NAPLES, ITALY — Scientists have located the magma source of an Italian super volcano that's considered one of the most dangerous in the world.
Campi Flegrei is a volcanic caldera to the west of Naples which last erupted in 1538, but was responsible for a series of small earthquakes in the 1980s, according to a new study published in Scientific Reports.
Researchers have long puzzled about where the caldera's magma was coming from, and have now pinpointed the location of a hot zone about 4 kilometers under the nearby city of Pozzuoli.
From 1982 and 1984, rising gas and magma caused ground in the crater to swell, but was prevented from rising to the surface by a deep rock formation. The magma instead spread out laterally, causing minor earthquakes.
The caldera has grown hotter since, and with pressure building, scientists fear it could soon erupt and put the entire region at risk.
Volcanologists cannot say for sure what the scale of any future eruption could be, but are closely monitoring Campi Flegrei.
