The contribution of synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography to understanding volcanic processes

A series of computed microtomography experiments are reported which were performed by using a third-generation synchrotron radiation source on volcanic rocks from various active hazardous volcanoes in Italy and other volcanic areas in the world. The applied technique allowed the internal structure of the investigated material to be accurately imaged at the micrometre scale and three-dimensional views of the investigated samples to be produced as well as three-dimensional quantitative measurements of textural features. The geometry of the vesicle (gas-filled void) network in volcanic products of both basaltic and trachytic compositions were particularly focused on, as vesicle textures are directly linked to the dynamics of volcano degassing. This investigation provided novel insights into modes of gas exsolution, transport and loss in magmas that were not recognized in previous studies using solely conventional two-dimensional imaging techniques. The results of this study are important to understanding the behaviour of volcanoes and can be combined with other geosciences disciplines to forecast their future activity.