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  • Day 119

    Its a gas

    February 23, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    Vulcano has been quiet since the eruption of the Fossa cone on 3 August 1888 to 1890, which deposited about 5 m (16 ft) of pyroclastic material on the summit.
    This eruption of Vulcano was carefully documented at the time by Giuseppe Mercalli. Mercalli described the eruptions as "...Explosions sounding like a cannon at irregular intervals..." As a result, vulcanian eruptions are based on this description.
    The style of eruption seen on the Fossa cone is called a Vulcanian eruption, being the explosive emission of pyroclastic fragments of viscous magmas caused by the high viscosity preventing gases from escaping easily.
    A typical vulcanian eruption can hurl blocks of solid material several hundreds of metres from the vent.
    I just knew that you would want photos from inside this volcano, so felt obliged to ignore the signs pericolo di morte which alerted me to the dangerous fumes and to venture up the 600m cone and down into its depths. Being alone meant I could descend the crater to the floor: my decision made easier by seeing the initials of other brave souls scribed in stone piles on the ground.
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