The supervolcano of the Plegreian fields near Naples has not rested: now the earth trembles under the most famous crater Solpatara. Residents have been making disturbing observations for weeks.
Pozzuoli – Not a day passes without the earth shaking beneath the phlegrean fields between Naples and the volcanic island of Ischia in southern Italy. On Thursday, September 14, at 10:04 a.m., seismographs at the Vesuvius Observatory recorded a 1.5-magnitude earthquake, whose epicenter was two deep below the ancient volcanic crater of Scigliano, north of Bosuvoli. Kilometers.
The city of Pozzuoli stands on a volcano
An earthquake of magnitude 2.9 had already occurred on Tuesday night. Like the September 7 earthquake, it was felt as far away as Naples. Although there was no damage, residents of the coastal town of Pozzuoli and its neighboring towns are very nervous. Because they live in a supervolcano that stretches from land to sea.
Tuesday’s quake struck at 4:28 a.m. at a depth of two kilometers and its epicenter was beneath the Solpatara volcanic crater, famous for its sulfur plumes frequented by tourists. “The seismic event eventually woke up residents living in the area with a shock, who, according to witnesses, felt first a roar and then a movement,” the portal writes. vesuviolive.it.
Residents of the area reported hearing loud noises again
“To me, the roar was worse than an earthquake,” writes one user on the Facebook group, “coming from the red zone of the Blakeryan Fields volcano.” On the eastern side of Solpatara Crater, residents of Picciarelli’s volcanic mud pools, which are closed to tourists, have been making disturbing observations: videos have shown them boiling and evaporating particularly violently for weeks.
“In some observations, geyser fountains up to five meters high and temperatures ranging from 75 to 95 degrees Celsius have been reported,” reports a Facebook user. In old photos from about three years ago, only a small bubble can be seen.
The towering mud geysers of the house and the drying harbor serve as warning signals
Locals have been observing sea levels rising further and further out to sea across the region, and the water level of the harbor dropping as seen from land. On Facebook, a Pozzuoli citizen has calculated a size difference of 41 centimeters since August 2020. This phenomenon is called pradisismos. Heaving means an underground magma chamber is filled with lava.
Increased volcanic activity is also observed in the sea: you can see from the shore how the air bubbles rise in the sea through Napoli in Pozzuoli. They are volcanic gases that rise up through increasingly fragile soil.
Snorkelers and divers have always noticed these fumaroles, but in underwater photos they appear more active than they did a few years ago.
Italy’s civil defense minister promises an emergency plan
On Wednesday, Italy’s Minister of Civil Protection, Nello Musumesi, met with the mayors of the Flagrean municipalities and representatives of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology and the National Department of Civil Protection at the Palazzo Sigi in Naples.
According to Musumezi, a project to analyze the vulnerability of the territory funded by the National Civil Defense and a communication plan for the public will be developed, which will include the involvement of primary school students in the Flagraean communities. In addition, the emergency plan with escape routes is to be updated, and regular exercises are planned to test the infrastructure network.
Meanwhile, an earthquake in Morocco killed thousands. Countless people are injured or rendered helpless. The government only wants to help itself.
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