Posted BY: | NwoReport
A ‘supervolcano’ in a densely populated part of Italy could be on the verge of its first eruption since 1538, researchers have warned.
The Campi Flegrei volcano near Naples, southern Italy, has become weaker and more prone to rupturing, making an eruption more likely, the experts say.
Located about nine miles (14.5 km) to the west of Naples, it is one of the few active supervolcanoes in the world.
Around 360,000 people live at Campi Flegrei and may need to evacuate if experts think it’s in immediate danger of an eruption, although scientists say there’s no guarantee one will occur anytime soon.
When the volcano eventually blows it is likely to be comparable in size to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in AD 79.
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Lead author Professor Christopher Kilburn at UCL’s Earth Sciences department said that Campi Flegrei is more prone to a ‘rupture’ – a break or fracture through the rock that makes up the body of the volcano.
‘It’s a natural result when the volcano is stretched as pressure builds up underground,’ Professor Kilburn told MailOnline.
