Stromboli

Stromboli is one of the seven islands that form the Aeolian Islands archipelago. It is renowned for its persistent open duct eruptive activity, which makes it one of the most active volcanoes globally. This type of activity is called "Strombolian." Every 10-20 minutes, in fact, there are explosions of moderate energy, with the launch of shreds of incandescent lava, lapilli, and ash up to a few hundred meters high. These explosions come from multiple openings, aligned in a northeast-southwest direction, situated inside a crater terrace at an altitude of around 700 meters in the upper part of the Sciara del Fuoco, one of the volcano's slopes.

In addition to the so-called "ordinary" explosive activity, the craters are periodically affected by other types of explosions: the "major" ones and the "paroxysmal" ones. Major explosions can occur several times a year and can cause the relapse of heavy materials - rock blocks and volcanic bombs - in the upper part of the volcano, while the "paroxysmal" happen every few years and can throw heavy materials at a greater distance, affecting even the lowest altitudes, and also reach the towns, as happened during the eruption of April 5, 2003. Occasionally, explosive activity can also result in lava flows along the Sciara del Fuoco.

Eruptive phenomena, in particular lava flows and paroxysmal explosions, can destabilize the slope of the Sciara del Fuoco, causing landslides that affect both the surfaced and submerged parts of the structure. The landslides can also trigger tsunamis that affect the island's coasts, Panarea, and possibly other Aeolian islands, Calabria, and Sicily.

In addition, more powerful explosions can create risky conditions in the upper part of the mountain and, to a lesser degree, inhabited areas. It's worth noting that the island has two inhabited centers, Stromboli and Ginostra, situated in the north-eastern and south-western regions, respectively.

Currently, the alert level for Stromboli is yellow.

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