Pyongyang – Geologists from the Universities of Florence, Pisa and Palermo are taking part in the monitoring of the Baekdu volcano, located on the border between North Korea and China. They are studying the geochemical traits of the mountain, which they suspect might resume its eruptive activity. The North Korean authorities have asked for the first time to collaborate with Italian researchers: the project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is directed by the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources of the CNR in Pisa. Orlando Vaselli, associate professor of Geochemistry and Volcanology at University of Florence, one of the project leaders, explains: “this research stems from a memorandum of understanding signed in 2012 with North Korea between the local Institute of Earthquake, the CNR-IGG and our Department of Earth Sciences.” Vaselli is planning an expedition in September to study the lake housed in the crater. (9Colonne)
