INGV reported that eruptive activity continued at Stromboli during 15-21 April. Webcam images showed Strombolian activity at two vents in Area N (one at N1 and one at N2), within the upper part of the Sciara del Fuoco, and from three vents at S2 in Area C-S (South-Central Crater) in the crater terrace. Weather conditions and technical difficulties sometimes prevented observations. At Area N, low- to medium-intensity explosive activity was observed from sectors N1 and N2 with the eruption of coarse material (bombs and lapilli) less than 80 m and 150 m above the vents, respectively. The average frequency of explosions from this area was 4-9 events per hour. At Area C-S, explosive activity at two vents in sector S2 ejected both coarse and fine material less than 150 m above the vent. The average explosion rate was 2-10 events per hour.

Geological Summary. Spectacular incandescent nighttime explosions at Stromboli have long attracted visitors to the "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean" in the NE Aeolian Islands. This volcano has lent its name to the frequent mild explosive activity that has characterized its eruptions throughout much of historical time. The small island is the emergent summit of a volcano that grew in two main eruptive cycles, the last of which formed the western portion of the island. The Neostromboli eruptive period took place between about 13,000 and 5,000 years ago. The active summit vents are located at the head of the Sciara del Fuoco, a prominent scarp that formed about 5,000 years ago due to a series of slope failures which extends to below sea level. The modern volcano has been constructed within this scarp, which funnels pyroclastic ejecta and lava flows to the NW. Essentially continuous mild Strombolian explosions, sometimes accompanied by lava flows, have been recorded for more than a millennium.

Source: Sezione di Catania - Osservatorio Etneo (INGV)