By: Charlotte Tilden ’25
Residents of Pozzuoli, Italy, a popular tourist attraction and a study center for geology, were getting excited for the fall months and upcoming Christmas festivities. However, their excitement is cut short when the ground began to shake.
These earthquakes left residents terrified that the volcanic area of Campi Flegrei will erupt soon.
However, the ginormous volcanic area called Campi Flegrei has not erupted since 1538.
Elisa Trasatti, a researcher at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy said, “It emerged that the eruption was preceded by an intense deformation of the ground which first concerned the area of Pozzuoli, then localized in the area of the future eruptive vent, reaching an elevation of 20 meters.”
According to Life Science the deformation was caused by volcanic gas absorbing into the crust beneath Campi Flegrei’s surface. The volcanic gas warped the surface triggering several earthquakes. Finally, once a large amount of gas had been built up under the surface, the crust fractured.
This fracture in the crust led to the Roman village of Tripergole being covered in muddy ash and lava. These layers of muddy ash and lava became a new mountain called Monte Nuovo.
After it’s eruption, the volcano became dormant. And It’s remained dormant up until the 20th century.
In the 20th century, the volcano has experienced spurts of activity in the 1950s, 1970s, and 1980s. Now since 2005, the Campi Felgrei volcanic sight has experienced increased activity.
However, this time it is different from past years.
There has been over 1,000 minor earthquakes in September and on September 27th a 4.2 magnitude earthquake shook the whole volcanic region.
This 4.2 earthquake is the most powerful one seen since the 1980s, over 4 decades ago, leaving both scientists and residents concerned.
In the 1980s, the last time the earthquakes had reached this magnitude, 40,000 locals had to be temporarily evacuated because the buildings around them became unstable.
The additional 500 minor earthquakes in October have increase scientists and locals concerns.
Despite this experts say there is no immediate danger, but they are worried that with the movement of the Earth’s surface it might lead to buildings becoming unstable.
The movement also know as bradyseism is the filling or draining of magma chamber under the Earth’s surface.
The Italian government plans to have a possible mass evacuation if buildings foundation becomes unstable.
Despite the obvious danger the volcano presents, families are divided on whether or not they should stay or go.
“My family is divided… I want to stay, but my wife and children are looking for a house in the Castel Volturno area,” a resident named Vincenzo Russo said to Daily Express US.
Others are unsure on where they can go.
Annamaria Scardi, a mother and Pozzuoli local, said “We are worried because (we are supposed to) run away. But where do we go? Where?”
This uncertainty has left locals constantly terrified.
“When you sleep at night, the nightmare is always there. You forget the situation and you’re on the couch, and then the tremor is there with you. There are big ones and small ones. Yesterday, for example, we had two small tremors before lunch,” Vincenzo Russo said.
Although, there aren’t unreasonable. In the event this mass super volcano repeated history the results would be catastrophic.
According to LiveScience If Camp Flegrei were to repeat the eruption of 1538 then, “it could send molten rock and volcanic gases high into the stratosphere, unleash tsunamis 100 feet (33.5 m) high and spread a plume of sulfur and toxic ash that could plunge Earth into global winter for years — killing crops and causing mass extinctions.”
But scientists are hopeful that not every eruption is as destructive.
The dangers of volcanos are obvious, but without a definite idea on what the next eruption could look like it becomes a waiting game for both scientists and Pozzuoli locals.
THE BEAR FACTS 