INGV reported that eruptive activity continued at Stromboli during 26 August-1 September. Webcam images showed Strombolian activity at three vents in Area N within the upper part of the Sciara del Fuoco and from one vent at S2 in Area C-S (South-Central Crater) on the crater terrace. The vents in Area N continued to produce explosions at a rate of 8-14 events per hour, ejecting lapilli and bombs 80-150 m above the vents. The third and southernmost vent ejected spatter more continuously and intensely compared to the previous week. Medium-intensity explosions at the vent in Area C-S ejected tephra over 250 m above the vent at a rate of 1-4 events per hour.

Following a period of intense spattering from a vent in Area N, a lava flow was visible at 0244 on 30 August quickly descending the Sciara del Fuoco; the lava supply had decreased by 0700. Intense spattering at the N vent in Area N was observed at 1232 and was followed by a second lava flow. The effusion rate was the highest in the early afternoon and by 2300 the supply was minimal. A third lava flow began at 0430 on 31 August and descended the Sciara del Fuoco, overlapping the previous flows. By 1000 the flow was not well fed and cooling. The lava flows were confined to the drainage along the Sciara del Fuoco, and only small amounts of lava reached the coastline. The Alert Level remained 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.

Sources: Sezione di Catania - Osservatorio Etneo (INGV), Dipartimento della Protezione Civile