The eternal flame of the Tyrrhenian Sea 

Stromboli in June and October 2000

in deutsch

Before reaching the island by aliscafo a very good distance sight from the Isle Lipari let us suppose that the activity of Stromboli is more than the annual average. And so it was. The number of the daily events during our staytime was nearly150 -200, that means that you have nearly every ten minutes or less an eruption. The exactly numbers of events you can visual take from STROMBOLI-ON-LINE. All activities of the last years are electronic recorded with seismographs from the volcano scientists.

middle: the crater one 

The main activity was presented by the crater 2 which had an 15-minute rhythm in his middle. Beside this, the average of activities of crater 1 and 3 came in connection of every third event of crater 2 very close in time. The duration of the eruptions from crater 3 did take up to 20 s, from crater 1 twice times longer !!

           

The shoot-out lava from crater 1 was very thin and you could nearly count the bullets during the explosive activity of crater 2 ejected plenty of magma. Heiko, André and me observed at crater 2 an out-thrown magma body of 10m x10m and a thickness of 1m, during the up-way to the summit. This body was covering a little part of the rim like a carpet!!! The noise of eruptions of crater 1 and 3 you can compare with a loud turbine during crater 2 progressed the sound of very loud explosions.

A photoseries of an explosive eruption at crater 2 ( height about 300m, duration 23 s  ) 

More impressive photos from the eruptions sended from Heiko Hofmann

Thanks a lot!

e-mail: heiko@geo.tu-darmstadt.de

Also scientific informations you will get probably  from Heiko Hofmann (Dr. Heiko Hofmann, Technische Universität Darmstadt Institut für Angewandte Geowissenschaften Technische Petrologie) who visited the volcano with his companion André at the same time. Together we had a very dry and hot ascend to the volcano, but a great reward at the craters......

For everyone who is planning a trip to the summit, take care of the high temperatures in the afternoon. Provide yourself with plenty of water !!. The heat at the north- and south- slope-trail in summer- time is depressing.

                

           

If you are a frequent visitor of this island, you will find out that the good soul of the harbour (artist)  together.....with his compagnon Deluca Fermo (left) didn’t changed anyway taking everything easy.

When the shining of the earth fire detach the sun fire you can experience  a creative bath of sences at the western cliff's. Intensive philosophizing welcome.., also loud!

The sight on the volcano during the ascend was perfectly until the clouds conquered the summit region. Sitting frustrated in our tent for hours we could only hear the eruptions. A phale red light did coloured the dense fog, and rememberances of 1995 did got awake. But our patiently waiting process was awarded and late at night the weather gave the free sight on the crater terraces. The two images are showing the night and day difference of the crater three. In the foreground of the left picture you can see our tent (right photo by Ingo v. Känel).

    

At the 22.10.01 the activities changed from crater three to crater one and presented us a delightfull firework in a unique evening mood.

             

The midnight moon together with the illuminated clouds let the summit appear with his difuse lighting crater three very ghostly and exciting. The moon lighted cloud courton remembers to a northern light. (View from the Fossetta)

Mille grazie

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© photos& text by  Thorsten Boeckel, last modification 7.03.2006