New data on Campanian Ignimbrite of southern Italy: changing paradigm for Campi Flegrei caldera and the Campanian volcanism

We present a new stratigraphy, inferred from several drillings carried out in the framework of the ICDP Campi Flegrei Deep Drilling Project , for the largest volcanic eruption in Europe since at least the Late Pleistocene. The eruption produced the Campanian Ignimbrite of southern Italy. It is conventionally believed to have triggered collapse of the large Campi Flegrei caldera, which, in turn, has been identified as a source for future ignimbrite volcanism. New borehole and radioisotopic data challenge this interpretation. They indicate that the Campanian Ignimbrite was erupted through fissures in the Campanian Plain, north of Campi Flegrei, and was not responsible for caldera collapse. The results are consistent with ignimbrite volcanism being controlled by a common magmatic system beneath the Campanian Plain. Understanding the dynamics of the whole plain is thus essential for evaluating the likelihood of similar future events.