Major explosion at Stromboli volcano, Italy

major-explosion-at-stromboli-volcano-italy

A major explosion occurred at Stromboli volcano at 23:03 UTC on June 25, 2019, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Osservatorio Etneo, reports.

Video recorded by the surveillance cameras shows pyroclastic material has fallen onto the Sciara del Fuoco and inside the crater terrace with blocks that have even surpassed its edge. The seismic signal associated with the event lasted about 4 minutes.

After this major explosion, no further major explosive events were observed. The seismic tracing returned to the levels prior to the explosion, and a normal Strombolian activity is visible from the surveillance cameras.

YouTube video

Geological summary

Spectacular incandescent nighttime explosions at this volcano have long attracted visitors to the "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean."

Stromboli, the NE-most of the Aeolian Islands, has lent its name to the frequent mild explosive activity that has characterized its eruptions throughout much of historical time. The small, 924-m-high (3 031 feet) 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 from about 13 000 to 5 000 years ago was followed by formation of the modern Stromboli edifice. The active summit vents are located at the head of the Sciara del Fuoco, a prominent horseshoe-shaped scarp formed about 5 000 years ago as a result of the most recent of a series of slope failures that extend 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. (GVP)

Featured image credit: INGV

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