The stress field beneath a quiescent stratovolcano: The case of Mount Vesuvius

We interpreted the diðerence in the stress pattern within the two volumes as the eðect of a mechanical decoupling caused by the aforementioned ductile layer. The stress pattern in the top volume is dominated by a reverse faulting style, which agrees with the hypothesis of a seismicity driven by the spreading process. This agrees also with the persistent characterof the seismicity located within this volume. Conversely, the stress field determined for the deep volume is consistent with a background regional field locally perturbed by the eðects of the topography and of heterogeneities in the volcanic structure. Since the seismicity of the deep volume shows an intermittent behavior and has shown to be linked to geochemical variations in the fumaroles of the volcano, we hypothesize that it results from the eðect of fluid injection episodes, possibly of magmatic origin, perturbing the pore pressure within the hydrothermal system.