Stromboli Facts & Worksheets

Stromboli is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupting continuously since 1932. It is known as the “Lighthouse of the Mediterranean” since it has remained active for most of the last 2,000 years, and its eruptions can be seen for considerable distances at night.

See the fact file below for more information on Stromboli, or you can download our 28-page Stromboli worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ERUPTION HISTORY

• According to experts, the volcanic island has been forming for about 200,000 years. Stromboli eruptions have been documented for over 2,400 years, and carbon dating reveals that the volcano has been almost continuously active for at least 1,400 years. 
• According to records from 1907, one explosion was powerful enough to break windows in the island’s villages, while strong eruptions in 1930 were linked to an earthquake that also caused a small tsunami. The most recent eruption occurred in 1932, and it has continued since then.
• On the other hand, one explanation proposed to explain the transition is that magma in Stromboli’s peak conduit periodically breaks open dikes on the NW flank, causing lava flows to erupt rather than gas-driven explosions.
• Stromboli’s activity is almost entirely explosive. However, lava flows emerge when volcanic activity is high. This volcano’s volcanic gas emissions are analyzed using a multi-component gas analyzer technology, which detects the pre-eruptive releasing of ascending magma and improves the forecast of volcanic activity.
• On July 3, 2019, two significant explosive events occurred, coupled with 20 lesser cataclysmic events determined by Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. When the eruption began, a hiker near the volcano’s top was killed by flying debris. In addition, six persons were injured in minor ways due to the eruption.
• An explosive eruption drove a pyroclastic flow down the volcano’s northern flank and into the ocean on August 28, 2019, at 10:16 a.m. local time, where it continued for several hundred meters until collapsing. 

STROMBOLIAN ERUPTION

•  A Strombolian eruption is a kind of volcanic eruption that produces comparatively modest explosions. Strombolian eruptions are characterized by the ejection of glowing cinders, lapilli, and volcanic projectiles to altitudes ranging from tens to hundreds of meters.
• The explosions are small to medium in size and violent on occasion. This sort of eruption is named after the Stromboli volcano in Italy. When the tephra exits a vent, it usually glows red, but its surface cools and turns dark to black, and it may substantially solidify before impact. The tephra gathers near the vent, generating a cinder cone. Cinder is a widespread product; volcanic ash is usually insignificant.
• The lava flows are denser, and thus shorter and thicker, than in similar Hawaiian eruptions; they might or might not be accompanied by the generation of pyroclastic rock.
• The gas condenses into bubbles known as gas slugs, which develop large enough to climb along the magma column before exploding around the top due to pressure drop and ejecting magma into the air. As a result, each event emits volcanic gases, sometimes regularly as a few minutes apart. 
• Strombolian eruptive activity can endure for a long time because the conduit system isn’t significantly influenced by the eruptive activity, allowing the eruptive system to reset itself again. Gas slugs can form up to 3 kilometers underground, making them hard to anticipate.
• Monogenetic cones typically erupt in a Strombolian fashion. The Paricutin volcano, for example, erupted continuously between 1943 and 1952, Mount Erebus in Antarctica has been generating Strombolian eruptions for at least several decades, while Stromboli itself has produced Strombolian outbursts for over two thousand years. 

