Fluid flow pattern within a buried volcanic structure, southeast tyrrhenian sea

Fluids flow pattern within sediments and the magmatic plumbing system, especially when combined, are one of main explored topics by scientific community during last decades. Here we explored this topic combining geophysical data and modelling of fluids with the observations and measurements in order to better analyze the volcanic structure, named Capo Vaticano Volcano, located offshore western Calabria (SE Tyrrhenian Sea). Fluid modelling was performed by using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software (ANSYS FLUENT) that uses as input the geometry of the area, derived by pre-stack depth migration of a multichannel seismic profile, and the geometry of magmatic body. Model results highlight the geothermal gradient and temperature distribution are mainly controlled by flow pattern, which in turn are affected by faults presence, by the shape of magmatic body and by the topography. Results strongly agree with observations as fluids clustering and no-permanent character of fluids escape. Thus, the geophysical modelling allowed us of possibility to analysis a deep process and compare it with shallow observations.