APPEARANCE OF MONTE Nuova

Monte Nuovo is a rare case of a sudden grown up the volcano, the appearance of which we have precise information, in addition, the history of the mountain is limited to a few days and thus is of great importance for understanding the volcanic activity in general. Survived four documentary news about this great event. Particular attention should be given a letter of Francesco del Nero, and offline Marco Antonio degli Falconi. Here is what wrote the first: "I do not know Have you ever been in Pozzuoli. At a distance of six shots from the city begins plain. Before it stretched to 1 / 2 mile wide and exciting part of the beach, right on the mountain. Now the entire valley and part of the mountain turned into a huge fiery maw: it reaches almost 72 miles in length and width. This phenomenon has unwittingly attracts the attention and struck a surprise, although it is nothing unnatural. Aristotle immortalized two such cases in his book «Meteorologica», Book 2: one occurred in Pontus, and the other on the island of Sagra. September 28, about 18 hours (12 hours and 15 minutes of the day) in Pozzuoli Sea dried up for 600 cubits, the city residents collected the fish that lay on the sand, and took away her entire carts. September 29, approximately 14 hours (8 hours and 15 minutes in the morning), at the point where now opened up a fiery abyss, the land fell by 6 cubits and threw the water column. According to some eyewitnesses, he was cold and clear, while others insist that the water was warm and made a sulphurous smell. As a person, whom I questioned, it is credible, then we must assume that both messages are correct: first, water has some properties, and then others. Around noon the same day, the land became a bulge, to 11 / 2 hours (7 hours 45 minutes) in the evening section, he went down before, strongly stood up and reached an altitude of Monte Ruozi in the place where the tower. Around the same time, broke out of the ground bright fire and the abyss was formed with such a terrible roar and the noise that I was at that time in the garden, very scared, after 2 / z hours, despite his illness, I climbed a nearby hill where all could see. You do not believe in, what a pretty sight opened before me! Along with the fire raised earth and stones, and they flew up and fell back near the fiery mouth. At sea, they poured a huge shoal, which has the form of the arc. Distance between its ends is \ 1 / 2 mile, and its width in the middle - two-thirds of a mile. At the side facing the Pozzuoli, formed the mountain of the same height as the Monte Morello, and 70 miles around the earth and the trees were covered with ashes. In my estate, not a single leaf, which would not be bombarded with them, and some of Pozzuoli during the six miles of all branches of the trees were broken, it was hard to even imagine that here recently flaunted a rich vegetation, it broke the gray castle, which was here in the rump , soft, heavy, and published a sulfur smell, he defeated not only trees but also killed many rabbits, birds and other small animals. Yesterday I went back to Pozzuoli, along with Messer Cecco di Loffredo, who was taking things Messer Paolo Antonio. There have gathered all of society. Watched and wondered. But now the look was not on that: there was a mountain - and nothing more. I say this because compared to the night when the eruption, he had seen me, it was too insignificant. In Naples, no one noticed the fire, and there are witnesses who were able to explain what it was, almost did not find, well, I have one and should be talking about the phenomenon, which was witnessed. Since that night, when people gathered at the city, happened was nothing remarkable ... I will try to explain the example I have seen. Imagine that the fiery maw tower serves an angel (in Rome) and that it is all full of many missiles located near each other - imagine what they are lit. Missiles will fly up, but the fall will turn and head out or to the Tiber, or the city pasture .. Imagine that they have filled the river and piled back in the height of 12 cubits, and erected in the meadows of the mountain the size of Santo Silvestre in Tuskulane: it took all the space from the vineyards of Messer Bindo to Monte Mario. West wind which was blowing then, carrying missiles only in these places, and to complete the picture, you have to imagine that St. Peter's dropped their bit. All this has made a fiery mouth. She spewed huge blocks of land the size of a bull, and threw them in my opinion, the 172 was high. These masses fell near the gap at this distance, which flies by a stone thrown by hand - may be at a distance of two or three times bigger. During the night they clutter of the sea and formed the mountain, which I have already spoken. Stones and clods, Flowing to the ground were dry. At longer distances from the mouth of falling light and small stones, and they were soft and porous, - a sure