Marsili

Marsili
Marsili Marsili (Italy)
Summit depth	−450 m (−1,476 ft)
Height	3,000 m (9,800 ft)
Location
Location	Tyrrhenian Sea
Coordinates	39°15′00″N 14°23′40″E / 39.25°N 14.39444°E / 39.25; 14.39444Coordinates: 39°15′00″N 14°23′40″E / 39.25°N 14.39444°E / 39.25; 14.39444
Country	Italy
Geology
Type	Submarine volcano
Volcanic arc/chain	Aeolian Arc

Marsili is a large undersea volcano in the Tyrrhenian Sea, about 175 kilometers (109 mi) south of Naples. The seamount is about 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) tall; its peak and crater are about 450 meters below the sea surface. Though it has not erupted in recorded history, volcanologists believe that Marsili is a relatively fragile-walled structure, made of low-density and unstable rocks^[1], fed by the underlying shallow magma chamber. Volcanologists with the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) announced on March 29, 2010 that Marsili could erupt at any time, and might experience a catastrophic collapse that would suddenly release vast amounts of magma in an undersea eruption and landslide that could trigger destructive tsunamis on the Italian coast.^[2]

See also

• List of volcanoes in Italy
• Volcanism in Italy
• Seamount
• Submarine volcanoes

References

1. ^ Caratori Tontini F., Cocchi L., Muccini F., Carmisciano C., Marani M., Bonatti E., Ligi M., and Boschi E., Potential-field modeling of collapse-prone submarine volcanoes in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy), Geophysical Research Letter 37 (2010), L03305, doi:10.1029/2009GL041757.
2. ^ "Undersea volcano threatens southern Italy: report". AFP. March 29, 2010. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100329/wl_afp/italyvolcanotsunami. Retrieved March 29, 2010. ^{[dead link]}