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Report on Stromboli (Italy) — 6 October-12 October 2021


Stromboli

Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 6 October-12 October 2021
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2021. Report on Stromboli (Italy) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 6 October-12 October 2021. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (6 October-12 October 2021)

Stromboli

Italy

38.789°N, 15.213°E; summit elev. 924 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


INGV reported that during 4-10 October activity at Stromboli was characterized by ongoing explosive activity from three vents in Area N (North Crater area) and six vents in Area C-S (South-Central Crater area). Explosions from two vents in the N1 vent (Area N) ejected lapilli and bombs 80 m high, and produced minor ash emissions. Explosions at two N2 vents (Area N) averaged 3-8 events per hour and ejected material less than 80 m high. Explosions from the S1 and S2 vents in Area C-S were sporadic and occurred at a rate of 4-8 per hour; coarse material was ejected 150 m high. Gas emissions rose from the C vent.

A short explosive event at the N2 vents began at 1617 on 6 October. Notably, a large explosion ejected tephra radially beyond the crater terrace as far as the upper part of the Sciara del Fuoco, and incandescent material rolled down to the coast. An ash cloud was produced, though it quickly dissipated. A small lava overflow from the vents followed but it did not travel past the upper part of the Sciara del Fuoco

Geological Summary. Spectacular incandescent nighttime explosions at Stromboli have long attracted visitors to the "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean" in the NE Aeolian Islands. This volcano has lent its name to the frequent mild explosive activity that has characterized its eruptions throughout much of historical time. The small island is the emergent summit of a volcano that grew in two main eruptive cycles, the last of which formed the western portion of the island. The Neostromboli eruptive period took place between about 13,000 and 5,000 years ago. The active summit vents are located at the head of the Sciara del Fuoco, a prominent scarp that formed about 5,000 years ago due to a series of slope failures which extends to below sea level. The modern volcano has been constructed within this scarp, which funnels pyroclastic ejecta and lava flows to the NW. Essentially continuous mild Strombolian explosions, sometimes accompanied by lava flows, have been recorded for more than a millennium.

Source: Sezione di Catania - Osservatorio Etneo (INGV)