| Event code | GE-VAC/05462/ITA |
|---|---|
| Main category | Geological Event |
| Sub category | volcano activity |
| Event date (UTC) | Wed, 27 Sep 2023 14:43:15 +0000 |
| Last update (UTC) | Fri, 27 Oct 2023 19:45:00 +0000 |
| Continent | Europe |
|---|---|
| Country | Italy |
| Administration area | Campania |
| Settlement | Metropolitan City of Naples |
| Exact location | Campi Flegrei Volcanic Field |
| Open Location Code: | 8FGPP3J9+G5 |
| Size of affected area | County-level |
| Additional events | None or not detected. |
| Urgency | Past |
|---|---|
| Certainty | Observed |
| Severity | Extreme |
| Category | Geo |
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake shook Italy's Campi Flegrei region west of Naples in the early hours Wednesday, in the biggest tremor in the area for 40 years, according to experts. The quake scared residents but caused no injuries or damage, according to the civil protection agency. The Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) is a vast volcano, though it is flat rather than cone shaped. While less well-known than nearby Vesuvius, a recent increase in activity has rattled nerves. The quake struck at 3:35 am (0135 GMT) at a depth of around three kilometres (nearly two miles), and was felt across much of Naples. "It was the biggest quake in the past 40 years," Mauro Di Vito, head of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), told AFP. "It is possible that there will be tremors of greater intensity" in the near future, he said.
The talk in shops and coffee bars in Pozzuoli, a port town outside Naples, is not about soccer or politics, but of the fear that has gripped residents since a supervolcano sparked a swarm of earthquakes. Over the past weeks, the government has been planning for a possible mass evacuation of tens of thousands of people who live around the vast volcanic area known as the Campi Flegrei, or Phlegraean Fields, from the ancient Greek word for burning. Sulfurous fumes escape from the surface, giving the area a surreal look and making it a magnet for tourists. Residents have become used to the smell, the fumes, and the trembling. There were more than 1,000 quakes in September, most of them minor. But a 4.2 magnitude earthquake on 27 September, the strongest jolt in more than 40 years to rattle the volcanic field, sparked fears that what scientists call a "seismic crisis" may be underway for the first time since the early 1980s. The big quake, which caused no serious structural damage, and about 500 smaller ones so far in October, have made residents such as Annamaria Scardi, a mother of two teenagers, feel tense. "Even those small ones (quakes) make us afraid," she said. "We are worried because (we are supposed to) run away. But where do we go? Where? This is the situation. We're on edge." Experts say there is no imminent threat of an eruption but they are concerned that the geophysical activity is causing ground uplift and descent, which can destabilize buildings. The government, which discussed the situation in cabinet this month, would order an evacuation if civil protection officials warned buildings were in danger of collapse.
Italy is bracing itself for the eruption of Camp Flegrei, a super volcano in the Naples region. Plans have been put in place for evacuations, as well as testing the stability of buildings and infrastructure. The combined population of the area is over half a million people and tens of thousands could be evacuated in the event the volcano goes off. Named for the Greek word for âburning fieldsâ, Camp Flegrei is just 20 kilometers from Naples and part of the city could be affected by an eruption. While nearby Vesuvius is better known for destroying ancient Romeâs Pompeii in AD79, the Camp Flegrei âcalderaâ, is much larger, over 11 km long (7 miles), and composed of 24 craters. Though the supervolcano has not erupted significantly since 1538, magma from that blast was found as far away as Greenland. Repeated earthquakes have been happening in the region for months, signaling an increase in seismic activity that has authorities concerned. Experts say this is probably due to âbradyseismâ, a rising or falling of the earth caused by underground magma chambers filling or draining. The earthquake toll in just the last month came in at over 1,100, shaking communities such as Agnano, Bacoli, and Pozzuoli as well as other towns and villages nearby. Two of the incidents hit 4.0 on the Richter Scale in the last week â the most powerful tremors for four decades. Those tremors weaken the structure of local architecture, as well as the caldera, making it more vulnerable to the pressure building below.
The president of Italyâs National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), Carlo Doglioni told TGCom24: âWe are monitoring the situation but we donât know how it will evolve. In the event of an eruption, we donât know when or where it could happen. However small, it would cause social unrest.â Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci has stated that evacuations would only be undertaken in case of âextreme necessityâ. However, local emergency care providers such as hospitals, were expecting to be stress-tested with evacuation simulations from last week, according to local news sources. It is also anticipated the Italian cabinet will begin to empower local civil protection agencies through increased funds as well as improved communication systems and the ability to fundraise. A traffic light risk assessment system of green, yellow, and red states of alert has been put in place to be reassessed monthly. Pozzuoli, where 40,000 people were evacuated from in the 1980s after a similar series of tremors, is currently deemed yellow. Text alerts will also be sent to locals every time a 1.5 or greater magnitude event on the Richter scale is detected. The evacuation plan drawn up proposes that residents be transported out of the area within three days, whether by private or public means.
The Italian government is devising contingency plans for a potential mass evacuation of tens of thousands of residents living near the Campi Flegrei supervolcano situated near Naples. These measures, including building strength assessments following months of recurring earthquakes, will be deliberated during a cabinet meeting, according to an official government statement. Campi Flegrei, which translates to âburning fieldsâ in Greek, is located approximately 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from Naples and encompasses towns and villages like Pozzuoli, Agnano, and Bacoli, with a combined population exceeding 500,000. It boasts a caldera containing 24 craters and is substantially larger than the nearby Vesuvius, which famously destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in 79 AD. In recent weeks, the area has experienced over 1,100 earthquakes, including a magnitude 4.0 tremor earlier this week and a 4.2 magnitude quake last weekâ the most powerful in the region in four decades. Experts attribute the heightened seismic activity to bradyseism, a phenomenon in which the earthâs surface rises or falls due to the filling or emptying of underground magma chambers. While most volcanologists assert that an eruption is not imminent, concerns have arisen regarding the impact of the current ground elevation of 1.5 cm (0.59 inches) per month on local structures. Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci emphasized that evacuations would only be enacted in cases of âextreme necessity.â The cabinet is also expected to allocate additional resources to local civil protection agencies to ensure their prompt response during emergencies and to fund a public awareness campaign. Reports suggest that hospitals in the region will conduct evacuation drills starting Friday to prepare for the possibility of stronger earthquakes or eruptions. The last time Campi Flegrei experienced a significant series of earthquakes was in the 1980s, leading to the temporary evacuation of roughly 40,000 residents from Pozzuoli. The most recent notable eruption occurred in 1538, while a major eruption occurred 39,000 years ago, potentially contributing to the extinction of Neanderthal man, with traces of its magma found in Greenland, some 4,500 km distant.
| Number of dead: | 0 person(s) |
|---|---|
| Number of injured: | 0 person(s) |
| Number of Affected: | 0 person(s) |
| Number of Rescued/evacuated: | 0 person(s) |
| Number of Missing: | 0 person(s) |
| Number of Infected: | 0 person(s) |
| Code2 | IT |
|---|---|
| Code | ITA |
| Name | Italy |
| LocalName | Italia |
| GovernmentForm | Republic |
| Continent | Europe |
| Region | Southern Europe |
| SurfaceArea | 301316.00 |
| IndepYear | 1861 |
| Population | 57680000 |
| LifeExpectancy | 79.0 |
| GNP | 1161755.00 |
| GNPOld | 1145372.00 |
| Capital | 1464 |