The discovery of a fiber-reinforced, concrete-like rock formed in the depths of a dormant supervolcano in Italy could help explain the unusual ground swelling that led to the evacuation of an Italian port city in recent years, and may inspire the creation of durable building materials in the future, Stanford scientists say, according to a Stanford News Service article by Ker Than.
The “natural concrete” at the Campi Flegrei volcano near Naples is similar to Roman concrete, a legendary compound invented by the Romans and used to construct the Pantheon, the Coliseum and ancient shipping ports throughout the Mediterranean.
Campi Flegrei lies at the center of a large depression, or caldera, that is pockmarked by craters formed during past eruptions, the last of which occurred nearly 500 years ago. Nestled within this caldera is the colorful port city of Pozzuoli, which was founded in 600 B.C. by the Greeks, says the Stanford News Service.
Beginning in 1982, the ground beneath Pozzuoli began rising at an alarming rate. Within a two-year span, the uplift exceeded 6 feet – an amount unprecedented anywhere in the world. “The rising sea bottom rendered the Bay of Pozzuoli too shallow for large craft,” Vanorio said.
Making matters worse, the ground swellwing was accompanied by swarms of micro-earthquakes. Many of the tremors were too small to be felt, but when an earthquake of magnitude 4 juddered Pozzuoli, officials evacuated the city's historic downtown. Pozzuoli became a ghost town overnight.
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