Paired deformation sources of the Campi Flegrei caldera (Italy) required by recent (1980-2010) deformation history

We analyze 1980–2010 ground displacements, to discern similarities or differences between Campi Flegrei (CF) inflations and deflations and highlight possible anomalies in particular areas. We show that the deformation pattern can be decomposed into two stationary (constant over time, except for a mere scaling factor) parts; both of them are satisfied by simple deformation sources. A quasi-horizontal elongated crack (oriented NW to SE, and embedded in an elastic layered half-space at a depth of about 3600 m) satisfies large-scale deformation. All source parameters but potency (volume change) are constant over time. Residual deformation is confined to the area of the Solfatara fumarolic field and satisfied by a small spheroid located at about 1900 m in depth. Again, all source parameters but potency are constant over time. The histories of the two sources are somewhat similar but not equal, supporting the existence of a genuine local deformation source at Solfatara against the emergence of a mere distortion of large-scale deformation. Although reality is probably much more complex, our simple model explains 1980–2010 CF deformation within ground-displacement data errors and is consistent with Solfatara geochemical conceptual models, fumarolic geochemical data, and seismic attenuation imaging of CF. The observation that the CF deformation pattern can be decomposed into two stationary parts is hardly compatible with several recent works which proposed multiple sources with different features acting in different periods, fluid injections implying ample changes of large-scale deformation pattern over time, complex spatio-temporal patterns of distributions of volumetric sources