Mofetta ( Italian from Latin ''mephītis'', a pestilential exhalation) is a name applied to a volcanic discharge consisting chiefly of carbon dioxide, often associated with other vapours, representing the final phase of volcanic activity. The

Oxford Dictionary of English The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' (''ODE'') is a single-volume English dictionary published by Oxford University Press, first published in 1998 as ''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (''NODE''). The word "new" was dropped from the titl ...

lists ''mofetta'' as an archaic term for the modern word fumarole. The word is used in the plural as ''mofette'', or, following the French fashion, ''mofettes''. The volcanic vents yielding the emanations are themselves called mofette. They are not uncommon in Auvergne and in the

Eifel The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of ...

, notably on the shore of the

Laacher See Laacher See (), also known as Lake Laach or Laach Lake, is a volcanic caldera lake with a diameter of in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, about northwest of Koblenz, south of Bonn, and west of Andernach. It is in the Eifel mountain range, and ...

; whilst other examples are furnished by the

Grotta del Cane The Cave of Dogs (Italian: ''Grotta del Cane'') is a cave near Naples, Italy. Volcanic gases seeping into the cave give the air inside a high concentration of carbon dioxide. Dogs held inside would faint; at one time this was a tourist attracti ...

, near Pozzuoli, the Valley of Death in Java, the

Death Gulch Death is the Irreversible process, irreversible cessation of all biological process, biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whol ...

in the Yellowstone Park and the series of mofette in Romania's

Harghita Harghita (, hu, Hargita megye, ) is a county ( județ) in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea Ciuc. Demographics 2002 census In 2002, Harghita County had a population of 326,222 and a populatio ...

and

Covasna Covasna (, hu, Kovászna, , german: Kowasna) is a town in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania, at an altitude of . It is known for its natural mineral waters and mofettas. The town administers one village, Chiuruș ( hu, Csomakőrös). The ...

counties. Depending on the mineral content of the different vapours, mofette may be used for therapeutic purposes as well. As carbon dioxide is heavier than the air, patients can use it as dry spa, if certain safety regulations are complied with. The first known record about mofetta treatment for injuries is from the sixteenth century, by

Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. He w ...

References

* {{Authority control Fumaroles Volcanic landforms Volcanic degassing

See also

References