Gas hazard assessment at the Monticchio crater lakes of Mt. Vulture, a volcano in Southern Italy

Abstract

Geochemical investigations have shown that there is a considerable inflow of gas into both crater lakes of Monticchio, Southern Italy. These lakes are located in two maars that formed 140000years ago during Mt. Vulture volcano's last eruptive activity. Isotopic analyses suggest that CO2 and helium are of magmatic origin; the latter displays 3He/4He isotope ratios similar to those measured in olivines of the maar ejecta. In spite of the fact that the amount of dissolved gases in the water is less than that found in Lake Nyos (Cameroon), both the results obtained and the historical reports studied indicate that these crater lakes could be highly hazardous sites, even though they are located in a region currently considered inactive. This could be of special significance in very popular tourist areas such as the Monticchio lakes, which are visited by about 30000 people throughout the summer, for the most part on Sundays. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.