The Problem of Volcanic Unrest: The Campi Flegrei Case History

1996

Campi Flegrei is one of the most densely populated active volcanic areas of the world. It consists of a complex structure with a multicollapse caldera and many postcaldera, explosive, mostly monogenetic vents. The last eruption was in 1538 (Mt. Nuovo). Progressive reduction of eruption energy has accompanied migration of the vents toward the center of the caldera. Campi Flegrei activity is fed by a shallow magma chamber in which trachybasaltic magma undergoes cooling and fractionation, producing trachytic residual melt that is periodically tapped and erupted to the surface. The depth of the chamber is estimated, from petrological and active and passive seismic data, to be about 4 km beneath…