CAMSIZER Particle Size Data from Explosive Paroxysms of Mt. Etna (2011–2025)

Mt. Etna in Catania, Italy, is an active volcano that has served as a natural laboratory for many volcanologists worldwide. Its paroxysms are unique eruptive events caused by a complex magmatic system that, despite being one of the most studied volcanoes, there is still an open field to contribute to the understanding of magma dynamics and degassing. This data set is a compilation of grain-size and shape measurements of 14 tephra samples of Mt. Etna. The tephra samples correspond to some of the most explosive cycles and events of the volcano from 2011 to 2025. The measurements were obtained using CAMSIZER through the ILGE TNA grant funding at INGV sezione di Catania. This dataset is the basis for a research project investigating the controls on the volume of gases and magma emitted during an eruption of Mt. Etna. This publication results from work conducted under the transnational access/national open access action at Sedimentology Laboratory – INGV sezione di Catania supported by WP3 ILGE - MEET project, PNRR - EU Next Generation Europe program, MUR grant number D53C22001400005.

Samples were obtained through collaboration between the University of Georgia and INGV. Samples correspond to tephra particles collected by Daniele Andronico and Dr. Rosanna Corsaro during field expeditions that occurred after each of the events. Samples were dried in a laboratory oven at 60 degrees Celsius for at least 48 hours. Then, each sample was analyzed using CAMSIZER, an opto-electronic instrument that measures and analyzes grain sizes, shapes, and transparency properties of free-flowing material. Here, each dried sample set is dropped into a funnel, which produces vibrations that allow the material to flow and be dropped into a rectangular chamber with two cameras, one opposed to the other, which captures the geometry of each particle. The CAMSIZER software generates an Excel file with the average class size and the geometrical properties of each analyzed sample.