‖ solfatara
(solfaˈtara)
Also 8–9 solfatarra, 9 solfa-tara; 8–9 solfaterra, 8 solfa terra.
[The name of a sulphurous volcano near Naples, f. It. solfo sulphur.]
A volcanic vent, from which only sulphurous exhalations and aqueous vapours are emitted, incrusting the edge with sulphur and other minerals.
| α 1777 Forster Voy. round World II. 296 The earth which covered these solfatarras..had a greenish tinge. 1802 Pinkerton Mod. Geogr. (1811) 663 A kind of solfatara, or vast mass of sulphur, emitting continual smoke. 1843 Penny Cycl. XXVII. 748/2 There are several solfataras, or cones of pure sulphur, and mud volcanoes. 1899 E. J. Chapman Drama Two Lives 19 Among them shone A solfatara's fiery cone. |
| attrib. 1882 Geikie Text-Bk. Geol. 209 The dormant or waning condition of a volcano..is sometimes called the Solfatara phase. |
| β 1796 Kirwan Elem. Min. (ed. 2) II. 2 The sulphureous acid exists..in various solfaterras. 1871 Kingsley At Last ii, In case of..any difficulty occurring in obtaining sulphur from Sicily, a supply..might be obtained from this and the other like Solfaterras of the British Antilles. 1886 Guillemard Cruise Marchesa I. 23 Hot springs and solfaterras are found in the neighbourhood of Tamsui. |
Hence
solfaˈtaric a.| 1885 Academy 3 Oct. 225 A legacy of former vulcanicity—the lingering relics of solfataric action. 1895 Physiographic Processes (Nat. Geogr. Monographs) I. 18 This action of hot waters is known as solfataric action, and solfataric waters are quite common in volcanic regions. |