Hidden danger boils below the ground
Source: Agencies |
August 4, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
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ACROSS the bay of Naples from Pompeii, where thousands were incinerated by Mount Vesuvius in AD79, lies a hidden "super volcano" that could kill millions in a catastrophe many times worse, scientists say.
The boiling mud and sulphurous steam holes of the area west of Naples known as the Campi Flegrei or Phlegraean Fields, from the Greek word for burning, are among Italy's major tourist attractions.
But the zone of intense seismic activity, which the ancients thought was the entrance to hell, could pose a danger of global proportions.
"These areas can give rise to the only eruptions that can have global catastrophic effects comparable to major meteorite impacts," said Giuseppe De Natale, head of a project to drill deep under the earth to monitor the situation.
One such meteorite impact is thought to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
Scientists plan to drill 3.5 kilometers below the surface to monitor the huge chamber of molten rock and give early warning of any eruption.
"Fortunately, it is extremely rare for these areas to erupt at their full capacity, as it is extremely rare for large meteorites to hit Earth," De Natale said.
"But some of these areas, in particular the Campi Flegrei, are densely populated and therefore even small eruptions, which are the most probable, fortunately, can pose risks for the population," De Natale said.
"That is why the Campi Flegrei absolutely must be studied and monitored."
However, the project has run into major opposition from some local scientists who say the drilling itself could cause a dangerous eruption or earthquake.
The Naples city council blocked the project in 2010 but it resumed on the site of an abandoned steel mill at Bagnoli, west of Naples, last month after the new mayor, Luigi De Magistris, gave the go-ahead.
The boiling mud and sulphurous steam holes of the area west of Naples known as the Campi Flegrei or Phlegraean Fields, from the Greek word for burning, are among Italy's major tourist attractions.
But the zone of intense seismic activity, which the ancients thought was the entrance to hell, could pose a danger of global proportions.
"These areas can give rise to the only eruptions that can have global catastrophic effects comparable to major meteorite impacts," said Giuseppe De Natale, head of a project to drill deep under the earth to monitor the situation.
One such meteorite impact is thought to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
Scientists plan to drill 3.5 kilometers below the surface to monitor the huge chamber of molten rock and give early warning of any eruption.
"Fortunately, it is extremely rare for these areas to erupt at their full capacity, as it is extremely rare for large meteorites to hit Earth," De Natale said.
"But some of these areas, in particular the Campi Flegrei, are densely populated and therefore even small eruptions, which are the most probable, fortunately, can pose risks for the population," De Natale said.
"That is why the Campi Flegrei absolutely must be studied and monitored."
However, the project has run into major opposition from some local scientists who say the drilling itself could cause a dangerous eruption or earthquake.
The Naples city council blocked the project in 2010 but it resumed on the site of an abandoned steel mill at Bagnoli, west of Naples, last month after the new mayor, Luigi De Magistris, gave the go-ahead.
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