Discovering the 1858 Lava Flow Field at Somma-Vesuvius (Italy) Through geoitinerary, Virtual Tour and 3D Reconstruction of Volcanic Landforms

Abstract Geotourism in volcanic areas attracts millions of visitors each year travelling to see and explore volcanic areas. One of the world’s most famous and visited volcanic areas is Somma-Vesuvius. Here, tourism is mainly concentrated around the central crater while the rest of the volcano, part of Vesuvius National Park, is largely unvisited. The volcano’s worldwide fame is primarily linked to its explosive activity, most notably the famous eruption that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 CE. Yet Somma-Vesuvius underwent long periods of effusive activity, such as the 1631–1944 eruptive cycle. On the volcano, there are examples of archetypal lava flows, including the 1858 flow field in which lava tubes formed. We propose a geoitinerary through the 1858 lava flow field that includes five sites, three lava tubes, an ephemeral vent and a tumulus, that allows people to evidence effusive activity and discover volcanic features formed during such activity at Somma-Vesuvius. A website was developed to host a virtual tour, which includes 360° images and an explicative panel for each site. The largest lava tube was 3D scanned to reconstruct its geometry, and to conserve a virtual copy of this fragile structure. Both the website and 3D scan aim to sensibilize people either not used to hiking or with physical impediment about volcanic landforms and their scientific relevance. The pertinence of the geoitinerary has been assessed by a SWOT analysis. The geoitinerary may contribute to divert tourist traffic away from the volcanic cone, while raising awareness on volcanic processes.