Soffioni

Soffioni (sometimes spelt suffioni), a name applied in Italy to certain volcanic vents which emit jets of steam, generally associated with hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, sometimes also with a little ammonia and marsh gas.

Soffioni in Larderello, Tuscany, Italy.

The soffioni are usually arranged in groups, and are best represented in the Maremma of Tuscany, where they contain a small proportion of boric acid, for which they are utilized industrially.[1] For such natural steam-holes, the French geologists often use the term soufflards in place of the Italian soffioni.

References

1. "Borax and Boric Acid.—Production in Tuscany". Year Book of the American Pharmaceutical Association. 1920. pp. 348–349.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Soffioni". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.