As Professor Allen wraps up his lectures in our Intro to Physical Geography class, my understanding of the landscape of the Province of Naples is coming full circle.  Thus, I will focus on the Island of Capri's karst landscape for my final blog.  Tectonic forces over time created a continuation of the carbonate horst of the Sorrento Penisula.  This island consists primarily of limestone, with climatic effects and ocean forces shaping the landscape.

Boats congregating around the entrance of the Grotto Azzurra "Blue Grotto", the small opening is almost concealed within the limestone cliffs.  

Picture sourced from: http://www.ciaoamalfi.com/2009/07/tempting-tuesday-touring-around-capri/

Rowboats taking visitors inside the Grotto Azzurra, the tiny entrance is the bright spot in the background.

Picture sourced from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_grotto_in_capri_arp.jpg 

This statue of Triton, the son of Neptune, god of the sea, was recovered from the Grotto Azzurra.  It is presumed there are several more statues within the cave, yet to be discovered.

Picture sourced from: http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/blue-grotto-statues-italy.html 

Grotto Azzurra, "Blue Grotto", is a sea cave on the northern shore of Capri.  This cave has a long history of use from residents and visitors of the area.  When Capri was the capital of Rome, between 27-37 AD, the Roman emporer Tiberius (42 BC-37 AD) used the grotto as a swimming pool.  Most famous for its deep, intense blue water, the color does not come from sunlight entering the tiny opening that the rowboats use.  Instead, it comes from a cave opening that is now under water.  Eustatic sea level changes have submerged what once was the much larger opening, allowing sunlight to enter from below the surface, and the water reflects the blue color as seen in the photo above.

The Faraglioni Rocks protrude sharply above the littoral zone of the Island of Capri.  These sea stacks and the wave cut platform were created by the wave action of the Mediterranean Sea.

Picture sourced from: http://maijooks.jooks.ee/capri-faraglioni&page=7

A Sea Arch in the Faraglioni Rocks.  A wave cut notch is visible on the right side of the arch.

 Picture sourced from: http://www.dilos.com/hotel/1478

Works cited:

Lorenzi, Rossella. Sep. 28, 2009. "Roman Statues Found in Blue Grotto Cave". retrieved from http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/blue-grotto-statues-italy.html, April 28, 2011.

Barattolo, F. & Schiattarella, M. "A Brief Guide to the Geology of Capri Island". retrieved from http://www.essc.psu.edu/~bjhaupt/specials/iamg98/capri.html, April 28, 2011.

Facaros, D. & Pauls, M. 2007. "Bay of Naples and Southern Italy". retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=tNwg7eWUFL4C&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=capri+island+geology&source=bl&ots=6ePU4ADRZ8&sig=ngHngz9Fm1pbf7_9q-xogbj5OE4&hl=en&ei=oeS1Tf2GCoj6sAODi6GTDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBzgK#v=onepage&q&f=false, April 28, 2011.

Spring in Italy

During the months of April, May and June, the Province of Naples offers mild weather and is an excellent time to visit.  Locals and visitors enjoy pleasant sunny days with temperatures averaging between 65 and 78 degrees fahrenheit.  This is in contrast to the fall and winter months when the average temperatures are lower and increased rainfall is more common.
 

Trees in bloom in Capri, Italy in springtime.

Picture sourced from http://anarchitecturalhumanism.blogspot.com/2010/10/just-what-is-new-urbanism.html

Naples lies at 40 degrees north latitude, placing it in the mid-latitude climate with hot, dry summers.  This results in a Mediterranean Csa classification from Koeppen.  Increased solar insolation and subsiding air from the northern  side of the Hadley cell between the ITCZ and the sub-tropical jet stream warm the region in spring and summer.  Naples location in a sub-tropical high results in clear, stable air during that time.  

Starting in fall, the ITCZ shifts to the south, causing the weather to become cooler with more precipitation.  From November through February, decreased solar insolation lowers the average high temperatures to between 54 and 60 degrees fahrenheit.  Additional rainfall arrives with the westerlies and the sub-polar lows.

Stratus clouds on a winter day in Naples.  The lifting condensation level appears to be around 3800' in elevation, Mt. Vesuvius's summit elevation is 4203'.

Picture sourced from http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=135185

Due to Naples being on the windward side of the Apennine mountains, precipitation is between 3.5 and 5 inches monthly.  In comparison to Bari, on the leeward side of the Italian peninsula, Naples receives twice the average annual precipitation.

The Apennine Mountain range outlined in red on the map of Italy.  Naples is on the western side, placing it in the windward location, enabling it to receive greater amounts of annual precipitation than leeward areas.

Map sourced from http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/apennines.htm

 

Works cited:

Professor Casey Allen's Geography 1202 lectures

Ritter, Michael E. The Physical Environment: an Introduction to Physical Geography.
Date accessed April 2, 2011.  http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/title_page.html

Seach, John, http://www.volcanolive.com/vesuvius.html, date accessed 4/2/2011.

http://travel-weather.net/italy/bari-italy-weather.php, date accessed 4/2/2011.

http://travel-weather.net/italy/naples-italy-weather.php, date accessed 4/2/2011.

        The effects of weathering, erosion, and hydrology in the Province of Naples is vast.  It has created both unique rock formations and a well known agricultural region.  On the Island of Capri is the Natural Arch, as seen in the picture below.  Many websites stated it was formed from wind and water erosion, however, wind erosion as a cause is doubtful.  It was more likely formed from dissolution and salt weathering.  The rock in this area is primarily limestone, which is susceptible to these types of weathering.  One can presume that root pressure and occasional frost will cause fracture and rock fall along the joints.

