Stromboli - Italy

Stromboli is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth and has been erupting almost continuously since 1932. Because it has been active for much of the last 2,000 years and its eruptions are visible for long distances at night, it is known as the "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean". It is among the world's most visited volcanoes.

Stromboli is widely known for its spectacular eruptions which jet fountains of molten rock from its lava-filled central crater. Because these eruptions are so distinctive and well known, geologists use the word "Strombolian" to clearly describe similar eruptive activity at other volcanoes.

Stromboli forms the northeastern-most of the Aeolian islands. Its base begins over 1000 meters below the surface of the Tyrrhenian Sea and it rises to an elevation of 924 meters above sea level.
Stromboli: Plate Tectonic Setting

Like Mount Etna on the island of Sicily, Stromboli is a part of the Calabrian volcanic arc. The volcanoes of the Calabrian arc are associated with the subduction of the African tectonic plate under the Eurasian plate. Stromboli is located on a NE-SW trending fault system, but the mechanisms which feed the volcano’s magma chamber, and their relationship to the fault system, are poorly understood.


Stromboli: Eruption History

Activity at Stromboli has been recorded by historians for more than 1,000 years, and varies from mild degassing to lava flows to violent explosive eruptions. Records from 1907 indicate that one explosion was strong enough to shatter windows in the island’s villages, and strong explosions in 1930 were associated with an earthquake that also created a small tsunami. The most recent eruption began in 1932, and has continued essentially uninterrupted since then. Periodically, Stromboli’s eruptive style transitions and vents near the summit produce lava flows that are funneled by the Sciara del Fuoco to the sea; the most recent of these occurred in 2002 and 2007. One theory that has been suggested to explain the transition is that the magma in Stromboli’s summit conduit occasionally forces open dikes on the NW flank, and is erupted as lava flows rather than through gas-driven explosions.

About the Author

Jessica Ball is a graduate student in the Department of Geology at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her concentration is in volcanology, and she is currently researching lava dome collapses and pyroclastic flows. Jessica earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the College of William and Mary, and worked for a year at the American Geological Institute in the Education/Outreach Program. She also writes the Magma Cum Laude blog, and in what spare time she has left, she enjoys rock climbing and playing various stringed instruments.
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