Naples - A magnitude 2.3 earthquake shook the towns along the Vesuvius slopes last night. The quake was recorded at 4:31 a.m. on Friday, November 14, by seismographs at the Vesuvius Observatory of the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and was located between Massa di Somma and San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, at an estimated depth of approximately two kilometers.
The earthquake was clearly felt not only in the towns immediately on the volcano's slopes, but also in eastern Naples. The tremor was felt as far away as Portici—about 5 kilometers from the epicenter—and in Torre del Greco and Ercolano, about 6 kilometers away. Reports also came from the Salerno area, particularly Scafati.
According to initial investigations, no damage to buildings or injuries have been reported. Experts at the Vesuvius Observatory also confirm that the earthquakes on Vesuvius have no connection with the activity of the Phlegraean Fields, the other large volcanic system in the Naples area.
The tremors affecting the Neapolitan volcano, researchers explain, are largely linked to the natural subsidence of the crater. Vesuvius is, in fact, a volcanic complex formed by the caldera of Mount Somma and the more recent cone, formed after the eruption of 79 AD that buried Pompeii.
Since 1944, the year of the last eruption, the volcano has been in a quiescent phase characterized by fumarolic activity, low seismicity and minimal ground movements, quantified as approximately 6 millimetres of subsidence per year.
Tremors, like the one last night, are generally concentrated between one and two kilometers deep, falling within the dynamics considered normal for Vesuvius during this quiet phase.
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