Stromboli volcano alert level raised to Orange, Italy

The alert level for the Stromboli volcano in Italy was raised from Yellow to Orange on June 24, 2024, due to increased volcanic activity observed since June 23. This activity included a lava overflow, frequent explosions, and heightened volcanic tremor.

Italy’s Department of Civil Protection raised the alert level for the Stromboli volcano from Yellow to Orange on June 24, 2024, following an eruptive phase that began on June 23. This phase included a lava overflow on the Sciara del Fuoco, frequent explosions in the southern crater area, and an increase in the average amplitude of the volcanic tremor.

The decision to move to the Orange alert level was based on reports and hazard assessments provided by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, the CNR-IREA, and the Universities of Florence, Palermo, Pisa, and Turin. These assessments indicated a heightened state of volcanic activity and potential danger.

Raising the alert level means volcano monitoring will be strengthened and information sharing between the scientific community and the National Civil Protection Service’s operational structures enhanced.

The Department of Civil Protection said it has communicated this information to the Sicilian Region’s civil protection structure, which will alert local civil protection structures and implement any necessary emergency response measures. The Mayor of Lipari, who participated in the meeting, will be kept informed of the situation’s evolution to ensure the population receives constant and accurate information.

Residents of the island are advised to stay informed and follow the instructions provided by local civil protection authorities.

Research published in Nature Communications in December 2022 suggested the internal ‘plumbing’ system of the Stromboli volcano in Italy has changed, allowing magma from deep beneath the surface to rise more easily and trigger violent and unpredictable blasts.

The research follows a series of surprisingly strong eruptions and paroxysms in 2019. Authors of the study said there’s a need to develop a high-frequency petrological monitoring system that would show what is happening deeper in the volcano, not just what is happening at the surface.

“The activity in 2019 was very unexpected,” the lead author of the study, Dr. Chiara Maria Petrone said. “All the monitoring signals suggested there Stromboli was more lively than normal, but it remained within the range of expected levels.”

“Even after the major explosion, none of the parameters were really abnormal, and so the two paroxysms weren’t detected until just before they were about to take place.”

Following the first paroxysm, Chiara applied for urgent research funding to investigate what was taking place at Stromboli, and to explain why these events were taking place.

Stromboli, known as the “Lighthouse of the Mediterranean,” is famous for its incandescent nighttime explosions, attracting visitors to the NE Aeolian Islands.

The small island is the emergent summit of a volcano formed through two main eruptive cycles, with the Neostromboli period occurring between 13 000 and 5 000 years ago.

The active summit vents are located at the head of the Sciara del Fuoco, a prominent scarp formed around 5 000 years ago due to slope failures. This scarp funnels pyroclastic ejecta and lava flows to the NW.

Continuous mild Strombolian explosions, sometimes with lava flows, have been documented for over a millennium.

The ongoing eruptive period, which began on February 2, 1934, is tentatively assigned a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 2.

Between May 1910 and July 1931, Stromboli experienced a more intense period of volcanic activity, earning a VEI of 3. This was preceded by another VEI 3 eruption from 1890 to May 29, 1907. Similarly, from 1857 to June 26, 1889, the volcano underwent another VEI 3 eruption.

Another prolonged and vigorous period of VEI 3 activity took place from ~1558 to 1857.

References:

¹ Protezione Civile: allerta arancione per il vulcano Stromboli – Protezione Civile – June 25, 2024

² Stromboli – Geological summary and eruptive history – GVP

Featured image credit: Carsten Steger