Major historical eruptive events at Stromboli

This is mainly based on the list given in the appendix of Barberi et al. (1993) but contains info also from other sources as well as more recent (post-summer-1990) events. Lava flow emissions, pyroclastic flows and highly explosive events are emphasized in boldface. Capitals indicate inactivity.

• 1558 -- arable land destroyed
• 1619 -- ejection of pumice
• 27 Mar 1638 -- ashfall
• 5 May 1688 -- ashfall
• 1 Sep 1693 -- increased activity
• Mar 1744 -- lava flow
• Oct 1768 -- lava flow and vegetation ignited
• 1770 -- submarine eruption with lava flow
• 1-2 Mar 1778 -- increased activity
• 5-7 Feb 1783 -- strong explosions
• 1788 -- ashfall
• 22 Oct 1822 -- strong explosions, pyroclastic flows and destruction of arable land
• 1830 -- lava flow
• 1831 -- lava flow
• 1833 -- increased activity
• 1834 -- lava flow
• Sep 1834 -- increased activity
• 25 Jul 1836 -- lava flow
• 1839 -- lava flow
• 1850 -- strong explosions , block fallout, one house damaged
• 3-4 Oct 1855 -- lava fountains and scoria fall
• 1857 -- NO ACTIVITY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS
• 26 Jan - 5 Feb 1865 -- increased activity
• Sep 1865 -- increased activity
• 1870 -- increased activity (plume seen from Panarea)
• Jun 1874 -- strong explosions
• 1 Sep 1874 -- increased activity
• 4-5 Feb 1879 -- strong explosions , ashfalls, ejection of pumice; tsunami
• 3-8 Jun 1879 -- strong explosions , ashfalls, vegetation ignited, lava fountains
• 15-18 Oct 1881 -- ash and block fallout
• 30 Jan 1882 -- ash and block fallout
• 13 Mar 1882 -- increased activity
• 25 Apr 1882 -- increased activity
• 17-30 Nov 1882 -- strong explosions , new vents active, block fallout and landslides
• 8-9 Feb 1883 -- increased activity
• 16 Mar 1883 -- ejection of "pumice"
• 22 Jan 1886 -- increased activity
• 31 Jan 1887 -- increased activity
• 31 Mar 1887 -- strong explosions , ejection of "pumice"
• 18 Nov 1887 -- ejection of "pumice"
• Oct 1888 - June 1889 -- lava flow
• 23 Oct 1888 -- strong lava fountaining
• June 1889 - 1890 -- NO ACTIVITY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS
• 24-28 Jul 1891 -- lava flow, strong explosions, block fallout and one house damaged by air shock
• 31 Aug 1891 -- strong spatter ejections , vegetation ignited
• 5 Nov 1892 -- increased activity
• 30 Jan 1893 -- increased activity
• 11 Aug 1893 -- increased activity
• 29 Mar 1895 -- increased activity
• 13 Jul 1897 -- increased activity
• 17 Jul 1897 -- increased activity
• 24-25 Aug 1898 -- strong spattering forming rootless ("secondary") lava flow
• 20 Oct 1898 -- increased activity
• 25 Oct 1898 -- increased activity
• Apr-Oct 1900 -- lava flow
• 10 Apr 1900 -- increased activity
• 20 May 1900 -- increased activity
• 19 Jul 1900 -- increased activity
• 22 Aug 1900 -- ashfall
• 19 Oct 1900 -- pyroclastic flows (? "hot avalanches") and ashfall
• 8 Mar 1901 -- increased activity
• 29 Dec 1901 -- increased activity
• Jan-Jul 1903 -- lava flow
• 22 Jan 1903 -- increased activity
• 9 Mar 1903 -- increased activity
• 14 Mar 1903 -- increased activity
• Oct 1903 -- lava flow
• 11 Nov 1903 -- increased activity
• 19 Mar 1904 -- increased activity
• 22 Aug 1904 -- increased activity
• Feb-Dec 1905 -- intermittent lava flows
• 25 Feb 1905 -- possible lava flows for 6 hours
• 15 Mar 1905 -- lava flow
• 17 Mar 1905 -- increased activity
• 16 Apr 1905 -- strong explosions with lapilli falls to 4 km away; one person injured
