Emplacement of the Rocche Rosse rhyolite lava flow (Lipari, Aeolian Islands)

The Rocche Rosse rhyolite lava flow on Lipari, part of the UNESCO-listed Aeolian Islands, reveals a complex multi-stage emplacement history shaped by cooling, crust formation, and underlying topography. This study identifies five distinct stages of deformation, from initial extrusion to brittle faulting post-termination, marked by small to large-scale folding, channel development, and lobe formation. The flow's viscous nature (10^8 to 10^10 Pa s) preserves structural evidence, including foliation dipping at angles up to 50°, tension gashes, and conjugate fractures, with heterogeneous deformation increasing asymmetry downflow due to cooling and stagnation. A steeper mid-flow topography induced channeling and fold superimposition, offering a fluid dynamic framework comparable to active rhyolitic flows in Chile's Chaitén and Cordón Caulle volcanoes.

Bullock, L. A., Gertisser, R., & O’Driscoll, B. (2018). Emplacement of the Rocche Rosse rhyolite lava flow (Lipari, Aeolian Islands). Bulletin of Volcanology, 80(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-018-1222-4