The “supervolcano” reveals its hidden life
How do you explain to children that ten million years ago, in the area that now stands between Merano and Trento, there was a supervolcano as big as 700 football pitches active in multiple periods? And that two of its eruptions are among the largest in the history of the Earth in terms of the volume of volcanic rock produced?
Don’t worry… at least for 10 million years!
To introduce the extraordinary history of this northern-Italian supervolcano, the South Tyrol Museum of Natural Sciences has launched a research project, created an important exhibition which is now on tour and, finally, has published Il supervulcano atesino (The supervolcano of Adige) (ed. Effect!). This children’s book was created by Renate Felderer, with contributions from geologist Corrado Morelli and palaeontologist Evelyn Kustatscher, who we asked:
what is the most frequently asked question from children visiting the exhibition?
“Could the supervolcano explode again?”
…and the answer?
“Luckily, no! Due to the formation of the Alps, it is no longer possible for volcanic eruptions to occur in the Dolomites. We can relax for several tens of millions of years, at least.”
Beneath the Dolomites
Why is it important to study the supervolcano for a better understanding of the value of the Dolomites’ geological heritage?
“The rock of the Bolzano supervolcano, known as Bolzano porphyry, forms the base on which the Dolomites stand. Think of it like the foundations of a house: without this base, the house — or the Dolomites — would not be stable. The reason we are able to admire the Dolomites in all their majesty and beauty is also thanks to the 2,000 metres of volcanic rock beneath them. During the process of Alpine orogeny, this base prevented the rocks from being completely destroyed and folded. If we observe the mountains of Valle Aurina, we quickly get an idea of how the Dolomites could have looked today in the absence of the Bolzano supervolcano.”
Porphyry and Bolzano’s “tropical nights”
Bolzano is a particularly hot city in the summer: does the large amount of porphyry come into play?
“Porphyry is a very iron-rich rock and when the sun shines on it, it heats up and holds that warmth for a long time. This is one of the reasons why Bolzano is one of the hottest cities in Italy. At five in the afternoon, the temperature remains very high, while it starts falling in other areas of South Tyrol. Thanks to a climate simulation created by Prof. Giovannini from the University of Trento, we know that porphyry is responsible for many of the ‘tropical nights’ experienced in Bolzano.”
Following the exhibition and book, will there be other initiatives exploring this topic?
“We are organising a series of hikes in the spring, some of which are described in the book. We have many other ideas, including making a documentary… let’s see if we can bring them to fruition!”