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remote sensing Technical Note The Ground Deformation History of the Neapolitan Volcanic Area (Campi Flegrei Caldera, Somma–Vesuvius Volcano, and Ischia Island) from 20 Years of Continuous GPS Observations (2000–2019) Prospero De Martino 1,2,* , Mario Dolce 1, Giuseppe Brandi 1, Giovanni Scarpato 1 and Umberto Tammaro 1 1 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Napoli Osservatorio Vesuviano, via Diocleziano 328, 80124 Napoli, Italy; [email protected] (M.D.); [email protected] (G.B.); [email protected] (G.S.); [email protected] (U.T.) 2 Istituto per il Rilevamento Elettromagnetico dell’Ambiente, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via Diocleziano 328, 80124 Napoli, Italy * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: The Neapolitan volcanic area includes three active and high-risk volcanoes: Campi Flegrei caldera, Somma–Vesuvius, and Ischia island. The Campi Flegrei volcanic area is a typical exam- ple of a resurgent caldera, characterized by intense uplift periods followed by subsidence phases (bradyseism). After about 21 years of subsidence following the 1982–1984 unrest, a new inflation period started in 2005 and, with increasing rates over time, is ongoing. The overall uplift from 2005 to December 2019 is about 65 cm. This paper provides the history of the recent Campi Flegrei caldera Citation: De Martino, P.; Dolce, M.; unrest and an overview of the ground deformation patterns of the Somma–Vesuvius and Ischia vol- Brandi, G.; Scarpato, G.; Tammaro, U. canoes from continuous GPS observations. In the 2000–2019 time span, the GPS time series allowed The Ground Deformation History of the continuous and accurate tracking of ground and seafloor deformation of the whole volcanic area. the Neapolitan Volcanic Area (Campi With the aim of improving the research on volcano dynamics and hazard assessment, the full dataset Flegrei Caldera, Somma–Vesuvius Volcano, and Ischia Island) from of the GPS time series from the Neapolitan volcanic area from January 2000 to December 2019 is 20 Years of Continuous GPS presented and made available to the scientific community. Observations (2000–2019). Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 2725. https:// Keywords: GPS time series; Campi Flegrei caldera; Vesuvius; Ischia island; ground deformation doi.org/10.3390/rs13142725 monitoring Academic Editor: Nicola Cenni Received: 1 June 2021 1. Introduction Accepted: 7 July 2021 Two of the most famous and high-risk volcanoes in the world, the Somma–Vesuvius Published: 11 July 2021 and the Campi Flegrei caldera, overlook the Gulfs of Naples and Pozzuoli. Ischia island, the third active volcano of the Neapolitan volcanic area, is located at the north of the Gulf Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral of Naples and a short distance from the Procida island. with regard to jurisdictional claims in The Campi Flegrei caldera (CFc) is an active volcanic system located to the west of the published maps and institutional affil- city of Naples. This whole area, with about 1.5 million inhabitants, is considered to have a iations. very high volcanic risk [1]. The caldera is thought to have been formed during two large ignimbrite eruptions, the Campania Ignimbrite (CI, 39 ka) and the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT, 15 ka) [2–4]. Follow- ing the NYT eruption, the volcanic activity became restricted to within the caldera [5–8]. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. The last eruptive event was the 1538 A.D. Mt. Nuovo eruption [9]. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. CFc is known for the occurrence of slow vertical ground movements (bradyseism). This article is an open access article Subsidence has been the dominant process in the last 2000 years, but a fast uplift preceded distributed under the terms and the Mt. Nuovo eruption (1538), and episodes of uplift are also documented by the well- conditions of the Creative Commons known evidence on the columns of the Roman Temple of Serapis [10–14] located near the Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ Pozzuoli harbor. 4.0/). Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 2725. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13142725 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing Remote Sens. 2021, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 18 known evidence on the columns of the Roman Temple of Serapis [10–14] located near the Pozzuoli harbor. Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 2725 The last important uplift episodes, accompanied by seismic crises, occurred in2 1950– of 18 1952, 1969–1972, and 1982–1984 (Figure 1), resulting in a total vertical displacement of about 4.3 m in the town of Pozzuoli [15]. In 1985, an almost continuous subsidence phase started, interrupted only by mini- The last important uplift episodes, accompanied by seismic crises, occurred in 1950–1952, uplift1969–1972, in 1989, and 1994, 1982–1984 and 2000 (Figure (Figure1), 1), resulting with small in a displacements total vertical displacement ranging between of about 1 and 7 4.3cm m[15]. in the town of Pozzuoli [15]. FigureFigure 1. 