The most dangerous “supervolcano” in Europe may wake up – scientists
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The dormant Campi Flegrei volcano in Italy, which is called the most dangerous “supervolcano” in Europe, may wake up. Scientists from University College London have expressed concern, reports Space.com. The caldera (the depression formed by the collapse of the top of the volcano) of the dormant “supervolcano” in Europe is now the western part of the city of Naples. There are the Phlegrean Fields (fiery, hot fields), which have 24 craters, near which about half a million Italians live. More than 1.5 million people live above the large underground complex of the volcano. Photo: Carmine Minopoli/AFP via Getty According to scientists, the crust of the caldera is getting thinner and weaker every year, which may indicate that the volcano is capable of awakening. The last eruption of the volcano was in 1538. Scientists predict that if it happens again, the volcano could create a tsunami 33.5 meters high, as well as spread a plume of sulfur and toxic ash that could “plunge the Earth into a global winter.” It is noted that the volcano has been active since the middle of the 20th century with bursts of increased activity in the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s. In the last decade, scientists have recorded another period of activity. The land under the city of Pozzuoli, which is located on top of a volcano, rises by 10 centimeters every year. Since the 1950s, it has risen by four meters, scientists say. Mild earthquakes regularly occur in the Phlegrean Fields. During April of this year, their record number was recorded – 600. To determine the extent to which a new volcanic eruption is possible, researchers combined seismic data with measurements of soil uplift. They determined that the crust above the Phlegraean Fields does not bend under pressure, but breaks. Photo: Vincenzo Izzo/LightRocket via Getty Bubbling underground gas and magma since the 1950s has been slowly bending and weakening the volcano’s crust, according to a study. This may indicate that even though earthquakes in the region are not that strong, weaker rocks can fail under lower loads. At the same time, the lead author of the study, Christopher Kilburn, notes that it is impossible to talk about the inevitability of an eruption. According to him, there are two conditions due to which scientists cannot accurately predict the eruption of a volcano. In particular, to wake up, the volcano’s gases must build up faster than they can escape, and the magma must be able to move quickly through the crust where the fissure has formed. We will remind, on January 3 at 15:28, scientists recorded an earthquake in the city of Irshava in Transcarpathia. Read also: Earthquake in Turkey: what is known about the disaster and the number of victims
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