A 4.0-magnitude earthquake shook Italy‘s volcanic region of Campi Flegrei west of Naples yesterday as shocked residents posted videos of cars being pelted by rubble amid the worst of the tremors.
Although the quake did not result in any injuries or major damage according to Italy’s civil protection agency, it caused panic among residents who spilled out into the streets amid fears the tremors could be the prelude to a volcanic eruption.
The area around the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) volcano, which last erupted in 1538, has been the scene of increased seismic activity in recent days with a series of tremors.
Some half a million people live in the regions around Campi Flegrei and would be in grave danger in the event of an eruption.
It comes as a joint study by Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and University College London (UCL) found in June that the volcano was edging towards ‘breaking point’ and in an ‘extremely dangerous state’.
On Wednesday, a 4.2-magnitude quake was recorded, the strongest the area has seen in 40 years, which was felt as far away as Rome.
A 4.0-magnitude earthquake shook Italy ‘s volcanic region of Campi Flegrei west of Naples yesterday as shocked residents posted videos of cars being pelted by rubble amid the worst of the tremors
The closed Solfatara crater in Pozzuoli, Italy, 27 September 2023
The Solfatara is a shallow volcanic crater with steam with sulfurous fumes
The Campi Flegrei are seen in this satellite image
The epicentre of yesterday’s quake was located at a depth of nearly two miles between Naples and Pozzuoli, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
INGV director Mario Di Vito warned that ‘it is possible that there will be tremors of greater intensity’ in the near future, while another INGV official Giuseppe De Natale said he had instructed Naples city council to conduct safety checks on the city’s hospitals, schools and public buildings.
Meanwhile, civil protection minister Nello Musumeci cautioned against alarmism, but admitted he had planned meeting with officials in Naples to expedite the drafting ‘of exodus plans in the event of an emergency’.
The Campi Flegrei is a collapsed super volcanic caldera consisting of several craters and volcanic edifices.
A series of small scale earthquakes and tremors have steadily weakened the caldera in recent decades, causing pressure to build up beneath the surface.
The INGV say continued tremors will only cause pressure to increase, cultivating the required conditions for an eventual eruption.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk