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Italy · Stratovolcano

Vulcano

Type
Stratovolcano
Elevation
500m
Last eruption
1890
Vulcano
Photo: Carsten Steger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Italy
Region
Europe / Aeolian Volcanic Arc
Elevation
500m
Coordinates
38.404, 14.962
Last eruption
1890
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Trachybasalt / Tephrite basanite
Geological summary

The word volcano is derived from Vulcano stratovolcano in Italy's Aeolian Islands. Vulcano was constructed during six stages over the past 136,000 years. Two overlapping calderas, the 2.5-km-wide Caldera del Piano on the SE and the 4-km-wide Caldera della Fossa on the NW, were formed at about 100,000 and 24,000-15,000 years ago, respectively, and volcanism has migrated north over time. La Fossa cone, active throughout the Holocene and the location of most historical eruptions, occupies the 3-km-wide Caldera della Fossa at the NW end of the elongated 3 x 7 km island. The Vulcanello lava platform is a low, roughly circular peninsula on the northern tip of Vulcano that was formed as an island beginning more than 2,000 years ago and was connected to the main island in about 1550 CE. Vulcanello is capped by three pyroclastic cones and was active intermittently until the 16th century. Explosive activity took place at the Fossa cone from 1898 to 1900.

From Wikipedia

Vulcano or Vulcan is a small volcanic island belonging to Italy in the Tyrrhenian Sea, about 20 km (12 mi) north of Sicily and located at the southernmost end of the seven Aeolian Islands. The island is known for its volcanic activity and contains several volcanic calderas, including one of the four active volcanoes in Italy that are not submarine. The English word "volcano" and its equivalents in several European languages derive from the name of this island. The name derives from the Roman belief that the tiny island was the chimney of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. In November 2021, 150 people were evacuated from the island's harbour area due to increased volcanic activity and gases; an amber alert had been issued in October 2021 after several significant changes in the volcano's parameters. In the fall of 2025, volcanic unrest increased again with strong gas emissions reported on October 15, 2025.

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Eruption history

44 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
6550 BCE~6269 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?3736 BCE~3455 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 02892 BCE~2610 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 31485 BCE~1203 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 31203 BCE~922 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 0641 BCE~359 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI 2359 BCE~78 BCE · 6 eruptions · max VEI 478 BCE~204 · 4 eruptions · max VEI ?485~766 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 3766~1048 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 31048~1329 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 21329~1611 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 31611~1892 · 18 eruptions · max VEI 36550 BCE4580 BCE2329 BCE359 BCE1611

Detailed timeline

  1. 1892VEI 0Method not stated
    1892-12-14 – end unknown
    5 km east of Vulcanello
  2. 1888VEI 3Observed
    1888-08-02 – 1890-03-22
    Fossa
  3. 1886VEI 3Observed
    1886-01-05 – end unknown
    Fossa
  4. 1873VEI 3Observed
    1873-09-16 – 1879-07-02
    Fossa
  5. 1831VEI 1Method not stated
    1831-07-02 – end unknown
    Fossa
  6. 1822VEI 2Method not stated
    1822-07-02 – 1823-07-02
    Fossa
  7. 1812VEI 1Method not stated
    1812-07-02 – end unknown
    Fossa
  8. 1786VEI 3Method not stated
    1786 – end unknown
    Fossa
  9. 1780VEI 2Observed
    1780 – end unknown
    Fossa
  10. 1775VEI ?Method not stated
    1775 – end unknown
    Fossa
  11. 1771VEI 3Observed
    1771-02-17 – 1771-05
    Fossa
  12. 1731VEI 3Observed
    1731 – 1739
    Fossa
  13. 1727VEI 3Observed
    1727 – end unknown
    Forgia Vecchia II and Fossa
  14. 1688VEI ?Observed
    1688 – end unknown
    Fossa
  15. 1651VEI ?Observed
    1651 – end unknown
    Fossa
  16. 1631VEI ?Observed
    1631 – end unknown
  17. 1626VEI 3Observed
    1626-03 – 1626-04
  18. 1618VEI ?Observed
    1618 – end unknown
  19. 1550VEI 3Observed
    1550 – end unknown
    Vulcanello III
  20. 1444VEI 3Observed
    1444-02-04 – end unknown
  21. 1230 (±20 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    1230 – end unknown
    Fossa
  22. 1200 (±75 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    1200 – end unknown
    Vulcanello
  23. 1040 (±75 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    1040 – end unknown
  24. 925 (±25 yrs)VEI 3Observed
    925 – end unknown
  25. 729VEI ?Observed
    729 – end unknown
    Fossa
  26. 526VEI 3Observed
    526 – end unknown
    Fossa and Vulcanello III?
  27. 144VEI ?Observed
    144 – end unknown
    Fossa
  28. 50 (±50 yrs)VEI ?Observed
    50 – end unknown
    Fossa
  29. 10 BCE (±10 yrs)VEI ?Method not stated
    10 BCE – end unknown
    Vulcanello
  30. 24 BCE (±5 yrs)VEI ?Observed
    24 BCE – end unknown
    Vulcanello ?
  31. 91 BCEVEI 3Observed
    91 BCE – end unknown
    Vulcanello
  32. 126 BCEVEI ?Observed
    126-06 BCE – end unknown
    Vulcanello
  33. 150 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    150 BCE – end unknown
  34. 183 BCEVEI 4Observed
    183 BCE – end unknown
    Vulcanello
  35. 215 BCEVEI ?Observed
    215 BCE – end unknown
    Offshore vent
  36. 300 BCEVEI 2Observed
    300 BCE – end unknown
    Fossa
  37. 360 BCE (±10 yrs)VEI 2Observed
    360 BCE – end unknown
    Fossa
  38. 475 BCEVEI ?Observed
    475 BCE – end unknown
    Fossa
  39. 950 BCE (±500 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    950 BCE – end unknown
    Fossa
  40. 1300 BCEVEI 3Geological estimate
    1300 BCE – end unknown
    Fossa
  41. 2650 BCE (±1700 yrs)VEI 3Geological estimate
    2650 BCE – end unknown
    Fossa
  42. 3550 BCE (±1300 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    3550 BCE – end unknown
    Fossa
  43. 6350 BCE (±1600 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    6350 BCE – end unknown
  44. 6550 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    6550 BCE – end unknown
    NW side (Lentia)

Nearby volcanoes

External links

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