Steam billowed into the sky in thick grey-white clouds approximately 30 meters to my right. The earth transitioned from solid and chilly to boiling and unsteady somewhere between my current location and there. Ensuring I stayed clear of the precise point of that transition was paramount. “S, s,” volcanologist Ezo Morra, my guide for the day, remarked as he had already started ascending the hill on the opposite side of the wooden slats upon our arrival.
#1
I extended a foot onto a piece of wood, then the rest. The ground felt fresh. Upon reaching the other side and ascending the hilltop, the source of the steam became visible: a large pool of dull metallic-grey mud, ominous as the contents of a witch’s cauldron and significantly louder. The air carried a distinct sulfuric odor.
“It’s very dangerous here,” Morra emphasized upon my arrival. “More dangerous than Vesuvius.” Campi Flegrei, also known as the Phlegraea Fields in English, represents one of the 20 known “supervolcanoes” on the planet—an adjective I lagged slightly. “I wish you’d told us when we were over there. Why are you telling us that we’re here?”
#2
We peered over one of the fumaroles of Campi Flegrei, a supervolcano capable of erupting with a volume thousands of times stronger than an average volcano. Despite being overshadowed by Mt Vesuvius just 30km to the west, Campi Flegrei commands less notoriety mainly due to luck. If Campi Flegrei unleashed its full force today, the 79 AD eruption of Mt Vesuvius that obliterated Pompeii would pale in comparison. However, Campi Flegrei has not experienced a full-force eruption in thousands of years.
#3
That’s not to say it’s impossible. Researchers label the supervolcano as “restless,” and there are indications that it is more so. In 2012, the alert level was elevated from green to yellow, signaling a need for increased monitoring. A “seismic swarm” in April 2020 resulted in 34 different earthquakes.
Campi Flegrei is more than just a slumbering menace. This is why the ancient Romans built one of the most magnificent resort towns on the Italian peninsula here: Baiae, renowned for its hot springs and grandeur.
#4
This geological restlessness is precisely why every part of this archaeological site is under threat today—both directly due to the sea’s impact on the artifacts and indirectly due to the looming threat of earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
#5
The Romans had few means of predicting eruptions or earthquakes. When it came to shielding their town from the encroaching sea, their methods were ineffectual. However, times have changed. Today, a team of archaeologists and engineers is pioneering novel technologies to preserve the site for future generations. This is why I’ve journeyed here—to delve into these efforts and understand more about them.
#6
Campi Flegrei, with its hot springs and gases, is home to the resort town of Baiae, built by the ancient Romans (Credit: Amanda Ruggeri). The supervolcano boasts 24 craters and over 150 pools of bubbling mud across its entire 13km radius, most of which is either at ground level or beneath the sea. The early Greeks, the first settlers, aptly named it “Phlegraea Fields” from the early Greek word “phlego,” meaning “to burn.”
#7
The danger Campi Flegrei poses lies not only in its size and potency but also in its unpredictability. Unlike a volcano like Vesuvius, where you might anticipate the eruption’s origin from the cone at its summit, Campi Flegrei behaves differently.
“The activity is never in the same place,” Morra explained. “Each eruption has its own story and place of emission. As a result, we have no idea when the eruption will occur or where it will happen.”
#8
Another peril lies in the nature of its eruptions: more than 90% of them are explosive and powerful. Campi Flegrei doesn’t release lava over the ground; instead, it propels a column of rock and lava into the air. When the debris settles, the ash darkens the sky, thickening the air, impairing both visibility and breathing. The collapse of the column triggers a pyroclastic flow—an intense heat of nearly 700°C that vaporizes everything in its path.
source – dautruongtoanhoc
