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Stromboli

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For other uses, see Stromboli (disambiguation).
Mt. Stromboli
Highest point
Elevation926 m (3,038 ft)
Coordinates38°47′20″N 15°12′47″E / 38.789°N 15.213°E / 38.789; 15.213
Geography
Map
LocationAeolian Islands, north of Sicily (Italy)
Geology
Rock age20000 years
Mountain typeStratovolcano
Last eruption2010 (continuing) [1]
Climbing
Easiest routeHike


Stromboli (Sicilian: Stròmbuli,[dubious – discuss] Template:Lang-el Strongulē) is a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing one of the three active volcanoes in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily. This name is a corruption of the Ancient Greek name Strongulē which was given to it because of its round swelling form. The island has a population of between 400 and 850. The volcano has erupted many times, and is constantly active with major eruptions, often visible from many points on the island and from the surrounding sea, giving rise to the island's nickname "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean". The last major eruption was on April 13, 2009. Stromboli stands 926 m (3,034 ft) above sea level,[1] but actually rises over 2,000 m (6,500 ft) above the sea floor. There are three active craters at the peak. A significant geological feature of the volcano is the Sciara del Fuoco ("Stream of fire"), a big horseshoe-shaped depression generated in the last 13,000 years by several collapses on the northwestern side of the cone.

File:Lipari-07.jpg
Sulphur deposits on Stromboli

Stromboli is remarkable because of the length of time in which it has been in almost continuous eruption. For at least the last 20,000 years the same pattern of eruption has been maintained, in which explosions occur at the summit craters with mild to moderate eruptions of incandescent volcanic bombs at intervals ranging from minutes to hours. This characteristic Strombolian eruption, as it is known, is also observed at other volcanoes worldwide. Eruptions from the summit craters typically result in a few second-lasting mild energetic bursts emitting ash, incandescent lava fragments and lithic blocks up to a few hundred metres in height. Stromboli's activity is almost exclusively explosive, but lava flows do occur at times: an effusive eruption in 2002 was its first in 17 years.

The mildly explosive eruptions are also occasionally punctuated by much larger eruptions. The largest eruption of the last hundred years occurred in 1930, and resulted in the deaths of several people and the destruction of a number of houses by flying volcanic bombs. Large eruptions occur at intervals of years to decades, and the most recent large eruption began in 2002, causing the closure of the island to non-residents for several months. The eruption started with a lava flow (29 December 2002) along the "Sciara del Fuoco" flank that rapidly reached the sea. On 30 December 2002, a huge volume of rocks collapsed from the "Sciara del Fuoco" generating at least two landslides and many tsunami waves. The highest wave was 10 m high and caused serious damage at the Stromboli village. On 5 April 2003, a strong explosion from the summit crater ejected rocks that reached Ginostra village, damaging some houses. The eruption terminated on July 2003.

On 27 February 2000, two new craters opened on the island, with lava flowing into the sea from one of them. Ongoing eruptions at that time had become less predictable and consequently the summit was placed out of bounds to tourists, who flock to the island to observe the continuous eruption and flowing lava.

Sciara del fuoco ("Stream of fire") flank of the volcano
  • Stromboli is a dish similar to a calzone found in North American pizzerias. It is thought to have been named after the 1950 film and consists of top and bottom crusts containing a mix of sausage, various kinds of meat, cheese, onions, and vegetables.
  • Stromboli is sometimes identified with Aeolia, the floating island described in Homer's Odyssey as home to Aeolus, the keeper of the winds.
  • Stromboli is mentioned in John Evelyn's 1661 pamphlet 'Fumifugium, or, The inconvenience of the aer and fog of London dissipated'.
  • In Jules Verne's novel Journey to the Center of the Earth, Prof. Lidenbrock and nephew Axel (renamed Hardwigg and Henry in one translation) emerge from their subterranean journey from the volcano on Stromboli.
  • Stromboli is a villain in the Disney classic Pinocchio (1940).
  • Stromboli is the title of a 1950 film directed by Roberto Rossellini and starring Ingrid Bergman, shot on location on the island. She plays a World War II refugee who marries a local islander, but has difficulty adjusting to the harsh rural lifestyle. The red-painted house used for the film remains as a tourist attraction.[2]
  • The Island of Stromboli is mentioned in the song "Ingrid Bergman" (in reference to the film of the same name) which is featured on the 1998 album, Mermaid Avenue by Billy Bragg and Wilco. The album's lyrics come from previously unheard writings taken from the Woody Guthrie archive.
  • J. R. R. Tolkien is reported as likening "Emyn Anar" in Mordor from his The Lord of the Rings novel to Stromboli, not vice-versa. [3]
  • The Mark Gatiss novel The Vesuvius Club (2004) heavily involves Stromboli in its plot, among other major Italian volcanos.
  • Nanni Moretti's film Caro Diario (Dear Diary) (1993) is partly set in Stromboli.
  • The Book of the Dead (2006), by authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, ends with a chase up the active volcano.
  • Anne Maria Nicholson's novel "Pliny's Warning" is partly set in Stromboli, and the volcano (along with Vesuvius) is integral to the plot.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stromboli.

References

  1. ^ a b "Stromboli". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  2. ^ Stromboli (1950)
  3. ^ Kilby, Clyde S; Plotz, Dick (1968). "Many Meetings with Tolkien: An Edited Transcript of Remarks at the December 1966 TSA Meeting". Niekas (19). Niekas Publications, New Hampshire, USA: 39–40. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |DUPLICATE DATA: year= ignored (help) Referred to at tolkienguide.com .

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