An earthquake of 4.4 magnitude, the largest recorded in the area in the last 40 years, shook the province of Campania, in the Phlegraean Fields area, beneath which there is a huge volcanic caldera. 

It was also strongly felt in the center of the city of Naples, sparking contrasting scenes of panic and calmness among residents.

At the moment, no major damages have been reported, except for some pieces of cornices falling or some cracks in the municipalities near the epicenter, as reported by local authorities.

Throughout the day on Monday, several low-intensity tremors were felt until the one at 20:10, which had a magnitude of 4.4 degrees and occurred at a depth of three kilometers, according to data from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

The tremor was strongly felt in the center of Naples, where residents immediately took to the streets, as well as in other municipalities inland such as Casavatore, Giugliano, and Afragola

The 4.4 magnitude earthquake felt tonight with its epicenter in the Phlegraean Fields may be the strongest in the last forty years, since seismic activity was reactivated in the area.

The previous record dates back to the earthquake on September 27th of last year, and at that time, the recorded magnitude was 4.2 degrees.

This is a region of high seismic activity: the Gulf of Naples lies between the great volcano Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, a caldera with around twenty craters, many of them underwater, named (burning land) by the ancient Greeks.

The Phlegraean Fields and their cities, home to half a million people, are going through a phase of bradyseism, a phenomenon that raises the ground level due to the gas and magma accumulated in the depths (since January 2016, the ground in places like Pozzuoli has risen by 88 centimeters, according to the INGV).

Source: La Vanguardia

BDST: 1133 HRS, MAY 22, 2024
MN