In southern Italy there is a chain of islands which contain several active volcanoes. Of
this group of islands, Stromboli contains the most active of the region's volcanoes.
However, there is another famous volcano nearby which also erupts quite frequently.
I am referring to Vulcano, whose name was used as the basis for the modern word volcano.
It last erupted in 1890, and will certainly erupt again. This video will discuss this active
volcano, and mention what its future hazards are. The island of Vulcan or Vulcano can be found in
the Mediterranean Sea to the north of the island of Sicily. Specifically, it is 46 kilometers
southwest of the island of stromboli and only a kilometer south of the southern tip of Lipari.
When I refer to the volcano named Vulcano, I am referring to the entire island which it sits on.
This island has been formed by several overlapping volcanoes, the first of which began forming
136,000 years ago. These early eruptions took place on the southeast of the island,
and over tens of thousands of years formed a tall stratovolcano similar to the modern
Mount Stromboli. Then, around 100,000 years ago, a large explosive eruption occurred.
This eruption caused the mountain to collapse, thus forming a 2.5 kilometer wide caldera.
One thousand years later, eruptions resumed within the caldera, and formed a number of small cones.
Eventually, the eruptions around the caldera largely shifted 2.5 kilometers to the northwest.
A new volcano began growing in what was before open ocean, thus forming a new part of the island.
Over the next 84,000 years, this volcano grew to an estimated height of about 1000 meters,
although it may have been a bit taller. Then, 15,000 years ago, this volcano
explosively erupted, and collapsed to form a second caldera on the island.
For several thousands years after this collapse, a number of small eruptions
produced lava flows to the west of the caldera. One of these eruptions occurred in 6550 BC, and
took place near what is now the town of Lentia. In 3550 BC, a new vent emerged at the center of
the caldera known as Fossa. Over time, this cone produced a number of mildly explosive eruptions
known as Vulcanian eruptions. Vulcanian eruptions represent a type of eruption where volcanoes
produce intermittent explosions which range in frequency from about once every minute to once
every day. These explosions are not caused by gas bubbles within lava, but rather through
the frequent formation and clearing of a lava plug on top of the volcano. They represent an
eruption an order of magnitude larger than typical eruptions seen at Mount Stromboli.
During the early days of the roman republic, this island received its modern name of Vulcano.
This name originated from Vulcan, who was the Roman god of fire.
The largest eruption in the last 10,000 years on the island occurred in 183 BC. A vent
slightly below sea level erupted in an explosive manner, throwing debris high into the air. As the
eruption continued, a new small island emerged 2.5 kilometers to the north of the Fossa Cone.
Lava bombs and ash fell across the new island, and expanded it to about 800 meters wide.
For the next 1600 years, eruptions continued at both Vulcanello and Fossa. In 1550 AD,
the last of the eruptions at Vulcanelloo produced a short distance pyroclastic flow which
finally connected the two separate islands. During the 17th to 19th centuries, the Fossa
cone continued to erupt, producing 17 distinct eruptions. The last of these occurred from 1888
to 1890 at the main summit. Since then, no additional eruptions have occurred.
However, the volcano is still very active as indicated by its active fumaroles and hot springs.
It is unknown when the next eruption will occur, but you could accurately say that
this island is overdue for an eruption. The next eruption will be Vulcanian,
and look similar to this image of Anak Krakatoa erupting. When this eruption occurs,
everyone on the island would need to be evacuated. This volcano is not like Stromboli,
where residents can live right next to the mountain while it is erupting. The largest
historical eruption at Stromboli represents the AVERAGE eruption at Vulcano. Pyroclastic flows and
bombs of lava could travel to all parts of the island, making it unsafe. Until this eruption,
I recommend visiting the island due to its beauty. I hope that you enjoyed this video. If you would
like to request a specific topic, please leave a comment below!