In conjunction with a seismic swarm in the Campi Flegrei last week, with tremors up to magnitude 3.2, a partial collapse of a wall and a portion of the vault was confirmed in the Insula Meridionalis of the Pompeii archaeological area, according to La Stampa.
At least seven tremors were recorded, the strongest with a magnitude of 3.2, with the epicenter in the Pisciarelli area, on the border between the municipalities of Pozzuoli and Naples.
The Archaeological Park of Pompeii reported there were no injuries to people involved in the incident. Work is ongoing to secure the area around the affected structure in the Insula Meridionalis of Pompeii, which was undergoing restoration work and had been propped up. The structure had been damaged during the earthquake of 1980, pointing to ongoing conservation challenges despite the Great Pompeii Project's investment.
"Pompeii is a fragile site and we are working on a blanket inspection throughout the area to check for any damage following this morning's seismic swarm, in order to have a complete picture as quickly as possible," said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the site. He specified that in the affected structure there are no frescoes or movable artifacts.
The Archaeological Park of Pompeii activated an extensive verification across the entire site, with the support of a group of external experts tasked with constant and scheduled monitoring of the approximately 13,000 areas of the ancient city. The monitoring program is based on a digital platform developed specifically to manage and analyze the state of conservation of the structures and to plan maintenance activities of the monuments. The data from the monitoring serve to program maintenance activities, which are essential for the conservation of the structures and for planning maintenance interventions fundamental for ensuring the conservation of the archaeological heritage.
In November 2010, the so-called Schola Armaturarum collapsed in Pompeii. The collapse of the Schola Armaturarum, reported by media worldwide, initiated the Great Pompeii Project (GPP). The Schola Armaturarum was a representative building of a military association, as hypothesized from the decorations and the discovery of weapons kept inside.
In that case, the collapse was determined by a series of contributing factors aggravated by the intensity of the rains of those days. The contributing factors included the probable malfunctioning of the water drainage systems, the excessive weight of the modern covering, the push from the rear ground, the incompatibility of the materials used in the post-war reconstruction, and the lack of a programmed system of monitoring and maintenance.
The Great Pompeii Project was conceived for the protection and enhancement of the archaeological site. Financed by the European Union with 105 million euros, the project aimed to address the conservation issues of the ancient city. Yet the site continues to face unresolved challenges in preservation.
Amid ministerial propaganda of exhibitions and events, the ruins of Pompeii, rediscovered since 1748, attract over 4 million visitors annually, which has inevitable consequences for the site. The high number of visitors exacerbates its conservation problems.
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