  On 5 July 2014, an eruptive fissure opened on the eastern flank of Etna
volcano (Italy) at ~3.000 m a.s.l. Strombolian activity and lava effusion
occurred simultaneously at two neighbouring vents. In the following weeks,
eruptive activity led to the build-up of two cones, tens of meters high, here
named Crater N and Crater S. To characterize the short-term (days) dynamics of
this multi-vent system, we performed a multi-parametric investigation by means
of a dense instrumental network. The experimental setup, deployed on July
15-16th at ca. 300 m from the eruption site, comprised two broadband
seismometers and three microphones as well as high speed video and thermal
cameras. Thermal analyses enabled us to characterize the style of eruptive
activity at each vent. In particular, explosive activity at Crater N featured
higher thermal amplitudes and a lower explosion frequency than at Crater S.
Several episodes of switching between puffing and Strombolian activity were
noted at Crater S through both visual observation and thermal data; oppositely,
Crater N exhibited a quasi-periodic activity. The quantification of the
eruptive style of each vent enabled us to infer the geometry of the eruptive
system: a branched conduit, prone to rapid changes of gas flux accommodated at
the most inclined conduit (i.e. Crater S). Accordingly, we were able to
correctly interpret acoustic data and thereby extend the characterization of
this twovent system.
