Move over Mount Etna, Campi Flegrei super-volcano could erupt soon.

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The region near Naples, Italy, has been hit by a series of strong earthquakes in recent months, raising fears that the Campi Flegrei supervolcano could erupt

Scientists are sounding the alarm over a series of potent tremors emanating from Italy's notorious supervolcano, Campi Flegrei, stoking fears of an impending eruption that could rattle the region.

The Phlegraean Fields close to Naples were rocked by a significant 4.4 magnitude quake not long ago—the fiercest in four decades.

Seismologists have detected over 3,000 lesser quakes, dubbed tremors, at Campi Flegrei in the past half-year, far exceeding usual seismic patterns and sparking apprehension about a volcanic explosion on the horizon, typically presaged by such increased activity.

Adding to these concerns, Italy's premiere seismic body, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), has reported the worrying emission of colossal amounts of carbon dioxide from the supervolcano, reportedly unleashing between 4,000 and 5,000 tons daily.

With magma merely miles beneath the volcano's crust and rising pressures, the INGV warns of a potential catastrophic event, reports the Express US.

Kilburn has stressed: "Distinguishing between gas emissions caused by magma movement versus those resulting from natural rock interactions is absolutely critical."

Situated just a short drive from the densely populated metropolis of Naples, housing over four million residents, Campi Flegrei poses a dire threat; its eruption could spell devastation for the city and neighbouring areas with lethal lava flows, choking ash plumes, and pyroclastic surges.

The cataclysmic eruption from Italy's sleeping giant, Campi Flegrei could disrupt lives with road closures and shortages of power and water. The volcano last erupted in 1538, however, recent seismic activities have sparked worries that the next big explosion may be on the horizon, much earlier than anticipated.

Fresh research unveiled a past event described as the Maddaloni/X-6 eruption, which spewed out an immense deposit of ash around 109,000 years ago, matching the scale of Campi Flegrei's largest known eruption from 40,000 years ago that formed a vast caldera. Christopher Kilburn, a University College London volcanologist not involved in the study, sounded the alarm in his comments to Live Science, suggesting the danger zone might be more extensive than previously believed.

He remarked, "We've got to start viewing the volcano as more than just Campi Flegrei. We've got to start thinking of the whole of the Campanian Plain as being a potential zone of eruption, even if very rarely."

Furthermore, the historic eruption didn't merely shake the region; it unleashed one of Earth's gravest volcanic cataclysms and prompted tremendous shifts in the planetary climate.

A similar eruption in the present day would be catastrophic, releasing vast amounts of volcanic gases that could block sunlight and impact our climate. Consequently, the unpredictable weather patterns could pose a threat to life as we know it.

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