Sezione di Catania - Osservatorio Etneo (INGV) reported that eruptive activity continued at Stromboli during 14-20 October. Webcam images showed Strombolian activity at four vents in Area N within the upper part of the Sciara del Fuoco and from at least two vents in Area C-S (South-Central Crater) on the crater terrace. The vents in Area N continued to produce low-to-medium intensity explosions at a rate of 9-16 events per hour, ejecting lapilli and bombs less than 150 m above the vents. Spattering continued and was sometimes intense and continuous for long periods of time on 15 and 20 October. Explosions at the vents in Area C-S ejected tephra more than 250 m above the vent. An INGV inspection of the summit area occurred during 1000-1300 on 16 October. At least two vents were observed in the central part of Area C-S and were continuously degassing, and a third faced the wall of Pizzo Sopra la Fossa (an area atop the volcano about 100 m above the crater terrace). A single but intense ash emission rose over 300 m above the crater and was accompanied by small collapses of material. Ash emissions were also reporting rising from the two central vents. 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.

Source: Sezione di Catania - Osservatorio Etneo (INGV)