as small as a world and as large as alone

5:37pm October 14, 2013

odditiesoflife:

Inferno - Italy’s (Perhaps the World’s) Smallest Volcano

More accurately resembling an eternal campfire, Monte Busca Volcano has been a source of permanent flames for hundreds of years. Referred to as Inferno by the locals of Monte Busca; a place where fire finds its home in the smallest volcano in Italy and, most likely, the world. A wondrous geologic oddity where emissions of gaseous hydrocarbon, a natural gas vent, come into contact with the oxygen from the air keeping it constantly alight, giving rise to a phenomena called “burning fountains”. These ever-present flames even served the troops during World War II as a source of heat for cooking and other ignition needs and are a fascinating spectacle not to be missed.

One mile from Portico is a place called Inferno by local inhabitants, where the earth is dark and rough and where there is a 4-foot large hole in which a fire flame steadily rises from the ground; it burns the fresh wood placed on it and can only be extinguished by throwing woollen cloths on it. Near this hole you can find many gold, silver and metal coins.

Leandro Alberti, 1588

source 1, 2

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