Seismic storm hits Italian super volcano

A series of earthquakes struck Italy's Campi Flegrei super volcano on Monday night (May 20), causing minor damage in the town of Pozzuoli, as well as in the city of Naples about 20km away, according to the Research Institute. Italian National Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) .

Cracks in walls and falling awnings were reported, a spokesperson for the Italian Fire Brigade confirmed to CNN. According to INGV data, the 4.4 magnitude earthquake at a depth of 3km was the strongest earthquake to hit a strong earthquake area in the past 40 years. This is part of an ongoing 'seismic storm' with more than a dozen events above magnitude 2.0 in the past 48 hours.

Campi Flegrei crater in Pozzuoli, Italy. (Photo: La Repubblica).

The 4.4-magnitude quake at 8:10 p.m. local time was preceded by a 3.5-magnitude quake an hour earlier. INGV recorded 1,252 earthquakes in the Campi Flegrei area during April 2024, most with magnitudes below 1.0 magnitude.

The last major eruption of the Campi Flegrei supervolcano was in 1538, resulting in the creation of a new gulf on the southern coast of Italy. According to several volcanologists, INGV has recorded an increase in seismic activity since 2022, possibly due to magma accumulating under the surface or due to gas accumulation.

The volcano is about 50km from Mount Vesuvius and is prone to a phenomenon known as slow seismicity , in which the ground rises and falls due to subsurface pressure. The last major cycle was in 1984, but some volcanologists say the area is experiencing a new cycle of the phenomenon.

According to the Italian Civil Protection agency, which is working this year to update evacuation plans in the event of a major disaster, more than 500,000 people live in the red zone next to the Campi Flegrei supervolcano.