• 27 Sep 1905 -- ashfall
• 19 Jan 1906 -- "secondary" lava flows
• 11-16 Jul 1906 -- strong explosions and pyroclastic flows , vegetation ignited
• 11 Jan 1907 -- ashfall
• 27-31 Jan 1907 -- lava flow to the sea
• 13 Apr 1907 -- increased activity
• 27 Apr 1907 -- very powerful explosions causing ashfalls as far as Messina (some 80 km away), some damage to buildings on the island, vegetation ignited
• June 1907 - May 1910 -- PERIOD OF INACTIVITY
• Jun-Aug 1912 -- very strong explosive activity with lava fountains 700 m high, ashfalls to Calabria and Sicily
• 27-31 Aug 1912 -- strong activity
• Oct-Nov 1912 -- block falls on village of Stromboli
• 25 Oct 1912 -- eruption from radial fissure on Sciara del Fuoco
• Apr-Nov 1914 -- intermittent lava flows
• 18 Jun - 20 Dec 1915 -- intermittent lava flows, strong explosions and possible pyroclastic flows
• 25 Dec 1915 -- increased activity
• 5 Jan 1916 -- increased activity
• Jun 1916 -- very strong explosions and lava flows
• 2 Jul 1916 -- powerful explosions
• 3 Jul 1916 -- lava flows and strong explosions
• 4 Jul 1916 -- strong explosions , ash and block fallout and vegetation ignited
• 4-29 Jul 1916 -- lava flow into the sea
• 22 May 1919 -- Major explosion, large bombs and blocks on Stromboli and Ginostra villages, ash to Sicily, tsunami, great damage; FOUR PEOPLE KILLED and several injured
• 16 Jun 1921 -- increased activity
• 22 Jun 1921 -- increased activity
• 20 Aug 1922 -- increased activity
• Dec 1923 -- increased activity
• Apr 1924 -- lava flow
• 1929 -- lava flow
• 3-6 Feb 1930 -- lava flow and ashfall
• 11 Sep 1930 -- most disastrous eruption on record: violent explosions, pyroclastic flows to the sea, numerous buildings destroyed, lava flows; SIX PEOPLE KILLED and 22 injured see detailed description of this eruption
• 22 Oct 1930 -- strong explosions and lava fountains, vegetation ignited
• 1-2 Dec 1930 -- lava flow
• 23 Apr 1931 -- increased activity
• 7 Jul 1931 -- increased activity
• Jul 1931 - May 1932 -- NO ACTIVITY
• 3 Jun 1932 -- increased activity
• Jun 1932 - Feb 1933 -- NO ACTIVITY
• Mar 1933 - Feb 1934 -- NO ACTIVITY
• 2 Feb 1934 -- powerful explosive activity and block fallout near Stromboli village, houses damaged by air shock
• 21 Aug 1934 -- increased activity
• 21 Jul - 27 Aug 1935 -- lava flow
• 31 Jan 1936 -- strong explosions and lava flow , vegetation ignited and some structural damage
• 12 May 1936 -- increased activity
• 22 Aug 1936 -- increased activity
• 26-27 Oct 1936 -- strong explosions
• 11 Jan - 12 Nov 1938 -- intermittent lava flows
• 10 Jan - 8 Jun 1939 -- intermittent lava flows
• 22 Aug 1941 -- violent lava fountaining (to 1000 m above craters!) and block fallout near villages, houses damaged by air shock
• Dec 1943 - Oct 1944 -- intermittent lava flows
• 3 Dec 1943 -- powerful explosions , vegetation ingnited, houses damaged
• 25 Jan 1944 -- increased activity, vegetation ignited
• 20 Aug 1944 -- strong explosions, pyroclastic flows and tsunami; one house destroyed
• 1946 -- lava flow
• 6-9 Jun 1949 -- lava flow
• 20-23 Oct 1950 -- strong explosions , vegetation ignited
• 7 Jun 1952 -- ashfall on Ginostra
• 7-22 Jun 1952 -- intermittent lava flows
• 25 Nov 1953 -- increased activity
• 30 Jan 1954 -- increased activity
• 1 Feb 1954 -- strong explosions, pyroclastic flow , ashfall and tsunami
• 1 Feb - 13 Mar 1954 -- lava flow
• 28 Feb - 22 Mar 1955 -- lava extrusion at base of Sciara del Fuoco (fed from lava tunnel from summit craters?)
