More than a thousand earthquakes have rocked areas around Campi Flegrei volcano in Italy recently. And this has stoked fears about the supervolcano erupting after lying dormant for nearly 500 years. The government is thinking about possible mass evacuation of thousands of people who live in this area. The volcanic area of Campi Flegrei is also called Phlegraen Fields, which is derived from ancient Greek word for burning.

The area currently bears a surreal look thanks to sulphurous fumes from the surface and is attracting tourists. Although residents have grown used to the smell and the fumes, they are worried due the large number of earthquakes. Most of them have been minor.

However, on September 27, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit, the strongest to jolt&nbsp;the region in more than 40 years. Scientists fear what's called a 'seismic crisis' may be underway. If it indeed happens, it will mark the first such phenomenon since early 1980s.

"Even those small ones (quakes) make us afraid," said Annamaria Scardi as quoted by Reuters

"We are worried because (we are supposed to) run away. But where do we go? Where? This is the situation. We're on edge."

Experts are not predicting any immediate threat of supervolcano eruption but there are concerns about the geophysical activity causing ground uplift and descent. Such a movement may prove harmful to stability of the buildings.

The government has already discussed the situation in the cabinet.

The 'seismic crisis'

The seismic crisis, which is called bradyseism, occurs due filling or emptying of magma chambers underground. Last time this happened, the crisis lasted for several years and forced temporary evacuation of 40,000 people from Pozzuoli, the town in the region.

"My family is divided... I want to stay, but my wife and children are looking for a house in the Castel Volturno area," said Vincenzo Russo, referring to a town about 30 km (18 miles) north.

"When you sleep at night, the nightmare is always there. You forget the situation and you're on the couch, and then the tremor is there with you. There are big ones and small ones. Yesterday, for example, we had two small tremors before lunch," he said.

Same story but 6,000 miles apart

Just like in Italy, a volcano in California has piqued scientific interest due to similarities of earthquakes in the region. The &nbsp;Long Valley Caldera in California is also a supervolcano.

However, scientists do not predict a major eruption.

“The first thing people think is that there’s going to be a civilization-ending eruption,” said Michael Poland, a geophysicist at the United States Geological Survey as quoted by NBC News.

(With inputs from agencies)

More than a thousand earthquakes have rocked areas around Campi Flegrei volcano in Italy recently. And this has stoked fears about the supervolcano erupting after lying dormant for nearly 500 years.

More than a thousand earthquakes have rocked areas around Campi Flegrei volcano in Italy recently. And this has stoked fears about the supervolcano erupting after lying dormant for nearly 500 years. The government is thinking about possible mass evacuation of thousands of people who live in this area. The volcanic area of Campi Flegrei is also called Phlegraen Fields, which is derived from ancient Greek word for burning. The area currently bears a surreal look thanks to sulphurous fumes from the surface and is attracting tourists. Although residents have grown used to the smell and the fumes, they are worried due the large number of earthquakes. Most of them have been minor. However, on September 27, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit, the strongest to jolt the region in more than 40 years. Scientists fear what's called a 'seismic crisis' may be underway. If it indeed happens, it will mark the first such phenomenon since early 1980s. "Even those small ones (quakes) make us afraid," said Annamaria Scardi as quoted by Reuters "We are worried because (we are supposed to) run away. But where do we go? Where? This is the situation. We're on edge." Experts are not predicting any immediate threat of supervolcano eruption but there are concerns about the geophysical activity causing ground uplift and descent. Such a movement may prove harmful to stability of the buildings. The government has already discussed the situation in the cabinet. The 'seismic crisis' The seismic crisis, which is called bradyseism, occurs due filling or emptying of magma chambers underground. Last time this happened, the crisis lasted for several years and forced temporary evacuation of 40,000 people from Pozzuoli, the town in the region. "My family is divided... I want to stay, but my wife and children are looking for a house in the Castel Volturno area," said Vincenzo Russo, referring to a town about 30 km (18 miles) north. "When you sleep at night, the nightmare is always there. You forget the situation and you're on the couch, and then the tremor is there with you. There are big ones and small ones. Yesterday, for example, we had two small tremors before lunch," he said. Same story but 6,000 miles apart Just like in Italy, a volcano in California has piqued scientific interest due to similarities of earthquakes in the region. The Long Valley Caldera in California is also a supervolcano. However, scientists do not predict a major eruption. “The first thing people think is that there’s going to be a civilization-ending eruption,” said Michael Poland, a geophysicist at the United States Geological Survey as quoted by NBC News. (With inputs from agencies)

Will it, won't it? Italian town anticipates supervolcano eruption amid earthquakes

The supervolcano of California, which carries the power of burying Los Angeles underneath more than 3,000 feet of ash, has been showing signs of activity. 
 
More than 2,000 earthquakes were identified rumbling across the Long Valley Caldera in the last few years by scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). 
 
