A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck the Campi Flegrei area near Naples, Italy, on Thursday morning, according to the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

The institute said the quake was recorded at 5:50 a.m. local time at a depth of three kilometers, with its epicenter located in the Gulf of Pozzuoli, a coastal town in the greater Naples area.

A weaker aftershock followed at 5:57 a.m.

The Campi Flegrei volcanic fields have raised growing concern among residents and scientists due to renewed activity linked to gases rising from magma beneath the surface, causing ground deformation and cracks.

The area includes volcanic craters whose eruption around 40,000 years ago is believed to have affected the global climate.