Seismic Storm Shuts Down Campi Flegrei Schools
The Campi Flegrei or Phlegraean Fields, a highly seismic area in Italy’s Campania region near Naples, experienced a 4.4 magnitude earthquake on Monday evening.
Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported that the earthquake, with its epicenter near Pozzuoli, was part of an ongoing seismic storm.
The quake, occurring at a depth of three kilometers at 20:10, was the most powerful in the Campi Flegrei region in the last 40 years.
The tremor caused slight structural damage in Pozzuoli, prompting panicked residents to seek refuge in the streets and cars overnight.
Over a period of five hours the next day, around 150 tremors were detected, including a 3.5 magnitude quake at 19:59 and a 3.9 magnitude quake at 21:46.
As a precautionary measure, schools in Pozzuoli, Bacoli, Quarto, Monte di Procida, and select parts of Naples remained closed on Tuesday.
The Phlegraean Fields area, designated a regional park two decades ago, is known for its supervolcanic calderas and bradyseism phenomenon.
With a population exceeding half a million in the most vulnerable ‘red zone,’ the Campi Flegrei region faces the constant threat of seismic activity.
Following heightened seismic unrest, the Italian government recently revamped evacuation plans to address the escalating situation.
The area’s last volcanic eruption took place in 1538, but earthquakes have been prevalent since 1950, particularly in the early 1980s, indicating a volatile landscape.
Experts attribute recent seismic spikes to bradyseism, caused by underground magma chamber movements or hydrothermal activities.
