Earthquake swarm in Campi Flegrei, Italy

A new earthquake swarm, lasting about 11 hours, began in Campi Flegrei area, Italy at 04:33 UTC today. Campi Flegrei is a 13 km (8 miles) wide caldera that encompasses part of Naples and extends to the south beneath the Gulf of Pozzuoli. 

Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported a preliminary number of 26 earthquakes, with most of them under M1 and the strongest registered as M3.4.

Light shaking caused by the M3.4 quake was reported by at least 72 individuals.

While such events are common in seismically active regions like Campi Flegrei, their shallow nature can lead to increased felt intensity, even at lower magnitudes.

The Campanian volcanoes, Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and the island of Ischia, represent the most monitored and studied volcanic areas in the world due to the risk associated with a possible resumption of volcanic activity. These volcanic areas are quiescent but still affected by seismicity, ground deformation and fumarolic activity, and are therefore carefully monitored, INGV volcanologists said.

Campi Flegrei has experienced cycles of significant uplift and subsidence since Roman times. Its earliest known volcanic products date back approximately 47 000 years.

The caldera formed after two major explosive eruptions: the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption about 36 000 years ago and the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) eruption around 15 000 years ago, which ejected over 40 km³ (9.6 mi³) of material.

After the NYT eruption, numerous smaller eruptions occurred from scattered vents both on land and underwater. Most activity was concentrated in three periods: 15 000 – 9 500 years ago, 8 600 – 8 200 years ago, and 4 800 – 3 800 years ago.

The most recent eruptions were recorded in 1158 CE at Solfatara and in 1538 CE (VEI 3), when the Monte Nuovo cinder cone was formed.

References:

¹ Campi Flegrei earthquake M 3.4 – INGV – December 6, 2024

² Campi Flegrei geological summary – GVP – Accessed December 6, 2024

Rishika Yadav

Rishika holds a Master’s in International Studies from Stella Maris College, Chennai, India, where she earned a gold medal, and an MCA from the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India. Previously, she served as a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. During her tenure, she contributed as a Junior Writer for Europe Monitor on the Global Politics website and as an Assistant Editor for The World This Week. Her work has also been published in The Hindu newspaper, showing her expertise in global affairs. Rishika is also a recipient of the Women Empowerment Award at the district level in Haryana, India, in 2022.

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