measurements of the CO2/3He ratio in oceanic basalts, Marty and Jambon (1987) derived an estimate of the CO2 flux from the (upper) mantle. The approach of using ratios (involving noble gas isotopes) has also been extended to island arcs. Marty et al. (1989) found significantly higher CO2/3He ratios in arc-related geothermal fluids than observed at mid-ocean ridges, consistent with addition of slab-derived CO2 to the mantle wedge. Sano and Williams (1996) scaled the CO2 flux to 3He, showing that the output of CO2 at subduction zones was comparable in magnitude to that at spreading ridges. Therefore, for CO2 at least, subduction zones also …

CO2 Degassing and Energy Release at Solfatara Volcano, Campi Flegrei, Italy

Abstract: In the present period of quiescence, the Solfatara volcano, 1 km far from Pozzuoli, releases 1500 t d−1 of hydrothermal CO2 through soil diffuse degassing from a relatively small area (0.5 km2). This amount of gas is comparable to that released by crater plume emissions of many active volcanoes. On the basis of the CO2/H2O ratio measured in high-temperature fumaroles inside the degassing area, we computed a total thermal energy flux of 1.19×1013 J d−1 (138 MW). Most of this energy is lost by shallow steam condensation and transferred to the atmosphere through the hot soil of the degassing area. The thermal energy released by diffuse degassing at Solfatara is by far the main way of energy release from the whole Campi Flegrei caldera. It is 1 order of magnitude higher than the conductive heat flux through the entire caldera, and, during the last 20 years, it was several times higher than the energy associated with seismic crises and ground deformation events. It is possible that changes in the energy flux from a magma body seated underneath Solfatara and/or argillification processes at relatively shallow depths determine pressurization events in the hydrothermal system and consequently ground deformation and shallow seismic swarms, as recorded during the recent episodes of volcanic unrest centered at Pozzuoli.

Tetraether membrane lipid distributions in water-column particulate matter and sediments: a study of 47 European lakes along a north-south transect

Abstract: We studied the distribution of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) in water-column particulate matter and the top 5 cm of sediment from 47 lakes along a transect from southern Italy to the northern part of Scandinavia. Our objective was to investigate the biological sources and potential palaeoenvironmental applications of GDGTs in lacustrine sediments. Both archaea-derived isoprenoid and bacteria-derived branched GDGTs, produced by yet unknown soil bacteria, were identified in all lake sediments. GDGT distributions varied substantially. Crenarchaeotal GDGTs, including the characteristic GDGT crenarchaeol, were found in varying relative concentrations, and were more dominant in lakes from the Alps and some of the lakes from the more southern part of the latitudinal transect. In some lakes, we observed high amounts of the GDGT with no cyclopentane moieties relative to crenarchaeol. As methanogenic Euryarchaeota are known to biosynthesise this GDGT predominantly, these Archaea, rather than Crenarchaeota, may be its dominant biological source. In most of the lakes, high amounts of soil-bacteria-derived, branched GDGTs (>40% of total GDGTs) indicated a substantial contribution from soil erosion. Branched GDGTs dominated, especially in the northern lakes, possibly related to high soil-erosion rates. In many of the lakes, soil input affects the distribution of isoprenoidal GDGTs and prevents the reliable application of the TEX86 temperature proxy for lake water temperature, which is based on in situ crenarchaeotal GDGTs production. In 9 out of the 47 lakes studied, the TEX86 temperature proxy could be used reliably. When we compared the TEX86 correlation with annual and winter lake-surface temperature, respectively, the relationship between TEX86 and winter temperature was slightly stronger. This may indicate the season in which these GDGT-producing organisms have their peak production.

Deep Carbon Emissions from Volcanoes

Abstract: Over long periods of time (~Ma), we may consider the oceans, atmosphere and biosphere as a single exospheric reservoir for CO2. The geological carbon cycle describes the inputs to this exosphere from mantle degassing, metamorphism of subducted carbonates and outputs from weathering of aluminosilicate rocks (Walker et al. 1981). A feedback mechanism relates the weathering rate with the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere via the greenhouse effect (e.g., Wang et al. 1976). An increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations induces higher temperatures, leading to higher rates of weathering, which draw down atmospheric CO2 concentrations (Berner 1991). Atmospheric CO2 concentrations are therefore stabilized over long timescales by this feedback mechanism (Zeebe and Caldeira 2008). This process may have played a role (Feulner et al. 2012) in stabilizing temperatures on Earth while solar radiation steadily increased due to stellar evolution (Bahcall et al. 2001). In this context the role of CO2 degassing from the Earth is clearly fundamental to the stability of the climate, and therefore to life on Earth. Notwithstanding this importance, the flux of CO2 from the Earth is poorly constrained. The uncertainty in our knowledge of this critical input into the geological carbon cycle led Berner and Lagasa (1989) to state that it is the most vexing problem facing us in understanding that cycle. Notwithstanding the uncertainties in our understanding of CO2 degassing from Earth, it is clear that these natural emissions were recently dwarfed by anthropogenic emissions, which have rapidly increased since industrialization began on a large scale in the 18th century, leading to a rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. While atmospheric CO2 concentrations have varied between 190–280 ppm for the last 400,000 years (Zeebe and Caldeira 2008), human activity has produced a remarkable increase …