The Phlegraean Fields, a supervolcano located near Naples, Italy, with an appropriately majestic name, is showing some signs of life — which is not great for locals, as this particular supervolcano is known to spit out an incredible amount of carbon dioxide, so much that the region is among the world’s top eight sources of volcanic CO2.
This hotspot in particular, the Solfatara crater, has been showing signs of activity since 2005. The rising level of gas emissions has since gained the attention of volcanologists like Gianmarco Buono, whose team is trying to find the exact source of these emissions to help distinguish between the CO2 released from magma and CO2 released from other geological processes. If their research can distinguish between the two, it would constitute a major breakthrough in the field of volcanic monitoring.
A supervolcano’s eruption is thousands of times more powerful than that of a regular volcano, capable of ejecting more than 1000 cubic kilometers of lava, ash, and other materials. It goes without saying that an eruption of that magnitude could have serious effects on the global climate, not to mention wiping out the surrounding area.
We have a supervolcano here in the United States at Yellowstone National Park. Some people are absolutely terrified that if that one blows, humanity is done for.
Thankfully, supervolcano eruptions are rare, especially if a volcano has been showing signs of activity for several years. As it stands, the Solfatara crater emits 4,000 to 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide a day—roughly equivalent to burning 500,000 gallons of gasoline every day.
Buono and his team, in a paper recently published in the scientific journal Geology, say that 20 to 40 percent of this carbon dioxide comes from the dissolution of calcite in nearby rocks, while the remaining 60 to 80 percent comes from magma churning deep below the surface, just waiting to erupt. Fingers crossed it stays there.
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The post An Italian Volcano on Steroids Is Showing Signs of Life. It’s Probably Fine. appeared first on VICE.
