Biggest Volcanic Earthquake in 40 Years – Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

The Campei Flagrei volcano complex includes the volcano which wiped out the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.

Fear in Campi Flegrei: earthquake of magnitude 4,6. Punta Pennata ridge collapses – video

The mayor of Pozzuoli: “At the moment there are no damages”

30th June 2025

An earthquake of magnitude 4,6 occurred today at 12:47 in the Campi Flegrei area at a depth of almost five kilometers. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported, showing the epicenter as the Gulf of Bacoli. And it was in Bacoli that the partial collapse of a ridge at Punta Pennata occurred. There were many reports on social media about the shock that lasted several seconds. It would be the second strongest recorded in the last 40 years. At 12:51 a second earthquake of magnitude 2,2 was recorded.

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“I am following the situation at Campi Flegrei with the utmost attention. After the violent earthquake this morning, one of the strongest ever recorded, I am in constant contact with Rfi, Anas and the Campania Public Works Department who are carrying out checks on the infrastructure and transport system” said the Campania MP of Forza Italia and Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Transport, Tullio Ferrante.

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Read more: https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/fear-in-the-Phlegraean-Fields-earthquake-of-magnitude-46-a/

Campi Flegrei doesn’t qualify as a supervolcano according to the strict definition, there are no known VEI8 eruptions associated with this system – though it is still a large and scary volcanic field. The complex last suffered a VEI 7 eruption 37,000 years ago, though there have been many lesser eruptions, including a substantial eruption in 1538 which created a 433ft hill Monte Nuevo.

But unlike Yellowstone, Campi Flegrei is in the middle of a heavily populated region of Europe. If Campi Flegrei were to really let go, much of Europe and possibly Northern Africa would receive a dump of volcanic ash. Renewables could be especially vulnerable – volcanic ash is a super fine hard mineral abrasive which gets in everywhere, a real threat to fragile outdoor equipment.

There could be thousands of casualties in the immediate vicinity of the eruption, unless Italian authorities were proactive about evacuating Southern Italy at the first sign of serious trouble. The city of Naples, population just under a million people, is the same distance from Mount Vesuvius as the ancient city of Pompeii was. It is also likely a VEI 7 eruption or worse in the middle of Europe’s breadbasket region would have a substantial impact on food availability in Europe and beyond, at least during the year of the eruption.

I’ve seen Mount Vesuvius in person, a brooding ugly volcanic cone. I don’t think it has finished doing damage. According to the Wikipedia entry, 600,000 people live in the danger zone, and would be at risk of pyroclastic flows in the event of another major eruption. And Vesuvius is only one part of the much larger Campi Flegrei volcanic field, which contains 24 known volcanic craters.

A genuine low probability high impact risk like this kind of puts the anthropogenic climate scare into perspective.

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