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Abstract

The Phlegrean Fields or Campi Flegrei as the area is commonly known – the burning fields – is a 13 km wide nested volcanic caldera complex located west of Naples (Campania, Italy). It has been studied intensely since the 16^th century with regard to volcanic phenomena, in particular for evidence of vertical ground movements dated to the Roman period. Charles Lyell’s iconic frontispiece image of marine borings on the columns of the Temple of Serapis in his volumes of the Principles of Geology (1830-1833) highlights these relative ground movements with the nearby waters of the Gulf of Pozzuoli. The Phlegrean Fields has been included in the first 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites being of global interest for History of Geology. Arturo Issel (1842-1922) was professor of Geology at the University of Genoa (Italy) for more than forty years and was renowned for his extensive fieldwork in Liguria and diverse scientific interests within the Mediterranean area. Following on studies of coastal valleys in Liguria he became interested in the uplift and depression of the area of the Campi Flegrei and based on his observations not only in the Mediterreanan and the Red Sea areas he published his theory “Bradyseism” in 1883. This presention will examine his studies and conclusions related to the Campi Flegrei in the publication “Le Oscillazioni lente del suolo o bradisismi”.Issel, A. 1883. “Le Oscillazioni lente del suolo o bradisismi”: saggio di geologia storico. Atti della R. Università di Genova, 5, 1-422.