1.VerticalVertical displacement displacement at at CFc CFc from from 1905 1905 to to December December 2019. Red dots are levellinglevelling datadata (from(from Del Del Gaudio Gaudio et et al., al., 2010),2010), and and black black dots dots are are GPS GPS measurements measurements at at RITE RITE (Rione Terra–Pozzuoli) station station taken taken since since 2000. 2000. AIn new 1985, uplift an almost phase continuousstarted in late subsidence 2005 [16] phase and is started, ongoing. interrupted It is accompanied only by mini-by in- creaseduplift in seismicity, 1989, 1994, degassing and 2000 (Figureactivity,1), and with compositional small displacements changes ranging in the between emitted 1 andfluids [17–21].7 cm [15 ]. A new uplift phase started in late 2005 [16] and is ongoing. It is accompanied The island of Ischia has undergone a large resurgence process since about 56 ka, after by increased seismicity, degassing activity, and compositional changes in the emitted a caldera forming eruption (Green Tuff eruption) [22]. The maximum uplift was of the fluids [17–21]. order of 900 m with a rate of a few centimeters per year [23], forming the structural up- The island of Ischia has undergone a large resurgence process since about 56 ka, after a liftedcaldera block forming of Mt. eruption Epomeo. (Green Effusive Tuff and eruption) explosive [22]. eruptions The maximum and avalanche uplift was processes of the order ac- companiedof 900 m with the aresurgence rate of a few processes, centimeters and per destructive year [23], forming earthquakes the structural have characterized uplifted block the mostof Mt. recent Epomeo. history Effusive of Ischia and island explosive [24–27]. eruptions The last and eruption avalanche took processes place in accompanied 1302 AD. The southwesternthe resurgence part processes, of the island and destructive is characterized earthquakes by the have presence characterized of a high-temperature the most recent hydrothermalhistory of Ischia system, island with [24–27 geothermal]. The last eruption gradients took >150 place °C in[28]. 1302 The AD. largest The southwestern earthquakes occurredpart of the on island4 March is characterized1881 and on 28 by July the 1883. presence The ofevent a high-temperature of 1883 was characterized hydrothermal by an intensitysystem, Imax with geothermalof XI MCS degree gradients and >150 a magnitude◦C[28]. Theof 4.8 largest ≤ M ≤ earthquakes5.2 [26–28]. On occurred 21 August on 2017,4 March an earthquake 1881 and on occurred 28 July 1883.in the Thearea event of Casamicciola of 1883 was Terme characterized with a 2 by km an deep intensity hypo- centerImax and of XI a MCS magnitude degree andof Md a magnitude = 4.0 (Mw of= 3.9) 4.8 ≤[29–31].M ≤ 5.2 [26–28]. On 21 August 2017, an earthquakeSomma–Vesuvius occurred in is the a areamedium-sized of Casamicciola strato-volcano Terme with located a 2 km in deep the hypocenter center of Campa- and a nianmagnitude Plain. It of consists Md = 4.0 of (MwMount = 3.9) Somma, [29–31 an]. older volcano, whose summit part sank, gen- eratingSomma–Vesuvius a caldera, and the is amore medium-sized recent Vesuvius, strato-volcano which locatedgrew inside in the this center caldera. of Campanian It is prac- ticallyPlain. a It symmetrical consists of Mount cone, Somma,whose maximum an older volcano, height is whose 1281 m summit a.s.l. In part summary, sank, generating the erup- tivea caldera, history andof Somma–Vesuvius the more recent Vesuvius, can be described which grew as follows. inside this About caldera. 37,000 It isyears practically ago, the Phlegraeana symmetrical eruption cone, of whose Ignimbrite maximum Campana height covered is 1281 mmost a.s.l. of In Campania summary, with the eruptivea layer of history of Somma–Vesuvius can be described as follows. About 37,000 years ago, the tuff. The stratigraphy of the Trecase 1 geothermal well shows [32] that on these deposits, Phlegraean eruption of Ignimbrite Campana covered most of Campania with a layer of tuff. due to effusive and explosive eruptions, the Somma volcano began to grow. This activity The stratigraphy of the Trecase 1 geothermal well shows [32] that on these deposits, due was interrupted around 22 ky BP by the Plinian eruption of the Pomici di Base [33]. After to effusive and explosive eruptions, the Somma volcano began to grow. This activity was thisinterrupted event, the around Somma 22 caldera ky BP by began the Plinian to form eruption [34]. Then, of the 3 Pomiciky later, di there Base [was33]. Afterthe subpli- this nianevent, eruption the Somma of the calderaVerdoline began Pomici to form [35]. [ 34The]. Then,following 3 ky 15 later, ky were there characterized was the subplinian by two Plinianeruption eruptions, of the Verdoline Mercato PomiciPumice [35 and]. The Avellino following Pumice, 15 ky then were at characterized least eight explosive by two eruptionsPlinian eruptions, followed [36].

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