On Monday night, the southern Italian city of Naples experienced the strongest earthquakes in decades at a volcanic caldera. The tremors caused widespread panic, prompting residents to rush out into the streets.
Residents of the city who are also near the famous volcano Mt. Vesuvius brace after experiencing some of the strongest earthquakes in decades.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported that the first earthquake, measuring 4.4 in magnitude, occurred shortly after 8 pm local time. It struck at a depth of 1.6 miles. Just moments before, a 3.5-magnitude tremor was felt, and several aftershocks followed. Emergency services reported damage, including cracks in buildings and fallen debris. In Pozzuoli, a town nearby, video footage showed bottles scattered on the floor of a supermarket, having been shaken off the shelves.
🚨🇮🇹 4.4 MAG EARTHQUAKE ROCKS NAPLES
Footage of the worst earthquake Naples has undergone in decades.
The authorities reported that 150 earthquakes were detected in the region last night.
A full damage report has not yet been released, though it was noted emergency services… pic.twitter.com/JwRyNP2stb
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 21, 2024
The affected area, known as Campi Flegrei or the Phlegraean Fields, experienced about 150 earthquakes between 7:51 pm on Monday and 12:31 am on Tuesday, according to the INGV. Mauro Di Vito from the institute stated, “This is the most powerful seismic swarm in the last 40 years.” As a precaution, schools in Pozzuoli will remain closed on Tuesday, and temporary shelters have been set up for residents too scared to return home, as announced by the town’s mayor, Luigi Manzoni, on Facebook.
Italy
Concrete: earthquake in pictures in Naples.
Yes, it’s real
Amalfi coast concern too pic.twitter.com/fRYpKgPPgA— nikola 3 (@ronin19217435) May 21, 2024
The INGV will continue to monitor the caldera closely, warning that more seismic activity could occur. Campi Flegrei, situated between Pozzuoli and Naples, lies near the famous Mount Vesuvius. About 40,000 years ago Campi Flegrei experienced a massive eruption that altered the weather for a long period of time. Recently, the caldera has become active again due to gases released by the magma, causing concern among residents and scientists.
“We have to live with fear all the time,” a resident of Pozzuoli told the public channel Rainews. “How long will the buildings be able to withstand all these shocks? That’s what we wonder.” The Campi Flegrei crater was formed 39,000 years ago in a colossal eruption that ejected hundreds of cubic kilometers of lava, rock, and debris into the atmosphere. It was the largest eruption in Europe in the past 200,000 years.
The most recent eruption at Campi Flegrei occurred in 1538, though it was much smaller in scale. Nearby Mount Vesuvius, infamous for its eruption over 2,000 years ago that buried the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, remains classified as an active volcano.
