Soils developed on the Si-poor, alkali-rich pyroclastic rocks of the Colli Albani volcanic district (Central Italy): The effect of leucite, clinopyroxene and phlogopite on the base cations mobility

Abstract

The Colli Albani volcanic district emplaced huge pyroclastic-flow deposits up to 20 m thick in the southeastern suburbs of the City of Rome. The soil quality onto the gentle slopes of the Colli Albani has certainly contribute to the growth of Ancient Rome, a city with one million inhabitants as early as 2000 years ago. Interestingly, the Colli Albani soils developed on K-foiditic pyroclastic rocks with peculiar low silica, high alkali and high CaO composition. In the past, the productivity of the Colli Albani soils was maximized without the understanding of the unique physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of these soils; now an in-depth knowledge of the Colli Albani soils is necessary to respond to the current and increasingly demand of sustainable soil use.