WorldWide Drilling Resource

Ancient Mining Paves Way for Geothermal Pizza Compiled by the Editorial Staff of WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Beneath the beautiful city of Naples, Italy, rests a silent almost forgotten parallel city from times long ago. Vast quarried sandstone caverns, tunnels, Greek and Roman tombs and aqueducts, and secret passageways run below the bustl ing streets above. Naples is located on the edge of the Campi Flegrei volcanic struc- ture. Over millions of years, volcanic ac- tivity created Neapol itan Yel low Tuff Sandstone, which would become the city’s foundation. This sandstone was perfect for dig- ging deep aqueducts because it was eas- ily worked yet durable. The Greeks first made aqueducts nearly 2500 years ago, and the first artifacts of underground ex- cavations date back 5000 years ago. The Romans later occupied the city and added on to the aqueducts left behind by the Greeks, creating a complex system, which stretched over 40 miles underground from the center of Naples. In addition to the aqueducts, the Greeks opened underground quarries to extract the tuff blocks needed to build the walls and temples of their city. The abundant sandstone quickly became a predominant building material and can still be seen in architecture throughout Naples. Over the centuries, the underground complex grew through more quarrying and excavations and was touched up along the way, even altered for use as air raid shelters in the 1940s. No one knows the exact dimensions of the Neapolitan underworld, but calculations suggest up to 60% of the current pop- ulation lives and works above the ancient cavities. Tuff sandstone also has unique physical and chemical properties, which make it an excellent thermal insulator, ensuring minimal changes in temperature and humidity. These conditions favor the process for fermentation of dough used to make pizza. Going all the way back to Roman times, a baked product similar to modern pizza has been popular in Naples. By using data derived from geotechnical monitoring, a scientific study concluded some parts of the city have reached microclimatic parameters necessary for the natural rising of pizza dough. Le Sorelle Bandiera pizzeria opened at one of these locations, and specializes in a natural leavening process used to rise the dough. The pizza dough is taken over 130 feet belowground into a cave created by the ancient Greeks around 500 B.C. It is leavened for 24-48 hours exclusively in tuff-walled chambers within the cave, while the microclimatic parameters of the chambers are constantly monitored to make sure the dough rises completely. Afterwards, the process is completed by cooking the pizza in an oven made of tuff. The result is an exquisite “geother- mal pizza”, which is easy to digest and has a unique sensory appeal. The ancient workers who created the cave could never have imagined it being used in such a way thousands of years later. What will future generations stumble upon buried beneath the earth from our explorations and mining? What uses, many years into the future, might the empty cavities from our excavations yield? Photo of geothermal pizza, courtesy of Le Sorelle Bandiera pizzeria. 12102 Vista Montana Dr Bakersfield, CA 93306 Office: (661) 834-4348 Rod Henderson (661) 201-6259 Eran Henderson (661) 330-0790 bitcoincrod@hotmail.com www.bitcoinc.us New & Used Bits Hole Openers Drag Bits & Wings Hammers Hammer Bits Diverters Re-tipping Stabilizers Claw Bits Pipe Wipes Bolt-on Teeth Subs 18 MARCH 2017 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®