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STROMBOLIAN ACTIVITY

Strombolian activity

"Stromboli" is the name of both the volcano and the northernmost island of the Aeolian archipelago. Were it not for the presence of the volcano, this island, the most remote and perhaps the most inaccessible of all the Aeolian Islands, would hardly enjoy such fame. But the Stromboli volcano, with its incessant activity, gives the island a unique charm. It is impossible to think of the island of Stromboli without also thinking of the Stromboli volcano. The presence of the volcano pervades the island.

Giuseppe Mercalli (1850-1914), great seismologist and volcanologist, clearly recognized the peculiarity of this volcano: "Stromboli, with its tireless and rhythmic activity, alone revealed to geologists much of the mechanism of the eruptions" (from "Volcani and volcanic phenomena in Italy ", Milan 1883.

Again Mercalli, in the same book, recalls how important the contribution of studies on Italian volcanoes is to the progress of volcanology. Many terms of the Italian language such as "bocca", "lava", "lapillo" or "Strombolian" activity, are now universally adopted terms in volcanology dictionaries in whatever language.

“Strombolian”, in fact, is the typical persistent eruptive activity at the Stromboli volcano, and its study is therefore central to Progetto Uno. Strombolian activity is characterized by the expulsion of incandescent slag, lapilli and lava bombs up to a height of tens or hundreds of meters above the eruptive vent. A Strombolian-type activity indicates a relatively low-level volcanic eruption, during which a modest amount of energy is released. However, as already mentioned elsewhere in the website, the ordinary activity of the Stromboli volcano occasionally changes, becoming more energetic. Understanding when the volcano is about to implement this change is the main objective of Progetto Uno.