Neapolitan Yellow Tuff revisited: a new look to stratigraphy and eruptive dynamics of a complex eruption of Campi Flegrei caldera (Italy)
Abstract
Large caldera-forming eruptions are among the most complex and hazardous volcanic phenomena, yet their reconstruction is often hindered by incomplete preservation of proximal deposits and temporal variability of eruptive processes. The Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) eruption, one of the largest events at the Campi Flegrei caldera (southern Italy), represents a key case study for understanding the dynamics of large explosive eruptions, but its stratigraphy, magnitude, and eruptive mechanisms remain debated.
Here we present a comprehensive reappraisal of the NYT eruption based on an integrated synthesis of previous studies and new lithostratigraphic, textural, geochemical, and geochronological data collected across a wide proximal-to-distal transect. Our revised stratigraphic framework identifies four main Eruptive Units (EUs), which were fed by multiple, compositionally distinct, magma batches. A new high-precision, weighted-mean age of 13.98 ± 0.14 ka is proposed. The results indicate that magma fragmentation was predominantly magmatic, involving a volatile-rich and mechanically fragile magma, with limited evidence for sustained phreatomagmaticdriven fragmentation. The eruption progressed through pulsatory phases, with alternating sustained columns and pyroclastic density currents in the first three EUs and a prolonged stage dominated by pyroclastic density currents in EU4. This behaviour reflects progressive changes in magma supply and conduit dynamics. The total erupted volume is re-estimated between 16 and 20 km 3 Dense Rock Equivalent (DRE), significantly lower than previous reconstructions, with caldera collapse likely localized in the Agnano Plain sector.
This revised model highlights the importance of integrating multi-scale datasets to resolve the complexity of caldera-forming eruptions and provides a robust framework for interpreting similar eruptive systems worldwide, with direct implications for volcanic hazard assessment in densely populated caldera environments.
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BibTeX
@article{gonzalez2026neapolitan,
title = {{Neapolitan Yellow Tuff revisited: a new look to stratigraphy and eruptive dynamics of a complex eruption of Campi Flegrei caldera (Italy)}},
author = {Gino González and Biagio Giaccio and Roberto Isaia and Federico Lucchi and Jacopo Natale and Antonio Costa and Daniela Mele and Lorenzo Monaco and Vincenzo Amato and Pierfrancesco Dellino and Sebastien Nomade and Alison Pereira and Vincent Scao and Giuseppe Siani and Roberto Sulpizio},
journal = {Earth-Science Reviews},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.earscirev.2026.105711},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05840945v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Neapolitan Yellow Tuff revisited: a new look to stratigraphy and eruptive dynamics of a complex eruption of Campi Flegrei caldera (Italy)
AU - Gino González
AU - Biagio Giaccio
AU - Roberto Isaia
AU - Federico Lucchi
AU - Jacopo Natale
AU - Antonio Costa
AU - Daniela Mele
AU - Lorenzo Monaco
AU - Vincenzo Amato
AU - Pierfrancesco Dellino
AU - Sebastien Nomade
AU - Alison Pereira
AU - Vincent Scao
AU - Giuseppe Siani
AU - Roberto Sulpizio
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Earth-Science Reviews
DO - 10.1016/j.earscirev.2026.105711
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05840945v1
AB - Large caldera-forming eruptions are among the most complex and hazardous volcanic phenomena, yet their reconstruction is often hindered by incomplete preservation of proximal deposits and temporal variability of eruptive processes. The Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) eruption, one of the largest events at the Campi Flegrei caldera (southern Italy), represents a key case study for understanding the dynamics of large explosive eruptions, but its stratigraphy, magnitude, and eruptive mechanisms remain debated. Here we present a comprehensive reappraisal of the NYT eruption based on an integrated synthesis of previous studies and new lithostratigraphic, textural, geochemical, and geochronological data collected across a wide proximal-to-distal transect. Our revised stratigraphic framework identifies four main Eruptive Units (EUs), which were fed by multiple, compositionally distinct, magma batches. A new high-precision, weighted-mean age of 13.98 ± 0.14 ka is proposed. The results indicate that magma fragmentation was predominantly magmatic, involving a volatile-rich and mechanically fragile magma, with limited evidence for sustained phreatomagmaticdriven fragmentation. The eruption progressed through pulsatory phases, with alternating sustained columns and pyroclastic density currents in the first three EUs and a prolonged stage dominated by pyroclastic density currents in EU4. This behaviour reflects progressive changes in magma supply and conduit dynamics. The total erupted volume is re-estimated between 16 and 20 km 3 Dense Rock Equivalent (DRE), significantly lower than previous reconstructions, with caldera collapse likely localized in the Agnano Plain sector. This revised model highlights the importance of integrating multi-scale datasets to resolve the complexity of caldera-forming eruptions and provides a robust framework for interpreting similar eruptive systems worldwide, with direct implications for volcanic hazard assessment in densely populated caldera environments.
SN - 0012-8252
SN - 1872-6828
ER -