An Italian supervolcano, located across the Bay of Naples from Vesuvius, has started stirring again, according to a team of scientists, and could hit about 500,000 people if an eruption occurs.
Campi Flegrei, meaning burning fields in Italian, is a large volcanic area, with a 13-km-wide caldera which lies mostly underwater. The caldera features 24 craters and volcanic edifices. The volcanic area lies in the metropolitan area of Naples that has a population of over 3 million and is a densely-inhabited area.
Locals believe that Campi Flegrei is the mythological home of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking.
A new study carried out by a team of Italian and French scientists from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Bologna now reveals that Campi Flegrei is showing “clearest signs of unrest” and an eruption in this volcano will affect about 5 million people.
According to scientists, the caldera is approaching a critical point at which a decrease in pressure on rising magma would trigger release of gas and fluid, potentially resulting in an eruption.
“Hydrothermal rocks, if heated, can ultimately lose their mechanical resistance, causing acceleration towards critical conditions,” Giovanni Chiodini, a researcher, told AFP.
“The presence of more than half a million people living in the proximity of the [Campi Flegrei] caldera makes this situation particularly challenging for local authorities and other decision-makers,” the study said.
Campi Flegrei was created about 40,000 years ago. During its last eruption, which occurred in 1538, a new hill Monte Nuovo, was created.
The volcano is under observation since 2005, and scientists have detected an increase of low-level activity and heating. Ground and magma deformation has also been observed in the area. As a result, the status of the volcano was changed from “green” to “yellow” in 2012.
The detailed findings of the study have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
