The area surrounding Naples proves to be a structural landform due to its formation caused by the movement of plate tectonics, the presence of the volcano Mt. Vesuvius, and the solidification of its magma.
The thick deposits of tephra that come from an eruption create rich soils. In this case, Naples has an advantage in farming over other regions in Italy that have poor soil as a result of limestone forming the basement rock.
These rich soils include andisol (from volcano ash), vertisol (dark black soils rich in expandable clay materials), mollisol (one of the most fertile), and inceptisol (a "young" soil).
A durable volcanic sandstone called tuff is found in the Campi Flegrei geothermal zone. Tuff is rock composed of compressed and compacted volcanic ash that is sent out in an eruption, and in this location it has earned its own name - "Neopolitan Yellow Tuff".
The lavas, scoria (a cinder-like basic cellular lava), alluvial, and pyroclastic deposits that are found near Vesuvius and the Phlegrean Fields allow for medium to high permeability (the capability of porous rock or sediment to allow flow through pore spaces). The piezometric surface of this area suggest that radial groundwater flows towards the aquifers of nearby plains. The Vesuvius aquifer has unconfined groundwater stored deep beneath the soil surface. The main aquifers of this region in Italy can be located in carbonate massifs, and demonstrate very high permeability due to a karstic network.
Karstic is an area of limestone terrain that can be recognized by sinks, ravines, and underground streams, and is an example of a weathering landform.
Naples is a polygenetic area as it demonstrates many different types of landforms!
Naples is a polygenetic area as it demonstrates many different types of landforms!