OTHER TYPES OF VOLCANIC ERUPTION

• Hawaiian explosions are a kind of volcanic eruption called after Hawaiian volcanoes such as Mauna Loa, characterized by this eruptive type. 
• Hawaiian eruptions are the most peaceful volcanic events, distinguished by the exuberant eruption of very fluid basalt-type lavas with little gaseous content. The volume of released material from Hawaiian eruptions is approximately half that of other eruptions.
• Vulcanian eruptions are volcanic eruptions that have been named after the volcano Vulcano. Medium viscous magma within the volcano makes vesiculate gases escape harder in Vulcanian eruptions.
• Like Strombolian eruptions, it causes a buildup of tremendous gas pressure, which eventually pops the cap keeping the magma downward and causing an explosive explosion. Meanwhile, Peléan eruptions are a kind of volcanic eruption whose name comes from Mount Pelée in Martinique. A considerable amount of gas, dust, ash, and lava fragments are expelled from the volcano’s central crater during Peléan eruptions, caused by a collapse of rhyolite, dacite, and andesite, which lava dome collapses, which often generate massive eruptive columns.
• Plinian eruptions are a kind of volcanic explosion named after Mount Vesuvius‘ historical eruption in 79 AD, which buried the Roman settlements of Pompeii and Herculaneum, notably for its chronicler Pliny the Younger. 
• The process that drives Plinian eruptions begins in the chamber of magma, where absorbed volatile gases are stored. A Surtseyan eruption is a type of eruption of volcanic lava characterized by water-lava interactions in shallow water.
• Furthermore, Surtseyan eruptions are the “wet” version of ground-based Strombolian eruptions, although they are far more explosive because they occur in water. 
• Submarine eruptions take place underwater. Submarine eruptions at mid-ocean ridges are responsible for an estimated 75% of volcanic eruptive volume. However, due to difficulties in detecting deep-sea volcanic, they were essentially unknown until technological breakthroughs in the 1990s enabled them to be observed.
• Lastly, Phreatic eruptions are types of eruptions caused by the enlargement of steam. When cold ground or surface water meets hot rock or magma, it superheats and explodes, splitting the surrounding rock and ejecting smoke, water, ash, volcanic bombs, and volcanic blocks. 

HEIGHT AND SHAPE

• Stromboli is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the north coast of Sicily that is home to Mount Stromboli, one of Italy’s three active volcanoes. It forms part of the seven Aeolian Islands, an arc of volcanoes north of Sicily; the Lipari Islands are another name after these islands.
• Stromboli is 926 meters (3,038 feet) above sea level and more than 2,700 meters (8,860 feet) above the sea floor on average.
• At the top, there are three active craters. The Sciara del Fuoco (“stream of fire”), a large horseshoe-shaped depression formed in the last 13,000 years by successive collapses on the cone’s northwestern slope, is an important geological feature. Strombolicchio, the volcanic plug fragment of the ancient volcano, is located about 2 kilometers northeast.

SETTLEMENTS

• The villages of San Bartolo and San Vincenzo are in the northeast, while Ginostra is in the southwest. Administratively, they are a frazione (commune and municipality unit) of Lipari, Messina.
• The island had a population of a few thousand people in the early 1900s, but due to many waves of emigration, the population has reduced to a few hundred since the mid-1950s. Furthermore, the population on the island was around 500 as of 2016.
• Aeolian, a derivation of the Sicilian dialect, is widely spoken on this and the neighboring Aeolian islands in addition to Italian.

Stromboli Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Stromboli across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Stromboli. It is known as the “Lighthouse of the Mediterranean” since it has remained active for most of the last 2,000 years, and its eruptions can be seen for considerable distances at night.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Stromboli Facts 
2. What I Know…
3. That’s Stromboli!
4. This Or That?
5. Did You Know?
6. #Eruption_History
7. The Legend of Aeolus
8. Magma to Lava
9. Stromboli Benefits
10. Stromboli’s Word Pool
11. Emergency Alert!

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Stromboli volcano located?

Stromboli volcano is located on the small island of Stromboli in the Tyrrhenian Sea, part of the Aeolian Islands archipelago. It lies off the northern coast of Sicily, Italy.

What type of volcano is Stromboli?

Stromboli is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is classified as a stratovolcano. It is known for its frequent explosive eruptions and the persistent activity of its summit craters.

How often does Stromboli erupt?

Stromboli volcano is almost constantly active, with frequent eruptions occurring at intervals of a few minutes to several hours. These eruptions are characterized by moderate explosions that produce bursts of ash, gas, and incandescent lava fragments.

Are the eruptions of the Stromboli volcano dangerous?

The eruptions of Stromboli are generally considered to be relatively mild and are part of its normal behavior. However, there is a potential for more explosive eruptions that could pose a risk to the people living on or near the island. Local authorities closely monitor the volcano and have implemented safety measures for residents and visitors.

Is it possible to visit Stromboli volcano?

Yes, it is possible to visit Stromboli volcano. The island of Stromboli is a popular tourist destination, and guided tours are available that allow visitors to hike to the summit area and witness the volcanic activity from a safe distance. However, it is important to follow the instructions of local authorities and experienced guides to ensure safety during the visit.

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

<a href="https://kidskonnect.com/geography/stromboli/">Stromboli Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com</a> - KidsKonnect, July 5, 2023

Link will appear as Stromboli Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 5, 2023