THE “PROGETTO KRONIO”: HISTORY AND PROBLEMS OF AN EXTREME EXPLORATION IN AN INTACT ARCHAEOLOGICAL DEPOSIT

Monte Kronio is a limestone massif fronting the sea near Sciacca, in the eastern part of Sicily; a very active volcanic region. It is well known and has been cited since classical antiquity due to the presence, at the summit (370 m asl), of many cave entrances (Stufe di San Calogero and others) with strong, exiting hot airflow (37°C, RH=100%), which have represented an interest for calidaria since the Roman times. In the past centuries, these caves were explored several times, but the hot atmosphere and a shaft allowed very limited visits, which have nevertheless discovered important archaeological deposits belonging to pre-greek civilizations. We will present a general overview and the first microclimatic results made with the aim to understand the structure of cave. The mountain is crossed by very intense airflows, in part entering in the lowest part (Grotta Cucchiara) but the first studies with sonic anemometers in coincidence have shown a strong gap between the known entering and exiting airflows. External and internal thermal and airflow mapping, are showing a complex heat flow structure inside Monte Kronio. The cave complex probably descends to sea level, where it touches a volcanic thermal water table. It is then probable that deeper explorations are going to face higher temperatures and dangerous gases.