TeMaS sponsored a field trip to Vulcano, Italy

Halogens (F, Cl, Br, I) are important volatile components in magmas, in addition to H2O, CO2 and S. Their extremely high chemical activity in melts and fluids leads to a significant influence on the properties of magmas, on magma degassing, on the extraction, transport and deposition of metals as well as on the chemistry of volcanic emissions and composition of atmosphere. The major goal of this project is an understanding of halogen behaviour in magmatic systems from source to eruption and a development of sampling and analytical tools allowing for reconstruction of magmatic evolution. The main challenge is, however, the very low concentration of bromine and iodine in magmas, requiring special sampling efforts and development of sensitive and reliable analytical methods. We led a field excursion to Vulcan, Italy, and did a test flight of the new TeMaS drone DJI Matrice M210-V equipped with a reactive halogen sampling unit (denuder sampling).

Test flight of the TeMaS drone over Vulcano:

Heatmap of the CO2 concentration measured with the TeMaS drone during a test flight at Vulcano (total flight duration about 30 minutes):