The Natural Arch on the Island of Capri.  Rock varnish is visible in the picture, particularly on the underside.

Picture sourced from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capri

A picture looking back on the arch, with talus and scree visible at the base of the arch.

Picture sourced from http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KE53wxaEO9YyiEw78uDDuA

       One of the region's most prized exports is the San Marzano tomato.  From ancient times up to today, residents benefit agriculturally from the Andisol soil here. It consists of a dark surface horizon and neutral pH, and was created partly from the ash and tephra that fell during past eruptions of nearby Mt. Vesuvius.  This area lies in the Sarno River drainage basin, which forms a Dendritic pattern over the landscape.  The river is primarily fed by springs fed from lakes in the Apennine mountains, Mt. Vesuvius, and surrounding alluvial plains. Smaller flows are from rainwater and groundwater flows from aquifers outside the basin area.

I took this picture in 2009 of the transport limited landscape while riding on the Circumvesuviana railway near Poggiomarino.  Agricultural fields are in the foreground, and Mt. Vesuvius and Mt. Somma are in the background.

A can of San Marzano tomatoes.  Some local stores carry this brand, D.O.P. from Italy.

Picture sourced from http://www.doma-italian-market.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=249

Works cited:

De Pippo, Tommaso: Donadio, Carlo; Pennetta, Micla; Petrosino, Carmela; Terlizzi, Francesco. "Land Units of Sarno River Basin (Southern Italy) For Land Evaluation.  April 15, 2007. http://www.glaciologia.it/wp-content/uploads/FullText/full_text_31_1/04_De_Pippo_21_36.pdf, accessed 3/1/2011.

Barattolo, Filippo; Schiattarella, Marcello. "A Brief Guide to Geology of Capri Island".  http://www.essc.psu.edu/~bjhaupt/specials/iamg98/capri.html, accessed 2/28/2011.

Building the Landscape of Naples

One of the most famous and prominent features in the Province of Naples is Mt. Vesuvius, a composite volcano which sits inside the caldera of the older volcano Mt. Somma.  This complex is located over a slab window in the African plate, which is being subducted underneath the Eurasian Plate.  Vesuvius last erupted in 1944, beginning with lava flows from the crater and expanding to lava fountains.  It culminated in a Plinian eruption, exploding pyroclasts of tephra and ash, as seen in the photo below. 

picture sourced from http://www.wingsoverkansas.com/, taken from a World War II airman.

The map below shows the boundary of the African plate (right of the western shoreline of Italy) and the Eurasian plate, and the location of Mt. Vesuvius and other volcanoes in Italy.

Map sourced from www.geology.com/volcanoes/vesuvius

The diagram below shows the section A-B from the map above, the subduction of the African plate under the Eurasian plate, and the magma rising through a volcanic conduit.

Diagram sourced from www.geology.com/volcanoes/vesuvius

The Vesuvius cone, similar to what is seen today, is thought to have been created from the eruption of Mt. Somma in 79 A.D., resulting in the burying of the ancient city Pompeii.  The prominent crater in the foreground of the photo below is Mt. Vesuvius as it appears today, the ridge near the top of the photo is what remains of the rim of the Mt. Somma caldera.

Picture sourced from http://www.lifeinitaly.com/

Currently, the 4 million people who live in the Naples area are vulnerable to future eruptions.  The 79 A.D. eruption was the first recorded eruption in history by Pliny the Younger, hence the term Plinian eruption, from his description of watching the events from across the Gulf of Naples.  Those nearer captured the experience by the voids their bodies left in the ash and pumice that fell.  In the 1700 and 1800's, these voids were filled with plaster and are now on display.  The photos below display images from Pompeii.

  Photo sourced from http://www.rometopompeii.wordpress.com/.

A dog, with collar still on, being overtaken by the Nuee Ardente in Pompeii, 79 A.D.

Photo by Claus Ableiter, http://www.hilobrow.com/

This photo is taken from the ruins inside the Temple of Apollo in Pompeii, looking toward Mt. Vesuvius

I took this photo in 2009. 

Works Cited:
Ball, Jessica. Mt. Vesuvius - Italy. http://geology.com/volcanoes/vesuvius/. Site accessed 2/12/2011

Vesuvio National Park. http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/campania/vesuvius-park. Posted 01/18/2010. Site accessed 2/12/2011.

Introduction

My name is Lisa Ritchie, a Geography major at Univ. of Colorado Denver.  I chose the Province of Naples, Italy for my blog location.  The province includes the city of Naples, the ruins of Pompeii and Hurculaneum, Mt. Vesuvius, the Gulf of Naples, and the island of Capri.   I selected this location for the blog for a few reasons.  I was lucky enough to travel there in 2009, however, my visit was short and primarily to the ancient town of Pompeii.   I found the culture, vistas, and history fascinating and see this as an opportunity to expand on what I experienced while there.  My enjoyment of cooking Italian food has taught me that tomatoes from San Marzano, within the province, are the most prized for sauces.  More obviously, it has many varied physical geographic features to select from for this assignment.  I look forward to revisiting the region from a geographic perspective, and to share some of the prominent, and more subtle, forms and processes of this area.

A field of San Marzano tomatoes with Mt. Vesuvius in the distance. 

Photo from http://www.delallo.com/

The Punta Carina lighthouse on the island of Capri.

Photo from http://www.capri.net/