Pantelleria
Pantelleria is a volcanic island located in the Sicilian Channel, about 85 km from the Sicilian coast and only 70 km from the coast of North Africa. With an area of 84 square kilometers, Pantelleria is the largest of Italy's volcanic islands. This volcano owes its existence to the presence of a continental rift ( extended depression where the Earth's crustal thickness thins under the effect of distensional forces) in a geodynamic context characterized by the collision between the Eurasian and African plates. The island represents the summit of a volcanic structure, about 1400m high in total, consisting of lavas and pyroclastic deposits emerging from the surrounding seafloor.
The most recent eruptive activity dates back to 1891 and occurred at an underwater eruptive fracture system about 7 km north of the island (Foerstner Bank).
Currently, only manifestations of widespread thermalism, represented by fumaroles and hot springs, are present on the volcanic island.