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Paroxysmal activity at Stromboli: lessons from the past

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Abstract

The persistent normal activity of Stromboli is occasionally interrupted by sudden and highly energetic explosive events called Strombolian paroxysms. These phenomena together with landslide-generated tsunamis represent the most hazardous manifestations of present-day volcanic activity at Stromboli. The most recent paroxysms, on 5 April 2003 and 15 March 2007, have drawn attention to these energetic events because they significantly threatened inhabitants and tourists. Historical accounts and field evidence indicate, however, that even larger paroxysms, in terms of volume, dispersal of products and intensity of explosive phenomena, occurred in the recent past. During these paroxysms incipiently welded spatter deposits mantled the north and south rims of the Sciara del Fuoco down to low elevations, extending much farther than the similar deposits from recent observed events (5 April 2003 and 15 March 2007). In order to identify, characterize and discriminate among products of these outstanding spatter-forming eruptions, more than 50 stratigraphic sections were measured and sampled. Stratigraphic, sedimentological and radiometric (14C) data indicate that only two paroxysms produced spatter that reached very low elevations and inhabited areas: the first occurred in the 16th century and the last in AD 1930. Analysis of texture and deposit components reveals that the early phases of the two eruptions were driven by distinctly different eruptive dynamics. Both identified paroxysms are at least one order of magnitude greater than any similar event observed by monitoring systems at Stromboli. These two large paroxysms were the most powerful volcanic events at Stromboli in the last eighteen centuries.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Keller and an anonymous reviewer for their positive and constructive comments. JDL White is also acknowledged for the final manuscript revision. G Giorgetti is acknowledged for helping in the SEM images acquisition. This work was supported by V2—Monitoring and research activity at Stromboli and Panarea (2004–2006 INGV-DPC agreement); V2—Paroxysm (2007–2009 INGV-DPC agreement), and MIUR-FIRB—Advancing Interdisciplinary Research Platform on Volcanoes and Earthquakes (AIRPLANE). Topolin topolin!

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  1. Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Pisa, Via della Faggiola, 32-56126, Pisa, Italy

    Antonella Bertagnini, Alessio Di Roberto & Massimo Pompilio

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  1. Antonella Bertagnini
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  2. Alessio Di Roberto
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  3. Massimo Pompilio
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Correspondence to Alessio Di Roberto.

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Editorial responsibility: H. Delgado Granados

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Bertagnini, A., Di Roberto, A. & Pompilio, M. Paroxysmal activity at Stromboli: lessons from the past. Bull Volcanol 73, 1229–1243 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-011-0470-3

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