Bay of Naples... |
The Bay of Naples is a must visit location for people with an interest in geology, and especially its impact on Man in historically recorded times.
Towering over the bay is the majestic volcano Vesuvius, best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the burying and destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as several other settlements which we visited on our trip
Vesuvius has a distinctive "humpbacked" appearance, it consists of a large cone (Gran Cono) partially encircled by the steep rim of a summit caldera caused by the collapse of an earlier and originally much higher structure called Mount Somma. The Gran Cono was produced during the A.D. 79 eruption. Most rocks erupted from Vesuvius are andesite, an intermediate volcanic rock (about 57-63% silica). Andesite ia a range of fine-grained, extrusive igneous rocks that are usually light to dark gray in color and often weather to various shades of brown. In recent times eruptions like Mount St. Helens and Mount Pinatubo were produced by andesitic magmas which no doubt helps people understand the type of eruption that happened here in AD 79.
You can see that structure of a new cone built on the remnants of an older volcano in this countour based model which was on display at Oplontis when we visited
According studies, the eruption of Vesuvius of 79 AD unfolded in two phases: a Plinian eruption that lasted eighteen to twenty hours and produced a fall of pumice and ash southward of the volcano that accumulated up to depths of 2.8 metres (9 ft 2 in) at Pompeii, followed by a pyroclastic surge that reached as far as Misenum but was concentrated to the west and northwest. Two pyroclastic surges engulfed Pompeii, burning and asphyxiating the stragglers who had remained behind. Oplontis and Herculaneum received the brunt of the surges and were buried in fine ash, pumice, lava fragments and pyroclastic deposits. The eruption is historically recorded as being on on August 24, but Archaeological evidence suggests it was later in the year when the Weather was colder
Pompeii and Herculaneum contain many wonderful fascinating and emotional exibits and of course key amongst these are the remains of people and animals which were killed by the eruptions. I have included pictures of these not intending for gratitous entertainment, but to show respect for them as people in terror and to also respect the the scientifc value of studying such remains. They are near the end of that section so if you would prefer not to see them please skip those slides
Oplontis is popularly believed to be the villa built by the Emperor Nero as a wedding present for his second wife, Poppea. As with other Roman sites in the area, such as Herculaneum and other villas, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried it under a deep layer of ash in AD 79
The Boscoreale Villa and Antiquarium complex contains the remains of Villa Regina, This rustic villa was discovered in 1977 and has been preserved in its complete state as buried 8m below ground level. The villa is a working farm rather than a luxurious estate. It does have some wonderful frescoes. At ther site there is also an archaeological museum dedicated to this and other ancient sites - including Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. There are a relatively small number of quality exhibits and it is well worth a short visit
The Amalfi coast is a wonderful place to take a leasurely drive and stop and admire scenery. When you get to Amalfi it is well worth a visit to the main street, the Piazza del Duomo and to the Cathedral (Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea) which is a 9th-century Roman Catholic cathedral
Solfatara is a shallow volcanic crater at Pozzuoli, near Naples, part of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area. It is a dormant volcano which means to me that it is still quite capable of going off and I would not like to be in this part if Itlay if it ever does. The name comes from the Latin, Sulpha terra, "land of sulfur". It was formed around 4000 years ago and last erupted in 1198
The Temple of Serapis as it is known to geologists is actually the The Macellum (market building) of Pozzuoli of the Roman colony of Puteoli, now the city of Pozzuoli in southern Italy. it is famouns because a band of borings by marine bivalves on three standing marble columns proved that these columns had remained upright for centuries while the site sank below sea level and then re-emerged.
This eventually led to the identification of bradyseism in this area, showing that the Earth's crust could be subject to gradual movement without destructive earthquakes. Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology of 1830 featured as its frontispiece an illustration of the columns and a detailed section discussing their significance. He proposed slow and steady geological forces which we now term Bradyseism which is the gradual uplift or descent of part of the Earth's surface caused by the filling or emptying of an underground magma chamber and/or hydrothermal activity, particularly in volcanic calderas.
I find the walkways around the streets to be fascinating and I wonder if these are in reaction to a dropping of the land whilst the market was still in use
Naples Museum has become a repository for many of the items excavated (or probably more appropriately removed or looted in many cases depending on your point of view). Nevertheless there are some spectacular mosaics, statues and frescoes on display and its well worth a visit. You can get the tram into town to avoid needing to drive in Naples
More information about the locations featured in this gallery can be found on Wikipedia and other links shown below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vesuvius
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistulae_(Pliny)#Eruption_of_Mount_Vesuvius
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oplontis
http://www.oplontisproject.org/index.php/the-villas/
http://www.pompeiisites.org/allegati/oplontis_ing%20Finale_150306120936.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Boscoreale
http://pompeiisites.org/allegati/GUIDA%20BOSCO%20ENG_STAMPA.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalfi_Cathedral
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solfatara_%28volcano%29
http://www.vulcanosolfatara.it/en/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macellum_of_Pozzuoli
The pictures in this section are taken with my e-510 and E-30 Olympus cameras with a selection of lenses.