INGV reported that activity had decreased at Stromboli by 16 October following a week that included lava overflows at vent N2 (in Area N, North Crater), a partial collapse of the vent rim, and both pyroclastic and lava flows descending the Sciara del Fuoco. Lava flows continued to effuse from N2 during 10-15 October, though they gradually traveled to shorter distances through the week. Material from the eroded channel of the Sciara del Fuoco and collapses from the lava flows descended the channel, contacted the water and produced steam and ash plumes, and formed a delta of debris. By 15 October lava flows had rebuilt the N2 rim which prevented lava from flowing down the Sciara del Fuoco.

Explosive activity at N2 was variable from low levels to intense spattering that culminated into lava fountaining during 10-13 October. The activity abruptly decreased on 14 October, though minor spattering continued. Occasional low-intensity ash emissions were visible during the morning of 16 October and spattering had ceased. Activity at N1 during 10-16 October was characterized by low-intensity explosions ejecting bombs and lapilli less than 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)