Epicenter near Naples

Quake of magnitude 3.7 near dangerous supervolcano

(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

The area around the southern Italian city of Naples was shaken by a minor earthquake on Sunday morning. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) gave the magnitude as 3.7 and located the epicenter in the so-called Phlegraean Fields.

According to initial findings by the Italian civil defense, there were no injuries or major damage. Several media reported that many people in the area were frightened by the earth tremors and ran into the streets. No significant damage should have occurred at this magnitude - apart from possibly fallen objects or small cracks in walls.

Europe's largest active supervolcano
The Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei Area), an area with high volcanic activity in the Campania region in southern Italy, has been hit by numerous small earthquakes for some time. In August last year alone, 1118 earth tremors were recorded around Europe's largest active supervolcano.

One of the 24 craters in the Campi Flegrei area near Naples

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Area littered with 24 craters
Over the past 15 years, the surface of the Campi Flegrei has risen by almost one meter. The area is dotted with 24 craters and is a much larger volcano than the nearby Mount Vesuvius, which destroyed the famous ancient Roman city of Pompeii during an eruption in 79 AD.

Yellow alert level for eleven years
However, it is mostly small and barely noticeable tremors that weaken the earth's crust above the Phlegraean Fields. Researchers have repeatedly warned of this phenomenon. For eleven years, the area has therefore been on yellow alert, which calls for caution.