In the Northwest of Naples, we find the supervolcano Campi FlegreiAt the end of 2016, an international team of geologists published an alarming study. Although it has been inactive for almost 500 years, the last time it was active was in 1538, Campi Flegrei is showing signs that she is waking up. For those who don't know what a supervolcano is, it is a larger than normal volcano, but its destructive capacity is enormous. In fact, in Europe, Monte Flegrei has been the largest volcano. If you want to know more about its nature, you can read about the supervolcanoes of the world.
The volcano's caldera was formed 39.000 years ago, and it has been the largest eruption in 200.000 years.. Some correlate, although it is not certain and there are many more theories aside, a relationship between the eruption of the Campi de Flegrei and the extinction of Neanderthals. A supervolcano like Campi di Flegrei is not just any volcano. Volcanoes are so large that they can collapse on themselves, creating vast regions of craters, geysers, hydrothermal activity, and sulfuric acid. The Yellowstone Volcano in the United States is a good example, and if you want to know more about this topic, we invite you to read our article on the subject. Yellowstone supervolcano in the United States.
How is it and who have been dedicated to its study?
Campi Flegrei consists of 24 craters, and a whole series of volcanic buildings (most of them submerged in the Mediterranean Sea). 200.000 years ago, long before the present caldera was formed, the volcano eruptedA study published in 2010 by experts at the University of Chicago states that this event caused a nuclear winter. With the ash blocking out sunlight for years on end, it has been estimated that during the eruption, more than 3,7 trillion liters of molten rock rose to the surface, emitting a massive amount of sulfuric acid into the atmosphere. If you want to better understand the concept of a nuclear winter, nuclear winter, this study may be of interest.
As stated at that time, Giuseppe de Natale, from the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, that these phenomena are the only ones really comparable to the effects that the fall of a large meteorite could have.
Redondel Rojo, an area of about 12km in diameter. The Yellow Round is Vesuvius
The surface it occupies is not the classic one of a volcano, such as Vesuvius, located very close to the Campi Flegrei. But it is scattered, with many craters, as we can see in the image. Also add that Vesuvius, has been showing signs of greater activity and pressure. We can observe in the circle, the land area, and the area it occupies within the Mediterranean Sea. For additional information on the volcanology of the peninsula, you can visit our article on volcanoes in Italy.
Until a few months ago, the team of volcanologists from the National Institute of Geophysics, led by Giovanni Chiodini, stated in their study that the volcano's pressure is reaching its critical point. It may be that nothing happens. These types of volcanoes do not have a measurable central cone and the underground magma in it tends to occupy a larger area. But this is shown by the signs of the different boilers. As indicated, its effects could affect the 500.000 people who live in the area. For more details on the possible effects of this activity, you can consult our article on whether Campi Flegrei could be more dangerous.
As the years go by, the activity and pressure increase
During the last decade, Campi Flegrei has experienced a series of events. Indicate that gases are rising to the surface at an ever-increasing rate. Italian authorities They raised the alert level in 2012 from green to yellow. Which means that from a calm one, one begins to monitor the activity. Do their inhabitants have to evacuate? No. According to Chiodini, we will have to wait to see how everything develops and what the behavior of the boiler will be. But it is rash to anticipate when it will erupt, if you decide to do so.
For now, yes, there is clear evidence of activity that was not being recorded. The effects that the eruption would entail are truly disturbing, which leads us to wonder if There could be more volcanic eruptions in a warmer world.
We will continue to be vigilant about future developments. Let's hope the news doesn't go beyond saying that there has been a bit more activity than usual in recent years. Otherwise, we can only imagine the level of catastrophe it could reach through the words of experts who have studied its effects in the past.
