INGV reported that during 23-29 May activity at Stromboli was characterized by ongoing explosions from four vents in Area N (North Crater area) and three vents in Area C-S (South-Central Crater area). During most of the week explosions from Area N vents (N1 and N2) averaged 3-6 events per hour; explosions from the N1 vent ejected lapilli and bombs 80-150 m high, and minor gas emissions and weak spattering was visible at N2 vents. No explosions occurred at the S1 and C vents in Area C-S (except for on 25 May); low- to medium-intensity explosions at the two S2 vents occurred at a rate of 0-4 per hour and ejected coarse material 80-150 m high. At 1611 on 25 May a high-energy explosive event occurred at the N vent in S2, ejecting material beyond the area viewed by the Pizzo webcam, located about 250 m elevation. A second explosion, recorded at 1612 at the C vent, ejected course material 80 m high.

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)