Following the recent earthquakes in the Phlegraean Fields, there is growing concern about a volcanic eruption. A look at the last major event in 1538 shows what could be in store for the inhabitants of the area.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- For some time now, numerous earthquakes of increased magnitude have been measured in the Phlegraean Fields.
- The ground in the area is heaving noticeably. The risk of the supervolcano erupting is increasing.
- The last major eruption in the Phlegraean Fields occurred in 1538.
- Eyewitness accounts provide clues to the question of how the eruption announced itself back then: with astonishing parallels to the situation today.
The Phlegraean Fields in the south of Italy are not at rest. One series of earthquakes after another shakes the bay around the port city of Pozzuoli. The tremors can even be felt in Naples, a city of over a million inhabitants.
Volcanologists are particularly concerned: The uplift rate of the ground level in the area of the Phlegraean Fields is increasing dramatically. Experts assume that a so-called magma lens is forming underground.
Is the 1538 scenario repeating itself?
It was precisely this phenomenon that witnesses observed during the last major eruption in 1538: The ground level rose, the sea retreated and thousands of fish died. Thanks to historical sources, we know that the eruptive phase began just 30 hours later. People fled in panic. And it was well-founded: The village of Tripergole was completely destroyed in the eruption. A new crater was created next to the buried settlement, which is now known as Monte Nuovo.
In the video, blue News shows you exactly what happened in 1538 and what can be learned from this distant event for an imminent eruption.