Extremely strong activity at Stromboli volcano in Italy

During most of August and up to today, Stromboli’s activity has been at some of its highest levels observed in recent decades. Protagonist has been the NE crater, which has been continuing to produce powerful lava bubbles. Ejections of incandescent lava bombs often reached more than 500 m height, and hit both the Pizzo and Bastimento areas, the most popular viewing points (which for this reason remained closed for excursions most of the time).  In the crater itself, up to 10 active vents were reported to be visibe by people who had a chance to visit Pizzo briefly during periods when excursions were possible.

During 9 September the steep cone active in the NW part of the crater terrace was observed to erupt constantly with pulsating strombolian bursts reaching 50-150 m. The central crater vent erupted at “normal” intensity roughly every hour.

Residents of Stromboli village reported that during the first week in September, bombs could often been seen even from Scari, something which people living there for 30 years don’t remember except for some few isolated paroxysmal eruptions, but not repeatedly and regularly. During one explosion around the end of August, people fled an eruption in panic from the 400 m viewpoint above the Sciara del Fuoco, which normally is completely safe. (VolcanoDiscovery)

Stromboli, a small island north of Sicily, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and famous for its normally small, but regular explosions throwing out glowing lava from several vents inside its summit crater. This activity has been going on for at least 2000 years, as long as there is written memory of the activity, which Stromboli lended its name to, the so-called strombolian activity.