sign of cooling at altitude. A pair of climbing up, too, cooled and turned into the water because of that ash and was moist and tender, though the sky could be seen not any clouds. I could make all the rules of logic to figure out the natural causes drying of the sea, origin, first cold and then hot water column, sinking land and raise her, and finally the eruption of fire. I could explain why, within ten days of ten times an hour passed the earthquake, and in Pozzuoli, and did not stop and why they are there, and there were quiet after the eruption. But I know that everything is already written Messer Simone Porzio in his report to the Viceroy and his Highness Prince Farnese, a pass for a man who rakes in heat by proxy, is not particularly desirable. Pozzuoli is now empty, the sea beyond recognition and is rather like a plowed earth. The top is a layer of stones, which are called here rapilli, its height 1 / 2 hands, some of them float. The only thing I can not explain this enormous amount of material emerging from the fiery jaws of: rocks, sea clutter, a mountain formed again, and the ashes, which you know - it all flew out and it was all burnt residue. If all this is to collect, it would have been a huge mountain. Today I spoke with one person, who arrived from the town of Ebel (Eboli?), Which is separated by 45 miles from where the flames burst out and he told me that there was falling ash, so that an underground fire has spread over 10 miles and threw up a huge mass of land, and if this was not enough, then it would spread further. Pleased God to spare the ring-Naples, returning yesterday in Pozzuoli, we saw two new fire almost at the mouth of Naples, only three mid distance from him. Learned men were engaged in a brilliant debate about whether the danger threatening the city, and many thought that it was inevitable. Were arranged procession, and to extinguish the underground fire, people dug wells between Naples and Pozzuoli. People say that the missiles flying from west to east, foreshadow war with the Turks. Naples. From this letter it is evident that the Monte Nuovo popped up among the plains and that the eruption did not occur from an old, previously existing crater, as is sometimes assumed. Volcano ejected mass filled part of the marine bay. The eruption was preceded by the lifting of the soil. The latter circumstance has been criticized, but without any justification, as is proved by their extensive research Suess. He drew attention to the forgotten news Marco Antonio degli Falkoni. In this rare document, we find that although crude, but rather a faithful picture of Monte Nuovo during the eruption, and rose up the sea coast, whose residents had fled, in view of even some other data can not be doubted that the emergence of a new volcano is really accompanied by a show of soil. At the present time for this old, we can treat the news with a very high confidence, since such a phenomenon is undeniable, as lifting the coast of Pantellyarii on the eve of the underwater eruption in 1891, is in full agreement with him. Below, referring to the so-called continental uplift, we shall return to this subject, but now merely note that all the conclusions of a general nature, based on this fact, deprived of good reasons. To confirm their referred also to the proven high standing sea level near the temple Serapio-sa near Pozzuoli before the advent of Monte Nuovo. The fact is, of course, no doubt, but in both cases we are dealing with a local phenomenon, which was caused by the pressure of the volcanic magma. Third and sixth place in October following the eruption of Monte Nuovo: up to January from the top of steaming hot, and then the volcano extinct. Monte Nuovo cone formed at this time, has a height of 139 m, width of its crater reaches 370 m, and depth - 120 m, so the bottom of the crater is only 19 m above sea level. Mount consists of volcanic ash, sand and slag, mixed with fragments of light tuff, upon which the volcano. Visible traces of a small lava flow. What do you think Tseekke, from the same material is formed and the volcano Voss Lyupara, consisting of two rings and a central cone, probably in prehistoric times the mountain was a place fodolzhitelnoy volcanic activity. Near Monte Nuovo is Avernskoe lake. This crater, rising only slightly above sea level and napolyenny water, near the UTB beat hot keys, and unearth the sulfur vapor. In general, these residues of volcanic activity are common in Flegreyskih fields. Among them is the so-called Canine grotto at the bottom of which there Moffett, allocating carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is greater than its own weight of air, so it does not rise up and spread a layer above the ground due to lack of air every warm-blooded animal is quickly killed in a cave. However, this layer is not so high, that I could reach the head of a standing person, but the dog dies very soon here in terrible convulsions.