Campi Flegrei, two more tremors at 16,42 and 16,48: record seismic swarm with over 280 earthquakes in a few days

NAPLES – Seismic activity continues at Campi Flegrei, where a seismic swarm that began on February 15 is still active. According to data released by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), this is the swarm with the highest number of events recorded in recent times, with at least 282 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than zero.

The latest tremors in chronological order, of magnitude 1.6, detected at 16:42 today and of magnitude 1.0 at 16,48:3.9. The two most significant events, both of magnitude 16, occurred at 30:16 on February 00 with the epicenter at sea and at 19:17 on February XNUMX between Pozzuoli, Quarto and Bacoli.

“The possibility of earthquakes of greater magnitude cannot be ruled out, but the alert remains yellow,” said Mauro Di Vito, director of the Vesuvius Observatory of the INGV. The intense seismic activity has caused concern among the population, with many reports of tremors felt more strongly than in the past.

On this point, Di Vito clarified that "the perception of an earthquake is not an instrumental value and can vary based on different factors, such as the time of the event, the structure of the building you are in and your position with respect to the epicenter".

In particular, the night shock of February 17 was felt with greater intensity than the afternoon one, although both had the same magnitude.

According to data collected up to 14:00 PM on February 17, of the more than 280 earthquakes recorded, 85 had a magnitude greater than 1. Most of the events were concentrated in the Solfatara and Pisciarelli areas. However, measurements of hydrothermal activity remain in line with the values ​​observed in the last five to six months.

“The ongoing seismic swarm is probably due to the movement of the coastal formation, which causes uplift and fracturing of the rocks,” Di Vito explained.

 Soil deformation continues

The Vesuvius Observatory continues its constant monitoring of the area, analyzing not only seismicity but also ground deformation and hydrothermal activity. “The ground deformation is proceeding at the same speed observed before the seismic events of recent days,” added the director, underlining that even hydrothermal activity does not show signs of a rapid increase, although there is evidence of deep gas in motion.

Attention remains high, with experts engaged in the constant analysis of data to understand the evolution of the phenomenon.