Salse di Nirano and Path of Harvest Moon
October 24, 2018
Photographer: Pierluigi Giacobazzi
Summary Author: Pierluigi Giacobazzi
The Salse di Nirano are perhaps the best example of mud volcano phenomena in Italy and are among the largest in all Europe. The name salse is linked to the ascent to the surface of salty and muddy waters that are mixed with gaseous (methane) and to a lesser extent with fluid hydrocarbons. These mud volcanoes, found in the Modena Apennines Range, were first described by Pliny the Elder, in about A.D. 50, in his monumental “Naturalis Historia”.
In 1982, with the aim of safeguarding and preserving the natural and environmental characteristics of the site, the Natural Reserve of Salse di Nirano was established. This reserve is located in Fiorano Modenese near the city of Maranello, Italy and covers a total area of approximately 500 acres (202 ha).
The montage pictured above shows, in addition to one of the bubbling mud volcanoes, a 3-hour path of the rising Harvest Moon, the full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, as observed during the evening of September 25, 2018.
Photo Details: Nikon D750 camera; 8/15mm zoom-fisheye lens used at 15mm; f/4.5; 37 exposures with 5 minutes interval (from 6:07 p.m. UTC to 9:12 p.m. UTC).
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