A new study on the Campi Flegrei caldera located near Naples, Italy suggests that the monstrous supervolcano may erupt sooner than scientists previously expected.
Although the enormous volcano has not erupted in almost 500 years, researchers say that a series of earthquakes at the site over the last few decades may spawn just such an event.
According to new research from seismologists, the relatively recent activity at Campi Flegrei has resulted in a considerable amount of energy building up in the crust at the site.
Their findings upend the previous scientific belief that earthquakes at volcanic locations were beneficial because they allowed for energy at the site to be released.
The researchers behind the study suggested that Campi Flegrei "may be approaching a critical stage where further unrest will increase the possibility of an eruption."
While their conclusions are rather dire, the seismologists concede that they cannot know, for sure, when the supervolcano will eventually erupt.
That said, they warned of another potential problem associated with the energy accumulation at the site in that it could spawn earthquakes that may not be as devastating as an eruption, but still quite destructive.
Source: IB Times