[Rockhounds] Italy’s Campi Flegrei Supervolcano Edges Closer to Possible Eruption – Last Erupted in 1538

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

The Campi Flegrei volcano in southern Italy has become weaker and more
prone to rupturing, making an eruption more likely, according to a new
study by researchers at UCL (University College London) and Italy’s
National Research Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

The volcano, which last erupted in 1538, has been restless for more than 70
years, with two-year spikes of unrest in the 1950s, 1970s, and 1980s, and a
slower phase of unrest over the last decade. Tens of thousands of small
earthquakes have occurred during these periods and the coastal town of
Pozzuoli has been lifted by nearly 4 m (13 ft), roughly the height of a
double-decker bus.

The new study, published today (June 9) in Nature’s *Communications Earth &
Environment* journal, used a model of volcano fracturing, developed at UCL,
to interpret the patterns of earthquakes and ground uplift, and concluded
that parts of the volcano had been stretched nearly to breaking point.

https://scitechdaily.com/italys-campi-flegrei-supervolcano-edges-closer-to-possible-eruption-last-erupted-in-1538/