A tremor measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale was recorded early Thursday morning near Naples. According to INGV, the epicentre was positioned within the Gulf of Pozzuoli, at a depth of 3 kilometres.

On Thursday morning, a seismic event occurred in the Campi Flegrei region of Naples. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) confirmed that the epicentre of this 4.4-magnitude earthquake was located beneath the Gulf of Pozzuoli, at a depth of 3 kilometres.

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The tremor was perceptible across the Naples metropolitan area. Numerous residents shared posts on social networks to describe the shaking. Up to now, there have been no reports of injuries or property damage. Authorities in the municipalities of Pozzuoli, Bacoli, and Quarto have opted to close schools as a precaution.

Seismic activity in the Campi Flegrei area

The Campi Flegrei constitutes an extensive supervolcano located to the west of Naples, featuring a caldera—a depression formed by the collapse of the roof of a former magma chamber. Seismically, the zone is very active and experiences bradyseism, a process where the ground rises and lowers cyclically, accompanied by frequent clusters of mostly moderate earthquakes.

Most earthquakes here are shallow, originating within the upper few kilometres of the Earth’s crust, which makes them especially perceptible to local inhabitants even when their intensity is low.