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

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 140 000 years ago during Mt. Vulture volcanos last eruptive activity. Isotopic analyses suggest that CO2 and helium are of magmatic origin; the latter displays 3 He ⁄ 4 He 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 loca…

The Monticchio crater lakes: fluid geochemistry and circulation dynamics