ITALY'S SUPERVOLCANO, 2015

A study of the active and ancient volcanoes of Italy. Starting in Napels, southern Italy, the group toured the excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii, hiked to the summit of Mount Vesuvius, received an informative behind the scenes visit of the Vesuvian Observatory to understand the volcanic hazards of the area, and learned about the geology of Campi Flegrei by expert, Dr. Paola Petrosino of the University of Naples Federico II. Next stop, Florence, to learn about the history of geothermal energy in the area and tour the geothermal museum in nearby Lardarello. The remainder of the trip was spent in northern Italy and focused on the geology of Sesia Supervolcano in the Italian Alps. The excursion was led by SMU’s Dean James E. Quick and his colleagues from the University of Trieste, who discovered the 280 million‐year‐old ancient volcano. The tectonic collision of slices of Africa with Europe formed Italy and the Balkan Peninsula. The Alps were raised and in the process the Sesia Supervolcano was exposed to its roots, 15 miles in the Earth. Dr. Quick was awarded the Capellini Medal of the Italian Geological Society for his discovery.