Stromboli volcano, Aeolian Islands (Isole Eolie), Sicily, Italy -- Eruptive history (1985-1995)
| 1991 |
Panoramic view of the crater terrace seen from Pizzo sopra la Fossa on 29 August 1991. Note filling of craters with pyroclastics and small cone at vent area 3/1 (in center of image).
Small explosion from vent 2 within Crater 3 on the morning of 29 August 1991, observed from SE rim of the same crater, during my visit together with Jon Dehn. The fountain is rising from several very small openings in the crater floor, or shoots out between scoria and bombs covering the genuine vent. Fragmentation and/or abrasion of the crater-filling pyroclastics forms a diffuse plume of brown ash around the lava fountain. The height of the fountain is 30-50 m. During our stay we observed about 10 eruptions of this kind that never exceeded the magnitude of the one shown here. Photo by Jon Dehn.
Vent 1 within Crater 3 had changed considerably from what it was like in 1990 during our August 1991 visit. The small cone was probably built during the intense October-November 1990 activity. Two open boccas lay eccentrically at the cone, illuminated by the glow of magma at shallow depth. No spattering took place during our visit. This photo is from Jon Dehn; my photos of that visit were ruined due to a malfunction of my camera.
| 1992 |
A rare view of an eruption from Crater 2, captured by Marco Fulle at 2200 on 29 May 1992. Spatter from Crater 2 are flung obliquely onto the S rim of Crater 1. At the same time, continuous low fountaining occurred from vent area 1/3 (right). Vents 1 and 2 in Crater 3 display only persistent glow. The exposure time is 10 minutes.
Another shot by Marco Fulle, taken at about 0400 on 4 June 1992. Minor obliquely projected eruptions occur still from Crater 2 and vent 3 in Crater 1 ejects taller fountains. Intense glow persists from vents 1 and 2 of Crater 3.
| 1993 |
I did not see the summit of Stromboli in 1992 and 1993. This photo of Jon Dehn shows the crater and the N slope of Sciara del Fuoco abount one month after the brief effusive episodes of mid-May 1993. The new flow lobes show clearly on the slope below Crater 1, reaching a length of max 150 m. Nine months later, during my first summit visit since August 1991, the flows were completely buried under material ejected by the violent October 1993 explosions. Note the filling of Crater 1 with small cones.
Early morning explosion from central vent in Crater 1, June 1993. The large version of this photo shows large glowing bombs within and beyond the ash column. Ash eruptions from Crater 1 are much less common than those from Crater 3. This notable photograph was taken by Jon Dehn.
Powerful bomb and ash explosion from the same vent, later that same morning. Numerous bombs are rising high above the ash column. Photo by Jon Dehn.
Close-up of eruptive activity within Crater 1 on the morning (0400) of 8 June 1993 when Stromboli was in a period of unusually intense, though already declining, activity. A large intracrateral cone with a broad summit crater and two adjacent vents is visible to the left of the fountain that comes from a vent in the N part of the crater (vent area 1). The cone was destroyed during a strong phreatomagmatic explosion on 16 October 1993, but a new, and much steeper, cone grew in the same area in 1994. Photo by Marco Fulle.
Mosaic of two photos taken by Marco Fulle that were both taken at around 0600 on 8 June 1993. A diffuse lava fountain rises from vent 1 in Crater 1 (far right) with simultanous vapor emission from the cone at neighboring vent 2. A glowing spot is visible at the base of a small spatter cone at vent 1 in Crater 3, and a small ash plume rises from vent 2 within the same crater. The rugged area on the extreme right of the crater area is the source vent of the May 1993 lava flows.
Continue with images of 1994
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