The Albano crater lake, also known by the improper names of "lake of Castel Gandolfo" or "lake of Albano", has an elongated oval shape in the NW-SE direction which is attributed to a complex eruptive history (at least five different explosions which originated it). It is the deepest volcanic lake in Italy (168 m).
The Albano crater lake, also known by the improper names of "lake of Castel Gandolfo" or "lake of Albano", has an elongated oval shape in the NW-SE direction which is attributed to a complex eruptive history (at least five different explosions originated it). It is the deepest volcanic lake in Italy (168 m). In the photo, part of the inner slopes of the crater and Monte Cavo (courtesy of Stefania Sicola, UniRoma3).
Glimpse of Rome, with its Colosseum and its churches; in the background, the Colli Albani volcanic complex which dominates the southern skyline of the city (from De Benedetti et al., 2008).
Location and maximum height: Lazio, 41°45′25″N, 12°44'39” E; Mt. Cavo = 949 m asl
Total area: ≈16000 km2 (considering the oldest plateau or 64 km2 only the caldera)
Volcano type: polygenic volcanic field
Main types of eruptions: effusive, strombolian, plinian, ignimbritic
Prevailing phenomena: seismicity, sporadic gaseous emissions, widespread hydrothermal circulation, soil deformations
Beginning of eruptive activity: 600.000 years
Last eruption: 36.000 years
Activity state: quiescent
Alert level: Basic
The Colli Albani, located less than 30 km southeast of Rome, are a volcanic complex in central Italy where there are still indications of volcanic activity such as: hydrothermal circulation, seismicity and soil uplift. The complex is what remains of three different partially overlapping volcanic buildings. The oldest is that of the Latium Volcano which generated several explosive eruptions and produced an extensive ignimbrite basement whose overall volume is estimated at several hundreds of km3. The explosive violence and the large quantity of material emitted caused the formation of a vast caldera (10x12 km) within which both effusive and strombolian eruptive activities of modest energy subsequently occurred, which preceded the extinction of the Lazio volcano. The second volcanic edifice - the Tuscolano-Artemisio stratovolcano - was the first to grow along the caldera rim thanks to effusive and Strombolian fissural eruptions fed by magmatic upwellings facilitated by the rocks fractured by the collapse. Subsequently, the Faete stratovolcano is formed which generates lava fountains, Strombolian activity and sub-Plinian eruptions inside the caldera. The most recent volcanism of the Colli Albani began 200.000 years ago and coincided with the formation of tuff cones and maars located along its western and northern slopes, southeast of Faete. The last eruptive center is that of Albano which produced deposits of scoriae with an age of 36.000 years; however, there are chronostratigraphic dating and reconstructions that extend the activity to the Holocene (< 10000 years) for the discovery of a series of recent deposits from mud flows (lahars), linked to recent flooding of the lake. The last of these events would be described by Plutarch in the Stories of Themistocles and Camillus and by Tito Livio in his Natural History, who report how in 398 BC in the tenth year of the siege of Veii, at the end of August, Lake Albano suddenly it rose up to overflow bringing death and destruction to Rome. The composition of the erupted products has an ultrapotassic character, like many of the products of central Italy volcanism, because it is highly enriched in potassium. The chemical composition and lithology of volcanic deposits derive from a complex interaction of magma with carbonate rocks encountered in the upwelling before reaching the surface. The endogenous residue of these processes is at the origin of the water circulation and gaseous emissions which remain today in the Colli Albani. The soil in the area emits H2S and CO2; these gases are the main cause of natural danger associated with the Roman volcanic district.