Silvio Giuseppe Rotolo

Silvio Giuseppe Rotolo is a Full Professor in the Department of Earth and Marine Sciences at the University of Palermo's School of Basic and Applied Sciences. He maintains regular office hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 14:30 and teaches several advanced geological courses including Volcanic Petrology with Field Activities, Petrography, and Laboratory of Analytical Methods and Petrological Modeling for both Geological Sciences and Georisks and Georesources programs.

Professor Rotolo's research focuses on volcanology and petrology, with particular expertise in Mediterranean volcanoes including Pantelleria Island, Mt. Etna, Stromboli, and Mt. Vulture. His work examines magma evolution, explosive volcanic processes, ignimbrite formation, and mantle source characteristics. He employs advanced techniques including 40Ar/39Ar dating, melt inclusion analysis, paleomagnetic methods, and synchrotron-based measurements to investigate volcanic systems.

His recent publications reveal strong trends in peralkaline magmatism, particularly at Pantelleria Island, where he has conducted extensive research on the Green Tuff ignimbrite and the complex volcanological evolution of the island. He also investigates CO2-rich mantle processes, eruption dynamics at Etna and Stromboli, and the geochemical signatures of ocean island basalts in locations like Cape Verde. His work combines field observations with laboratory analyses to reconstruct volcanic histories and understand magma plumbing systems.

Professor Rotolo maintains active international collaborations, as evidenced by Erasmus agreements with institutions in Portugal (University of Coimbra), Spain (University of Salamanca), and Greece (University of Patras), where he serves as the contact person for geological exchange programs.

He supervises numerous teaching activities across multiple geological programs, with consistent student evaluations showing engagement in both theoretical and laboratory components of courses. His academic contributions span over 25 years, with publications ranging from experimental petrology to field-based volcanological studies across the Mediterranean region.