Dormant Colli Albani Volcano Near Rome Active Again, Emergence Of Steam Vents Seen

First Posted: Jul 14, 2016 04:10 AM EDT

According to recent research, Colli Albani volcano, which is situated 19 miles (30 kilometers) from the center of Rome, is seen signs of eruption. The researchers have seen new steam vents, a rise in ground level in the hills and earthquakes.

The study was printed in Geophysical Research Letters, the journal of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). It was led by Fabrizio Marra of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Rome.

The researchers discovered through their observations that Colli Albani is having a new eruptive cycle and could potentially erupt in 1,000 years from now. In the analysis of Colli Albani, it erupted 36,000 years ago. It also enters an eruptive phase every 31,000 years and so, according to LiveScience.

The team said that the eruption could produce massive and clouds of smoke and ash. It might also rain rocks on nearby cities. The center of Rome will be affected if the wind blew in the right direction. On the other hand, the city's suburbs and the valley of the volcano could be damaged by the eruption. Marra said that he hopes this new study will be a wake-up call for closer monitoring of the volcano, according to the American Geophysical Union.

In the study, the researchers examined and studied the age of rocks from past eruptions and the satellite images of the land around Colli Albani. This is to determine the eruptive history of the said volcano. Marra explained that the volcano's cyclical nature is due to the unusual underlying geology of the region. There are two pieces of land forming the fracture above the magma bubble that is being pressed together by the surrounding geology. This keeps the magma bubble from erupting.

In their research, they found that the fracture keeping the magma bubble underground has changed over the last 2,000 years. The two pieces are now sliding against one another. This means that the pressure of the bubble is released and the magma has the chance to erupt in the surface.