Scientists have issued a chilling warning about the super volcanoes showing signs of awakening around the world after a series of strong earthquakes, putting millions of people at risk in case of eruption.
A volcanic field near Naples in Italy named Campi Flegrei, has experienced four times more earthquakes than previously thought, including a 4.4 tremor in May - the strongest in 40 years.
Scientists used artificial intelligence to pinpoint the exact location of earthquakes and discovered that the quantity of earthquakes is much more than they thought it was.
The discovery increased the tremors count from 12,000 recorded between 2022 to 2025 to 54,000.
The co-author of the study published in the Journal Science, Bill Ellsworth said, “The findings suggest that a magnitude 5 earthquake isn’t out of the question,” adding that this part of the world has been known to be a risky place since the 80s when part of the city was evacuated.
For context, the Campi Flegrei last erupted nearly 500 years ago in 1538. It doesn’t often erupt, however, due to recent seismic activity the volcano has shown signs of unrest in recent decades.
The super volcanic region is home to nearly 500,000 people and since the 1980s, 16,000 tremors have prompted evacuation of 40,000 residents.
Experts revealed that Campi Flegrei is responsible for two of the biggest eruptions in Europe in the last 400,000 years, adding, “No upward movement of magma has been detected. So, there’s no short term danger.”
They further stated that the increased frequency of earthquakes can damage infrastructure and put thousands of lives in danger, adding, “If the volcano suddenly erupts it would have the potential to destroy cities just as Mount Vesuvius eruption destroyed cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.”
