In a twist that could give new meaning to the old phrase “See Naples and Die,” Italian and French scientists have found signs that the Campi Flegrei volcano which lies under much of the city may be on the way to new activity.
Since 2005, the volcano has been showing signs of ‘uplift,” triggering a yellow alert and increased monitoring. Through the period since, ground deformation and other activity has increased. Scientists on the monitoring team have compared it with two other volcanoes, one in New Guinea and one in the Galapagos, saying “both showed acceleration in ground deformation before eruption with a pattern similar to that observed at Campi Flegrei.”
The volcano last had an eruption, a relatively small one in 1538. But its explosion about 39,000 years ago, which formed the huge caldera or bowl that’s under Naples, was the largest in Europe in the past 200,000 years, throwing hundreds of cubic kilometers of lava and rock into the air. Yes, that’s cubic kilometers. About 500,000 people live in the caldera today.
Campo Flegrei is not the only volcanic worry in the area. Vesuvius, which 2000 years ago buried Pompei, is still an active volcano, and is nearby.
Photo: fumaroles and mudpools in the Campi Flegrei caldera