• 1 Jan - 16 Mar 1956 -- intermittent lava flows
• 5-12 Feb 1958 -- strong explosions, lava flow
• 31 May - 5 June 1958 -- lava flow
• 19 May 1959 -- strong explosions
• 8-11 Jul 1959 -- strong explosions
• 12-13 Aug 1959 -- minor lava emissions
• 6-10 Sep 1959 -- strong explosions, lava flow
• 9-12 Apr 1966 -- lava flow
• 19 Apr - 13 Aug 1967 -- continuous lava effusion
• mid-Aug 1967 - May 1968 -- NO ERUPTIVE ACTIVITY
• 31 Mar 1971 -- lava flow and increased explosive activity
• 1 May 1971 -- lava flow and increased explosive activity
• Dec 1972 -- ashfall in Stromboli village
• May 1973 -- increased activity
• 19 Sep 1974 -- strong explosion
• 4 Nov 1975 -- ashfall
• 4-24 Nov 1975 -- lava flow
• 6 Dec 1985 -- strong explosions, pyroclastic flow
• 6 Dec 1985 - 26 Apr 1986 -- continuous lava outflow
• Jul 1986 -- tourist killed at the craters
• 30 Aug 1988 -- increased activity
• 25 Mar 1989 -- strong explosions, one person injured ; vegetation ignited
• 15 Apr 1990 -- increased activity, ashfall in Stromboli village
• Jun-Nov 1990 -- strongly increased explosive activity
• Feb 1993 -- strong explosions , ashfall in Ginostra village
• May 1993 -- strongly increased explosive activity, intermittent lava flows
• 16 Oct 1993 -- strong explosions, one person injured
• 23 Oct 1993 -- Explosion reported in GVN Bulletin vol 18 No 10 is actually a confusion with the 16 October 1993 episode
• Jul-Oct 1994 -- strongly increased explosive activity; small lava flow
• 5 Mar 1995 -- strong explosions
• 16 Feb 1996 -- strong explosions
• 17 Apr - 1 Jun 1996 -- strongly increased explosive activity
• 1 Jun 1996 -- strong explosions; four people injured and bush fires
• 4 Sep 1996 -- strong explosions; possibly 6 people injured and bush fires
• Oct 1996 -- very low levels of activity
• 16 Jan 1998 -- strong explosion
• 23 Aug 1998 -- strong explosion, bush fires
• 8 Sep1998 -- strong explosion, bush fires
• 24 Nov 1998 -- strong explosion, bombs ejected 700 m above summit
• 28 Dec 1998 -- strong explosion, light ash fall on Stromboli village
• 9 Apr 1999 -- two powerful explosions
• 26 Aug 1999 -- strong explosion, up to 10 people injured and bush fires
• 10 Oct 1999 -- strong explosion
• 21 Oct 2001 -- strong explosion, one person killed by falling pyroclastics
• 24 July 2002 -- strong explosion
• 28 December 2003 - 22 July 2003 -- strong explosions followed by lava flows into the sea, collapse of part of the Sciara del Fuoco on 30 December 2002 generates a tsunami that causes serious damage in low-lying areas on the island and several people are injured; lava outflow continues at a diminished rate and is sometimes accompanied by mild spattering at new effusive vents located about 150 m below the summit craters; a powerful explosion on 5 April 2003 is probably the strongest at Stromboli since 1930 but causes no fatalities due to access restrictions

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Copyright © Boris Behncke, "Italy's Volcanoes: The Cradle of Volcanology"