Massimiliano Cardone (MC) obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Geological Sciences (L-34) from the University of Catania in February 2019, presenting an experimental thesis in petrology focused on the lava products erupted from the Holuhraun lava field in Iceland during the 2014–15 eruption. Between October and December 2020, he completed an internship at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology – Catania Section, Etna Observatory (INGV-OE), where he processed GNSS data acquired from the Etna monitoring network of INGV-OE. In April 2021, he graduated cum laude with a Master’s degree in Geophysical Sciences (LM-79), presenting a multidisciplinary thesis aimed at defining the storage and transfer dynamics beneath Mount Etna during the 2011–17 period. Since October 2021, he has been pursuing a Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Catania. His research is based on a multidisciplinary approach that includes petrological analysis and modeling, the study of volcanic tremor, clinometric deformation observations, and gravity variations recorded at Etna during the 2020–22 paroxysmal sequence. The goal is to investigate magma ascent processes in the crust and the triggering mechanisms of the most energetic eruptions. During his Ph.D., he spent three months (September–December 2023) at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (France), where he deepened his gravimetric investigations related to the study period, with particular attention to long- and short-term variations associated with lava fountain events. The multidisciplinary approach adopted throughout his academic training has enabled MC to develop cross-cutting skills in volcanology, such as the management of geophysical and petrological datasets, the application of analytical techniques implemented through programming software (Matlab), and the ability to interpret magmatic processes based on results obtained from various disciplinary fields. Since November 2024, he has held a research fellowship within the “PRIN 2022 PNRR” program, as part of the project “Thermal model of Aeolian Islands for new perspectives of sustainable exploitation of geothermal resources” at the University of Catania.
• Research fellowship within the “PRIN 2022 PNRR” program, under the PE Macro-area “Physical Sciences and Engineering” – Sector PE10 “Earth System Science” and Subsector PE10_5, for the research project titled: “Thermal model of Aeolian Islands for new perspectives of sustainable exploitation of geothermal resources”, from November 4, 2024 – present.
Articles in Indexed International Journals (Total: 3)
- Giuffrida, M., Cardone, M., Zuccarello, F., Viccaro, M. (2023). Etna 2011–2022: Discoveries from a decade of activity at the volcano. Earth-Science Reviews, Vol. 245, 104563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104563
- Cardone, M., Cannata, A., Giuffrida, M., Iozzia, A., Minio, V., Viccaro, M., Gambino, S. (2024). Changing magma recharge/discharge dynamics during the 2020–22 lava fountaining activity at Mt. Etna revealed by tilt deformation and volcanic tremor. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, Vol. 449, 108074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2024.108074
- Visalli, R., Giuffrida, M., Cardone, M., Costa, G., Ortolano, G., & Viccaro, M. (2025). Image-assisted textural analysis of plagioclase crystals in volcanic rocks: an application to lavas erupted in 2021 at Pacaya volcano, Guatemala. Frontiers in Earth Science, 13, 1527797. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2025.1527797
Abstracts and Conference Proceedings (Total: 11)
- Cardone, M.; Cannata, A.; Gambino, S.; Iozzia, A.; Minio, V.; Viccaro, M. The 2020–22 lava fountaining at Mt. Etna: one eruptive sequence, two magmatic stories. A. Rittmann Conference, Catania, Italy, September 18–20, 2024 (oral presentation).
- Cardone, M.; Petrelli, M.; Viccaro, M. Trace element zoning in olivine crystals unveils short-term volcanic processes controlling the 2020–22 lava fountaining at Mt. Etna. A. Rittmann Conference, Catania, Italy, September 18–20, 2024 (poster presentation).
- Chindemi, A.; Cardone, M.; Costa, G.; Giuffrida, M.; Visalli, R.; Viccaro, M. Magma storage and transfer before the 2021 eruption at Pacaya volcano (Guatemala) as revealed by plagioclase textural and compositional variations. A. Rittmann Conference, Catania, Italy, September 18–20, 2024 (poster presentation).
- Cardone, M.; Cannata, A.; Gambino, S.; Iozzia, A.; Minio, V.; Viccaro, M. Deciphering magma dynamics controlling the 2020–22 lava fountain sequence at Mount Etna volcano using tilt deformation and volcanic tremor analysis. Cities on Volcanoes, Antigua, Guatemala, February 11–17, 2024 (oral presentation).
- Cannata, A.; Cardone, M.; Gambino, S.; Giuffrida, M.; Iozzia, A.; Minio, V.; Viccaro, M. Multi-disciplinary reconstruction of magma dynamics during the 2020–22 paroxysmal sequence at Mt. Etna volcano. Cities on Volcanoes, Antigua, Guatemala, February 11–17, 2024 (poster presentation).
- Cardone, M.; Cannata, A.; Gambino, S.; Giuffrida, M.; Iozzia, A.; Minio, V.; Viccaro, M. Changing magma recharge/discharge patterns throughout the 2020–22 lava fountaining activity of Mt. Etna. BeGeo Scientists Conference, Naples, Italy, October 3–6, 2023 (oral presentation).
- Cardone, M.; Giuffrida, M.; Zuccarello, F.; Viccaro, M. Petrology of the 2020–22 volcanic products at Mt. Etna: visualizing the magma plumbing system processes and their timescales. BeGeo Scientists Conference, Naples, Italy, October 3–6, 2023 (poster presentation).
- Giuffrida, M.; Cardone, M.; Zuccarello, F.; Viccaro, M. A 4D reconstruction of magma movements into the Etna plumbing system throughout a decade of eruptions at the volcano. Joint SIMP, SGI, SOGEI, AIV Congress, Potenza, Italy, September 19–21, 2023 (poster presentation).
- Cardone, M.; Cannata, A.; Gambino, S.; Giuffrida, M.; Iozzia, A.; Minio, V.; Viccaro, M. Patterns of tilt deformation and volcanic tremor reveal changing dynamics during the 2020–22 fountaining activity at Mt. Etna. Joint SIMP, SGI, SOGEI, AIV Congress, Potenza, Italy, September 19–21, 2023 (poster presentation).
- Giuffrida, M., Calcagno, R., Cardone, M., Torre, C., Zuccarello, F., Viccaro, M. Etna 2011–22: what we have learned from a decade of paroxysmal eruptions at the volcano. A. Rittmann Conference, Catania, Italy, September 29 – October 1, 2022 (co-author, oral presentation).
- Cardone, M., Giuffrida, M., Nicotra, E., Viccaro, M. Evidence for magma migration leading to the 2014–2015 fissure eruption at Holuhraun (Northern Rift Zone, Iceland). A. Rittmann Conference, Catania, Italy, October 12–14, 2020 (poster presentation).