Relationships between geodynamics of Northern Sicily (Italy) and volcanic activity at Vulcano Island (Aeolian Islands, Sicily, Italy) from GNSS and seismic data

We present an analysis of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and seismic data collected in the last decade in northeastern Sicily and the Aeolian Islands (Italy). During this period, La Fossa Caldera at Vulcano showed a significant phase of unrest since September 2021. Based on the analysis of GNSS time series and velocity fields, we found evidence of changes in the deformation pattern of the Peloritani area, which is located about 40 km south of Vulcano Island in northeastern Sicily. These changes occurred about seven months before the Vulcano unrest and were accompanied by an increase in seismic strain, which was released at increasingly shallower depths. This suggests a temporal correlation between the deformations detected in the Peloritani area and the volcanic activity of Vulcano Island, which was further investigated by analyzing another phase characterized by an increase in the areal variation measured at La Fossa Caldera in 2018. This study presents a new perspective for understanding the geodynamic, volcanic, and seismic phenomena in the investigated area, with particular attention to the Vulcan unrest between September and November 2021.