NAPLES, ITALY — Scientists have located the magma source of an Italian super volcano that's considered one of the most dangerous in the world. <br /> <br />Campi Flegrei is a volcanic caldera to the west of Naples which last erupted in 1538, but was responsible for a series of small earthquakes in the 1980s, according to a new study published in Scientific Reports. <br /> <br />Researchers have long puzzled about where the caldera's magma was coming from, and have now pinpointed the location of a hot zone about 4 kilometers under the nearby city of Pozzuoli. <br /> <br />From 1982 and 1984, rising gas and magma caused ground in the crater to swell, but was prevented from rising to the surface by a deep rock formation. The magma instead spread out laterally, causing minor earthquakes. <br /> <br />The caldera has grown hotter since, and with pressure building, scientists fear it could soon erupt and put the entire region at risk. <br /> <br />Volcanologists cannot say for sure what the scale of any future eruption could be, but are closely monitoring Campi Flegrei.