A new investigation was conducted by the team to observe if the seismic activity was hinting at the volcano's massive eruption. Detailed underground images of the caldera of Caltech researchers were created to find how the recent seismic activity resulted from the gases and fluids released after the temperature of the area decreased.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/catastrophic-earthquake-to-strike-pakistan-dutch-scientist-makes-startling-prediction-641802">Catastrophic earthquake to strike Pakistan? Dutch scientist makes startling prediction</a>

Speaking to Daily Mail, the study's author Zhongwen Zhan said, “We don't think the region is gearing up for another supervolcanic eruption, but the cooling process may release enough gas and liquid to cause earthquakes and small eruptions. For example, in May 1980, there were four magnitude 6 earthquakes in the region alone.”

<h2>Long-dormant volcano exploded around 767,000 years ago</h2>

A critical examination of the images revealed that the magma chamber of the volcano is covered by a crystallised rock's hardened lid which gets formed after liquid magma cools down and solidifies. 
 
Around 767,000 years ago, the long-dormant volcano exploded and released 140 miles of lava into the atmosphere, which resulted in the devastation of the land.

WATCH |&nbsp;Gravitas: Great Himalayan Earthquake: How long before Delhi crumbles?

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Dozens of seismometers were placed by Zhan and his team across the Eastern Sierra region to capture seismic measurements through a process called distributed acoustic sensing (DAS). The team covered 62 miles of the caldera with cables for capturing underground snapshots. 
 
For more than a year and a half, the cable was used by the team for measuring more than 2,000 seismic events. Those measurements were then processed by a machine learning algorithm and developed into a resulting image, which showed every quake's location. 
 
An expert on the Long Valley Caldera Emily Montgomery-Brown, who was not part of the study, speaking to the LA Times stated that the swarms of earthquakes began in 2011. 
 
After the quakes, a ground deformation occurred in which the land had risen and the tremors had dissipated in 2020, which left the region quiet and stable. In 2018, a study was carried out in which it was found that 240 cubic miles of magma was present below the surface of Long Valley Caldera. 
 
“And so even if the Long Valley magma reservoir is moribund, there are other pockets of magma in the area,” stated Montgomery-Brown.

(With inputs from agencies)

You can&nbsp;now write for wionews.com&nbsp;and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

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The supervolcano of California, which carries the power of burying Los Angeles underneath more than 3,000 feet of ash, has been showing signs of activity. More than 2,000 earthquakes were identified rumbling across the Long Valley Caldera in the last few years by scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

The supervolcano of California, which carries the power of burying Los Angeles underneath more than 3,000 feet of ash, has been showing signs of activity. More than 2,000 earthquakes were identified rumbling across the Long Valley Caldera in the last few years by scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). A new investigation was conducted by the team to observe if the seismic activity was hinting at the volcano's massive eruption. Detailed underground images of the caldera of Caltech researchers were created to find how the recent seismic activity resulted from the gases and fluids released after the temperature of the area decreased. ALSO READ | Catastrophic earthquake to strike Pakistan? Dutch scientist makes startling prediction Speaking to Daily Mail, the study's author Zhongwen Zhan said, “We don't think the region is gearing up for another supervolcanic eruption, but the cooling process may release enough gas and liquid to cause earthquakes and small eruptions. For example, in May 1980, there were four magnitude 6 earthquakes in the region alone.” Long-dormant volcano exploded around 767,000 years ago A critical examination of the images revealed that the magma chamber of the volcano is covered by a crystallised rock's hardened lid which gets formed after liquid magma cools down and solidifies. Around 767,000 years ago, the long-dormant volcano exploded and released 140 miles of lava into the atmosphere, which resulted in the devastation of the land. WATCH | Gravitas: Great Himalayan Earthquake: How long before Delhi crumbles? Dozens of seismometers were placed by Zhan and his team across the Eastern Sierra region to capture seismic measurements through a process called distributed acoustic sensing (DAS). The team covered 62 miles of the caldera with cables for capturing underground snapshots. For more than a year and a half, the cable was used by the team for measuring more than 2,000 seismic events. Those measurements were then processed by a machine learning algorithm and developed into a resulting image, which showed every quake's location. An expert on the Long Valley Caldera Emily Montgomery-Brown, who was not part of the study, speaking to the LA Times stated that the swarms of earthquakes began in 2011. After the quakes, a ground deformation occurred in which the land had risen and the tremors had dissipated in 2020, which left the region quiet and stable. In 2018, a study was carried out in which it was found that 240 cubic miles of magma was present below the surface of Long Valley Caldera. “And so even if the Long Valley magma reservoir is moribund, there are other pockets of magma in the area,” stated Montgomery-Brown. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

California's supervolcano shows signs of activity, over 2,000 earthquakes rumble beneath valley

Earth hides the biggest threats: Super volcanoes that can destroy humanity

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