A large volcano in Italy attracts attention. According to experts, it could be an imminent volcanic eruption.
Naples – Italy It is the land of volcanoes. In addition to Iceland, the popular holiday destination is a frontrunner in terms of volcanic activity in Europe. Again and again the well-known volcanoes Etna, Vesuvius and Stromboli attracted attention with its activity. The largest active supervolcano in Europe is also located in southern Italy and could be heading for an eruption.
This refers to the Phlegraean fields (Campi Flegrei). The area, which covers more than 150 square kilometers and begins on the outskirts of Naples, has become weaker and more prone to cracking in recent years, raising the possibility of a volcanic eruption. The researchers are worried.
Supervolcano in Italy: Researchers examine Earth’s crust
In a new study, researchers from University College London and the Italian National Research Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) closely examined the supervolcano. The study was in the journal nature Earth and Environment Communications published. Patterns of movement in the Earth’s interior from the Phlegrean fields indicate rising gas and increased fractures in the crust.
“However, this does not mean that an outbreak is guaranteed,” explains study author Professor Christopher Kilburn. Magma must first be pushed to the Earth’s surface in the right place for an eruption to occur. For several years, it was Activities of Volcanologists in Southern Italy. In recent years, Phlegraean Fields have behaved as expected. In addition to an increasing number of small earthquakes, the ground beneath the city has risen about four inches each year.
Italy: parts of the giant volcano are weakening, the earth can break apart
The model the researchers used in their work helps explain earthquake patterns and ground elevation. Parts of the volcano have stretched almost to the breaking point. Co-author Nicola Allesandro Pino explains in a communication: “Our results show that parts of the volcano are weakening. This means that it can erupt, even if the tensions that separate it from each other are lower than in the last crisis 40 years ago.”
The most powerful eruption of the Phlegrean volcano occurred in the fields about 40,000 years ago. Another big eruption occurred about 15,000 years ago. Although the last eruption was dated back to 1538, the supervolcano activity in Italy has been increasing again since the 1950s.
In the past 70 years, experts have measured tens of thousands of small earthquakes. This raised the coastal town of Pozzuoli by nearly four metres. Another outbreak of the disease could be catastrophic in the densely populated area near Naples. More than 360,000 people live directly on the territory of the Phlegrean Fields. (Mercury)