A sleeping Super Volcano threatens to reawaken and harm the 500,000 people living above it. Giovanni Chiodini of the Italian National Institute of Geophysics in Rome led a group of scientists that conducted physical measurements and computer modeling on the volcanic activities of Campi Flegrei.
Campi Flegrei erruption can not be predicted
In Spite of the fact that the scientists were able to observe if a sudden release of magmatic gasses occurs in the future, it could lead to a large eruption. But, they cannot predict the timing of the explosion and it is not possible at its current state.
Campi Flegrei has a large and complex cone. Most of it is under the ground or under the Mediterranean sea. It includes 24 craters with various vents and geysers that could release hot gas. This explains the name of the volcano that means "burning fields." Studies say that Campi Flegrei was formed thousand of years ago. It erupted 200,000 years ago causing a "volcanic winter," It was the largest volcanic activity during that time from the National Geographic.
Campi Flegrei recent volcanic activities
There are two kinds of supervolcano, a large caldera and a depression. Campi Flegrei happens to be a depression. It is located seven miles across West of Naples. The most current eruption of this volcano was in 1538. It was a smaller eruption than its previous ones. After that, the volcano has been inactive for 500 years.
According to The Sun, scientists have observed since 2005 that the pace of the ground deformation and the low-level seismic activities have increased. The Italian government raised the volcano threat from green to yellow to warn the citizens. Nonetheless, scientists said that the eruption may not occur in our lifetime, and that it needs more observation and studying to actually know when it might occur.
