Post-collapse volcanic history of calderas on a composite volcano: an example from Roccamonfina, southern Italy

Roccamonfina, part of the Roman Potassic Volcanic Province, is an example of a composite volcano with a complex history of caldera development. The main caldera truncates a cone constructed predominantly of this caldera may have been associated with one of the ignimbritic eruptions of the Brown Leucitic Tuff (BLT) around 385 000 yr BP. The Campagnola Tuff, the youngest ignimbrite of the BLT, however, drapes the caldera margin and must postdate at least the initial stages of collapse. During the subsequent history of the caldera there were several major explosive eruptions. The largest of these was that of the Galluccio Tuff at about 300 000 yr BP. It is likely that there was further collapse within the main caldera associated with these eruptions. It is of note that despite these subsequent major explosive eruptions later collapse occurred within the confines of the main caldera. Between eruptions caldera lakes developed producing numerous lacustrine beds within the caldera fill. Extensive phases of phreatomagmatic activity generated thick sequences of pyroclastic surge and fall deposits. Activity within the main caldera ended with the growth of a large complex of basaltic trachyandestite lava domes around 150 000 yr BP. Early in the history of Roccamonfina sector collapse on the northern flank of the volcano formed the northern caldera. One of the youngest major events on Roccamonfina occurred at the head of this northern caldera with explosive activity producing the Conca Ignimbrite and associated caldera. There is no evidence that there was any linkage in the plumbing systems that fed eruptions in the main and northern calderas.