INGV reported that eruptive activity continued at Stromboli during 2-11 February. Webcam images showed Strombolian activity at two vents in Area N (one at N1 and one at N2), within the upper part of the Sciara del Fuoco, and from one vent at S2 in Area C-S (South-Central Crater) in the crater terrace. At Area N, low intensity explosive activity was observed from sectors N1 and N2 with the eruption of coarse material (bombs and lapilli) as high as 80 m above the vents. The average frequency of explosions from this area was 3-4 events per hour. At Area C-S, low to high intensity explosive activity was observed from sector S2 with the eruption of coarse and fine material (bombs, lapilli, and ash) as high as 150 m above the vent. The average explosions rate was 5-10 events per hour. On 9 February an explosive sequence was observed at sector S2 of Area C-S. Starting at 2055, the initial and highest energy explosion ejected coarse material onto the slopes of the crater terrace; ash emissions rose higher than 350 m above the vent and drifted E. Two lesser explosions followed, ejecting material approximately 150 m above the vent. The three events were then followed by some low-intensity explosions that ejected ash less than 80 m above the vent. The total duration of the sequence was about 4 minutes. The Dipartimento della Protezione Civile maintained the Alert Level at Yellow (the second lowest level on a four-level scale).

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)