VULCANISMO CARBONATITICO MEDIO-PLEISTOCENICO IN ITALIA: ATTIVITA' ERUTTIVA E DEPOSITI PIROCLASTICI

Abstract

Four carbonatite occurrences are now known in Italy. The Polino occurrence, discovered in 1990, is a small, high­level intrusion, but the occurrences discovered subsequently are all extrusive. At San Venanzo and Cupaello carbonatitic tuffs are intimately involved with phonolitic and meliliitic tuffs and closely related to kamafugite lavas in monogenetic volcanic centres. In contrast, the Monticchio carbonatitic tuffs form the last phase of the relatively voluminous Vulture vol­cano, but are similar in being closely associated with meliliitic tuffs. [...]