Skip to main content
Log in

The 1538 Monte Nuovo eruption (Campi Flegrei, Italy)

Bulletin of Volcanology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

On 29 September 1538 a week-long eruption began in Campi Flegrei forming a new volcano, Monte Nuovo. From contemporary accounts of the eruption, it has been possible to reconstruct the main phases of activity. These phases may be correlated with different depositional units identified in the field. The eruption opened with a hydromagmatic phase, during which a large amount of external water (meteoric or sea water) was able to interact with the magma. The exhaustion of the water supply and decrease in volatile content initiated a change in the dynamic conditions of eruption, which became more purely magmatic in character and less explosive.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Casertano L (1972) Le eruzioni oblique del Monte Nuovo. Riv Ital Geofis 21:177–189

    Google Scholar 

  • Cinque A, Rolandi G, Zamparelli V (1985) L'estensione dei depositi marini olocenici nei Campi Flegrei in relazione alla vulcano-tettonica. Boll Soc Geol It 104:327–348

    Google Scholar 

  • Crandell DR (1971) Postglacial lahars from Mount Rainier Volcano, Washington USGS, Prof Pap 677:1–75

    Google Scholar 

  • da Toledo PG (1539) Letter published in Hamilton (1776) p 75

  • delli Falconi MA (1538) Del'incendio di Puzzuolo. Marco Antonio delli Falconi all'illustrissima Signora Marchessa della Padula nel MDXXXVIII. Published in Hamilton (1776) p 70

  • del Nero F (1538) A letter to Niccolo del Benino on the earthquake at Pozzuoli by which the Monte Nuovo was formed in 1538. Published in Lobley (1889) pp 368 and in German in the Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie, of Leonhard and Brown, 1846

  • Hamilton W (1776) Campi Flegrei observations on the volicanos of the two Sicilies, P de Fabris (ed) Naples

  • Lyell C (1872) Principles of Geology, Vol II, 11th Edn (John Murray, London)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lobley JL (1889) Mount Vesuvius. A descriptive, historical, and geological account of the volcano and its surroundings. Roper and Drowley. II Ludgate Hill, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Marchesino F (1538) Copia de una lettera di Napoli che contiene li stupendi et gran prodigj apparsi sopra a Pozzolo. From Parascandola (1946)

  • Parascandola (1946) Il Monte Nuovo e il Lago Lucrino. Boll Soc Nat 55:173–175

    Google Scholar 

  • Simone Porzio (1551) De conflagrazione Agri Puteolani Simoni Portii Neapolitani Epistola. Simoni Portii Opera, Flor. Published in English in Lobley (1889)

  • Walker GPL (1971) Grain size characteristics of pyroclastic deposits. J Geol 79:696–714

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker GPL (1983) Ignimbrite types and ignimbrite problems. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 17:65–88

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson L, Sparks RSJ, Hurng TC, Watkings ND (1978) The control of volcanic column heights by eruption energetics and dynamics. J Geophys Res 83:1829–1836

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Di Vito, M., Lirer, L., Mastrolorenzo, G. et al. The 1538 Monte Nuovo eruption (Campi Flegrei, Italy). Bull Volcanol 49, 608–615 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079966

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079966

Keywords

Navigation