Through the volcano

1996/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Geologia

There is nothing like hitting a few blows on the ribs to see what is in the heart of the volcano. This is what vulcanologists who work on the Tomoves (Vesuvo Tomography) program think. Last June, explosions of between 400 and 800 kilos of tnt have occurred in Italy on the slopes of the Vesuvius. During the explosion there is a small earthquake, that is, a small seismic wave.

This wave bounces off the internal geometry of the volcano and then some captors receive the signal. 140 surface captors and eight submarines of the Bay of Naples have received the reflected wave.

Analyzing all these data, within two years the heart of the Vesuvius can be represented in three dimensions. Vulcanologists want to know better the deformations surrounding the volcano and predict the next magma launches.