Teami:

CASTORINA Francesca
DALLAI Luigi
GAETA Mario
PALLADINO Danilo
PERINELLI Cristina
SOTTILI Gianluca

Topics:

Stable Isotopes Geochemistry

• Geochemical and isotopic characterization of mineral, gaseous, and fluid phases;
• Isotopic investigation of W/R ratios and paleoclimatic implications from hydrothemally altered proxy records;
• Geochemical and isotopic characterization of volcanic series to evaluate the hazard related to the carbonate-rock interaction.
  Isotopic investigation (O, H) about the nature of fluids in hydrothermal systems;
• Paleo-environmental study through cave carbonate concretions and fossil organic material. 
• Isotopic characterization of mineralizing fluids;
• Isotopic investigations on the origin and evolution of K-alkaline and carbonatitic magmas;
• isotopic characterization of soils and food traceability;
• Sr Isotopes stratigraphy;
• Isotopic studies applied to provenancing and valorization of cultural heritage.

Study Areas 

• Central Italy
• Sardinia
• Sicily
• Antarctica

Volcanology

Main field of research: physics of volcanic eruptions, field volcanology,  tephrochronology, magmatology, experimental petrology.
Integrated approach for the reconstruction of the eruptive history of volcanoes; structural, geological and petrological survey of volcanic areas; stratigraphy, geochronology, petrography, geochemistry and isotope geochemistry of volcanic terrains; studies on secondary volcaniclastic during intereruptive periods with implications on palaeoclimatic and sea-level fluctuations. 
Dynamics of explosive volcanic eruptions: mechanisms, transport and deposition of pyroclastic density currents; Plinian eruptions parametrization; mechanisms of bubble nucleation and growth and magmatic and hydromagmatic fragmentation; role of volatiles during explosive eruptions; water-magma and CO2-magma interaction during mafic exposive eruptions. 
Evolution of calderas and maar-diatreme systems; dynamics of caldera forming eruptions. 
Experimental petrology on the origin and evolution of alkaline magmatism in the Roman Province, Miocene calcalkaline (Sardinia) and aetnean magmatism. 
Volcanic hazard assessment at Somma-Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei, Colli Albani, Monti Sabatini and Mt. Etna in light of volcanological, petrological, geochemical, geochronological, geotechnical, geoarchaeological and numerical modelling data; investigations about the asbestos-induced toxicity in the Mt. Etna area. 
Physical parameterization of Strombolian eruptions via experimentally-validated modeling of high-speed, thermal infrared and acoustic measurements
External forcings on seismic and volcanic activities by tidal forces. Spatial-temporal patterns of major explosive eruptions and their effects on global climate.

Magmatology
Research line on Coll Albani magmas
For more than 20 years, volcanologist of the Earth Science Department of Sapienza have been studying the magmas of the Colli Albani volcanic district from which many of the rocks present in the Roma substrate were formed. Most of these rocks are pyroclastites or leucitic lavas whose microtexture is shown in the photos taken under the optical microscope on rock thin sections. Photo (a) shows the scoria present in the Tufo del Palatino erupted at 530 ka in the Colli Albani. The microtexture of the scoria is vitrophyric as it has abundant glass (vetro in photo) and is characterized by star-like leucites. This habit indicates a high growth rate of leucite which is favored by the viscosity of the liquid phase of the magma which is relatively low (104 Pa • s at 1000 ° C) due to the high content in alkali and low in silica (K-foiditic composition in the TAS diagram). Photo (b) shows the micro-texture of a hypoabyssal rock of the Colli Albani where the interaction between magma (vetro + Cpx = clinopyroxene in photo) and sedimentary carbonates (Cc = calcite in photo) is evident. This process is at the origin of the low SiO2 content (<47 wt%) of the K-foiditic magmas of the Colli Albani whose crystallization often end with the formation of magmatic calcite in the lava groundmass (photo c). The peculiar textural and chemical features of the Colli Albani rocks, widely used in ancient Roman buildings (photo d: Servian Walls in Tufo del Palatino at Stazione Termini; photo e: pavement of Via Appia in calcite-bearing leucitite), are unique on a terrestrial scale.