The strongest earthquake in 40 years has been experienced in the Campi Flegrei area this fall. However, the eruption of the volcano is unlikely.
Sleepless nights have been spent in the Campi Flegrei volcano area in Naples in recent weeks. Small earthquakes have repeatedly driven residents to the streets, and the 4.2-magnitude earthquake that occurred at the end of September was the strongest in 40 years. In September alone, there were more than 1,100 earthquakes in the region, and the earthquakes have continued in October.
Among other things, schools, railways and metro lines have had to be temporarily closed to assess possible damage.
Campi Flegrei is a 12-kilometer-wide caldera, or collapsed volcano, which last erupted in the 16th century. It is considered the most worrisome volcano in Europe, as the entire caldera area is very densely populated.
– Over the course of history, Campi Flegrei has been characterized by periodical soil movement, Director of the Vesuvius Volcano Observatory Mauro Di Vito tells STT by phone.
Since 2006, the ground level has risen by no more than 1.15 meters. Uplift causes the earth’s crust to crack and the earth to shake. In addition, gas rises to the earth’s surface, which originates from magma at a depth of up to 7-8 kilometers, says Di Vito.
According to Di Vito, rising soil and gas eruptions can be signs that the volcano is becoming active.
– At the moment, however, we have no evidence of that. The most important predictor of an impending eruption, magma rising upwards, is missing, says Di Vito.
A possible volcanic eruption would not come as a surprise, as Campi Flegrei is one of the most closely monitored volcanoes in the world.
Challenges in the evacuation plan
500,000 inhabitants live in the worst danger zone of Campi Flegrei. With the latest earthquakes in Italy, concerns have been raised about the shortcomings of the evacuation plan for the region.
The last evacuation exercise was organized in 2019, la Repubblica newspaper says. In addition, there are structural problems in the roads used as escape routes, there are many houses built without permission in the area, and no map or list of buildings at risk of earthquakes has been prepared.
The principals of the school in the 27th district sent a letter to the mayor of Naples in September, asking for better coordination with the civil defense and joint guidelines.
However, the Italian government recently approved a bill according to which the infrastructure and emergency preparedness of the Campi Flegrei area will be supported with more than 52 million euros.