Geophysical and geodetic surveys for the characterization of the santa barbara mud volcano subsoil (Caltanissetta, Sicily): preliminary results.

Mud volcanism is common worldwide, about 1,100 mud volcanoes have been identified onshore (Milkov 2005). Sixty-one mud volcanoes have been identified in Italy, mainly located on thick sedimentary sequences within zones of active tectonic compression. Mud volcanoes are considered pseudo-volcanic manifestations, originating from the presence of natural gases under pressure in the subsurface. These gases tend to rise through preferential migrating pathways due to the presence of permeable rocks and/or lithological discontinuities, carrying water, mud, rock fragments and hydrocarbons as they ascend. This study presents the preliminary results of geophysics and geodetic field surveys involving the Santa Barbara mud volcano area, aimed at characterized its subsoil. The Santa Barbara mud volcano area is located in central sector of Sicily (Fig. 1a), on the eastern outskirts of the Caltanissetta district (Fig. 1b), at about 520 m a.s.l..