Analysis of the magnetic anomaly field of the volcanic district of the Bay of Naples, Italy

We here present and discuss the results of the analysis and qualitative interpretation of two magnetic surveys performed in the Bay of Naples in 1998 and 2000. A map of the Bay of Naples based on the data acquired during these surveys has already been published by the Italian CNR-IAMC Research Institute. We re-processed the same data to produce maps of the pole reduced, analytic signal and horizontal derivative data and correlated them with the bathymetry and the gravimetric data of the area. The analysis shows strong anomalies in the NW and NE volcanic areas of the Bay of Naples, while the central area seems magnetically quiet. In the Phlegrean area the maps clearly show the southern rim of the Phlegrean caldera and demonstrate that while the Magnaghi Canyon is correlated to gravimetric highs and magnetic structures, and can therefore be interpreted as an active lineament, most of Dohrn Canyon is not characterized by volcanic activity and does not correlate to any gravimetric or magnetic structures. An important round-shaped magnetic anomaly is for the first time identified in the central slope of the gulf between the two canyons, probably correlated to a large buried volcanic edifice. In the Vesuvian area some intense circular anomalies, aligned in the NNW-SSE direction, are localized in the Torre del Greco and Torre Annunziata offshore, related to the submerged part of Vesuvius and possibly connected to buried vents.