Aurunci Mountains
| Aurunci Mountains | |
|---|---|
| Monti Aurunci | |
 Location of the range in Italy
| |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Monte Petrella |
Garigliano river; Tyrrhenian Sea | |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Southern Apenninic Orogeny |
| Age of rock | Messinian of Miocene, Pliocene-Pleistocene |
| Type of rock | limestone karst |
The Monti Aurunci (or Aurunci Mountains) is a
The mountains take the name from the ancient tribe of the
Geology
The Monti Aurunci mainly consist of
. The degree of faulting and cracking is so high that the mountains retain no rainfall; it sinks in to emerge as springs (and used as wells) on the lower flanks. The stream beds are dry except for vernal pools.Most generally, the western-central coastal region of Italy is the front of a
The surface rock in the
Basin as graben.This landform began to appear in the Messinian stage of the Miocene, about 7.2 to 5.3 million years ago. It went on to mature in the Pliocene. Also in this time volcanic activity associated with the faults and the weakening of the crust over the subduction created the volcanic zones of Latium and Campania, which intruded into the karst-graben, mainly on the karst side. In the Pleistocene the basins slowly filled with sediment from the weak run-off of the mountains, accelerating with the deforestation of modern times.[3][4]
Ecology
Fauna
Of the
The Garigliano Nuclear Power Plant was constructed from 1959 to 1963 by General Electric on the Garigliano River, the water of which they used for cooling, on the border of the Monti Aurunci. It was intended to provide electrical power to the region. After several accidental releases of radioactive gas and water the plant ceased operation in 1978 but continued to be used as a storage facility for radioactive waste, which was stored under the plant. Subsequent flooding carried the waste downstream into the Gulf of Gaeta. The effect on the ecology was toxic. One study reports:[6]
In fact the genetic damage observed in studies performed with the micronucleus test applied on wild rodents from the Piana del Garigliano resulted among the highest recorded in Italy.
Additional studies were unable to tie anomalies of the skull and teeth in the area's rodents to contamination from the power plant; maybe they are attributable to a naturally high radiational level caused by the volcanic intrusions in the rock. The lower Garigliano remains sparsely populated.
Transparency table In 2011, the Transparency Table for the disposal of the Garigliano nuclear power plant was established in the Campania Region, with the resolution of G.R. n. 163 of 29/4/2011, integrated by the resolution of G.R. n. 428/2011. With the decree of the President of the Giunta n. 253 of 11/11/2011, the members of the Table were appointed, as identified by the bodies to which they belong, and the Regulations for its functioning were approved [14].
Disputes over possible radioactive leaks In April 2014, some articles appeared on the net referring to the results of studies conducted at the beginning of the 1980s at ENEA, CNEN and SIMP (Italian Society of Mineralogy and Petrology) concerning the contamination of the Garigliano and part of the Gulf of Gaeta by radionuclides from the power plant. [15]
The articles refer to the "Proceedings of the Italo-French Convention of Radiation Protection - Florence 30 May, 1 June 1983", to the study conducted within ENEA entitled: "Influence of Geomorphological Factors on the distribution of Radionuclides - An example: from M. Circeo to Volturno "(by A. Brondi, O. Ferretti, C. Papucci) and to the" Report no.38 of the Italian Society of Mineralogy and Petrology "[16], which in turn refers to the results of the environmental research conducted at the end of the 1970s from CNEN.The plant, thanks to the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) obtained in 2009, has started decommissioning with Sogin (the Italian state company responsible for the dismantling of Italian nuclear plants and for the management and safety of radioactive waste) which is owner since 1999: by 2028 it is expected that the 268,150 tons of waste and 5,739 tons of radioactive waste will be adequately treated, for a total cost of 383 million euros. The "skeleton" of the structure, however, will remain standing as the "architectural heritage of our country".
See also
References
- ^ Romano 2007, p. 18.
- ^ Romano 2007, p. 17.
- ^ Vai, Gian Battista; Martini, Peter (2001). Anatomy of an orogen: the Apennines and adjacent Mediterranean basins. Dordrecht [u.a.]: Kluwer Academic Publishers. pp. 269–271.
- doi:10.1007/bf02904595. Archived from the original(pfd) on 27 September 2011.
- ^ Romano 2007, p. 19.
- ^ Amarena, Domenica; Ontoli, Longinoc; Cristaldi, Mauro (1993–1994). "Coenotic Structure, Skull Asymmetries and Other Morphological Anomalies in Small Mammals Near an Electronuclear Power Plant". Hystrix. New Series. 5 (1–2): 41.
Sources
- Romano, Antonio; Montinaro, Gianpaolo; Mattoccia, Marco; Sbordoni, Valerio (2007). "Amphibians of the Aurunci Mountains (Latium, Central Italy). Checklist and conservation guidelines". Acta Herpetologica. 2 (1): 17–25. Archived from the original (pdf) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
External links
- "Parco Naturale dei Monti Aurunci" (in Italian and English). 2010. Archived from the original on 3 February 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
