The Marsilia underwater volcano located about 150 km away south of the Italian coast, it is the largest in Europe, with an extension of 70 km in length, 30 km in width and a height of 3000 meters from the seabed. Despite its grandeur, Marsili is a relatively silent volcano. Its last eruptions date back thousands of years and there are no signs to suggest an imminent revival.
A danger that should not be underestimated
However, Marsili’s quiescence does not mean that it is an extinct volcano. Indeed, experts warn that its eruption could have devastating consequences for the southern regions of Italy. The eruption could cause the release of lava and toxic gases, the formation of burning clouds and, in some scenarios, even the collapse of the volcano, which could trigger a tsunami capable of involving the coasts of Campania, Calabria and Sicily.
Tsunami risk low, but not impossible
Experts from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology continue monitoring with confidence that the risk of a tsunami caused by an eruption of Marsili is relatively low. This is because an eruption at great depths, like that of Marsili, would probably only cause the water to boil and the erupted volcanic material to float. However, the possibility of a tsunami cannot be completely ruled out, especially if the eruption was particularly violent or if the volcano suffered a partial collapse.
Constant monitoring and prevention
Marsili is constantly monitored by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in order to intercept any signal of eruptive activity. INGV has long installed a network of seismometers and other monitoring instruments on the volcano and studies the data carefully. However, the experts have called for further investigations which must be carried out quickly because «scientifically important and socially necessary».
«What we know is still little compared to what would be necessary, however, in the historical and geological record of the tsunamis that affected the Tyrrhenian coasts, there is no evidence of anomalous waves linked to the lateral collapse of the Marsili»the Institute announced.
