Flegreyskie Fields

In addition to Ischia and Capri, the most famous geological objects in the vicinity of Naples are Flegreyskie fields, and their center-of Pozzuoli, a typical yuzhnoitalyansky port town. Landscape, they are often likened to the moon, but "on - the moon" Flegreyskie fields with their dozens of low-truncated volcanic cones appear only on a stylized relief map. In contrast to the large stratovolcano of Mount Vesuvius volcanic forces sprayed here to set short-term operating centers of eruption (formerly existed here as one big volcano tuff "right" - Flegrei. "The last vestiges of which is upland Camaldoli). Tuffs Flegreyskih Fields used as a valuable building material, and an excellent cement (putstsolap). The name "Flegreyskie Fields" ("last-minute field") is associated with volcanic terrain, which was known to the ancient inhabitants, apparently only because of solfatary, because only a historical time eruption occurred only in 1538, when 29 -30 September plains grew flat cinder cone of Monte Nuovo ("New Mountain"), height of 140 m and a diameter of 1 km. This is the youngest volcano of the European continent. In addition, it generally was the first time were able to observe the emergence of an entirely new volcano (it was later traced the birth of volcanic Parikutin in Mexico in 1943 and Surtsey in Iceland in 1963). Already used in October 1538 eruption stopped. Now the volcano Monte - Nuovo with its deep crater was overgrown with thick forest. The most notable item Flegreyskih Solfatara-Elysees, and now here even equipped campsite. Diameter almost flat circular bottom of this crater is approximately 300 m. The height of the shaft surrounding the crater, sometimes exceeding 100 m, it is difficult tuffs and just to the north - east-older trahitovoy lava (Monte - Olibano). Under the action of fumaroles, these rocks have repeatedly been modified (by staining and kaolinization). Bottom of the crater is covered with clay washed from the slopes of whitish material-byanchetto. Main hallmark solfatary from ancient times are the hot sulphurous vapors, or fumaroles, which whistled knocked out of the numerous cracks. Their temperature exceeds 150 °. The presence of vapor guides typically show, bringing to the crack of burning sheet of paper, the ionization of air and smoke contribute to the condensation of steam. Of the vapor is often precipitated yellow sulfur (sulfur on - Latin "Sulphur", hence the name "solfatara). Usually talk about solfatara volcanic activity, if the fumaroles contain sulfur. Where the pair make their way through the clay deposits, may be generated sources, pouring bubbling (temperature 100 °) mud. Solfatara differs sharply from other, often younger neighboring craters, fumarolic activity, very unstable, but not associated with fumarolic activity of Vesuvius. In contrast, boiling mud, apparently due to the earthquake, so when an earthquake 23 July 1930 solfatara threw clumps of dirt the size of 25 -30 cm at the height of 25 -30 m and the noise of bubbling mud was heard for 3 miles. From time to time solfatare mined sulfur and alum. In recent years, exploring the use of volcanic heat. Temperature in deep wells (1800 m) drilled in the volcanic formations, more than 270 °.