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Location: 40.827° N, 14.139° E

Summit Elevation: 96 m

Cratere Solfatara Cratere Solfatara Solfatara is a shallow volcanic crater at Pozzuoli, west of

Naples, part of the Camp Flegrei volcanic area. The crater has a

diameter of approx. 770 m and has steep sides on three sides, in

the south, the border opens towards the city and the Gulf of

Naples. It is a dormant volcano, which still emits jets of steam with

sulfuros fumes. The name comes from the Latin, Sulpha terra,

"land of sulfur", or "sulfur earth". It was formed around 4000 years

ago and last erupted in 1198 with what was probably a phreatic

eruption - an explosive steam-driven eruption caused when

groundwater interacts with magma. Today the Solfatara is

characterized, especially in the eastern part, by numerous gas

excursions, named the Solfataren . At temperatures < 200 ° C

numerous other gases (eg. sulfur, antimony and mercury compounds) occur, besides water vapor (H2O), which can

also be clearly smelled. The Vesuvius Observatory regularly examines the chemical composition of the gases, the

change of which might indicate a new activity in the subsurface. Furthermore, three reflector pairs in the Solfatara are

used to perform satellite-based leveling measurements in order to recognize a bulging in connection with the rise of

the magma. The crater floor is a popular tourist attraction, as it has many fumaroles and mud pools. The area is well

known for its bradyseism (The gradual uplift or descent of part of the Earth's surface caused by the filling or emptying

of an underground magma chamber). The vapours have been used for medical purposes since Roman times.

(Wikipedia)

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