Naples woken by strong earthquake as tremors hit city

An earthquake tremor was recorded on Thursday morning in the Campi Flegrei area of Naples. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reports that the epicentre of the 4.4-magnitude quake was located off the Gulf of Pozzuoli at a depth of 3 kilometres.

The quake was felt throughout the Naples area. Many residents posted messages on social media to report the tremor. No damage to people or property has been reported so far. The municipalities of Pozzuoli, Bacoli and Quarto have decided to keep schools closed.

The seismic zone in the Campi Flegrei

The Campi Flegrei are a vast supervolcano to the west of Naples, characterised by a caldera structure, in other words a depressed area formed by the collapse of the roof of an ancient magma chamber. From a seismic point of view, the area is highly active and subject to the phenomenon of bradyseism, which causes the ground to rise and sink periodically, accompanied by frequent swarms of generally moderate earthquakes.

The earthquakes in the area are mostly shallow, originating in the upper few kilometres of the Earth’s crust, which makes them particularly noticeable to the local population even at low intensity.