Posted on 02/27/2007 10:44:02 AM PST by blam
Volcanic Italian island on alert
Emergency plans have been put into operation after two new craters opened on the summit of the volcanic Italian island of Stromboli.
One of the new lava streams created on the island, just north of Sicily, has already started flowing into the sea.
Coastguard patrol boats have been deployed and the population of 750 people has been urged to stay away from the danger areas.
The last major eruption in 2002 caused a collapse that led to a small tsunami.
The wave reached 10 metres (33ft) high and caused serious damage to Stromboli village on the north of the island.
'Clearing zones'
The BBC's Christian Fraser in Rome says the new lava flow is heading down the west flank of the volcano and at the moment poses little risk. But experts say it has to be watched closely.
An eruption on Stromboli in 2002 caused a small tsunami
A member of the civil defence authorities for the Aeolian Islands told Reuters news agency: "There's a general alert. The emergency services are monitoring the situation, clearing zones at risk.
"But at the moment we don't foresee an evacuation."
The volcano, which rises 2,000 metres from the ocean floor, has been active for the past 2,000 years.
Most eruptions consist of gas explosions that hurl small blobs of lava over the crater rim. There are several explosions each hour.
The larger eruptions and lava flows are less frequent.
The one in December 2002 forced the closure of the island to visitors for a number of months.
Pass the Pepperoni Please.
I hope the island of Calzone isn't in any danger.
Mmmmm...erupting stromboli.
A penne for your thoughts.
A good sauvignon goes best with lava.
No surprise; every time I have a stromboli, I get gaseous eruptions, too.
That looks frisky to me...
Stromboli is known as the Lighthouse of the Mediterranean. It has been an active volcano for at least 2,000 years. The Greeks and the Romans were among the first to see this volcano erupt.
Another picture via the RAI site.
Isn't this one of thee most active volcano's on Earth?
Is it bubbling over with spiced ham and white cheese? Yum!
Only a UN resolution could stop this.
Indonesian engineers attempt to plug crater
Indonesian engineers successfully dropped large concrete balls into a fissure Monday to try to stem a gushing mud eruption that has engulfed hundreds of homes and displaced 11,000 people.
Over the next few weeks, authorities plan to drop nearly 1,500 balls, each weighing up to 40 kilograms, into the crater that started spewing mud at a gas drilling field on Java island nine months ago. The team hopes the balls will gradually reduce the mud flow, which is surging out at a rate of up to 126,000 cubic metres of sediment per day.
Sixteen balls were dropped into the fissure Monday. Authorities were to monitor the effects of the balls before dropping more Tuesday.
Critics have said they fear the experiment might cause the mud to flow from different points in the gas field.
Mud fissures are fairly common along volatile tectonic belts such as the one running below Indonesia, and in areas where there are rich oil and natural gas deposits. Opinions differ about the cause of the mud flow, but experts agree it could continue for years.
Some scientists suggest the rupture was triggered by faulty gas exploration techniques by operator PT Lapindo Brantas. Other research suggests it is the result of increased seismic activity, with the mud flow starting two days after a major earthquake elsewhere on Java.
Some of the mud is being channelled to the sea, while the rest is being contained behind dams.
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 | 9:21 AM ET
Well, you're a real boy now, whaddaya worried about?
From Google Earth; near Piscità (Italy) by Giuseppe Grande
I was thinking a Pinot Noir myself.
Definately go with a red wine.
Hopefully, they're pasta crisis stage...
I lava good Stromboli....
Didn't Stromboli's family own Al Sharpton's?
During the travels of Odysseus after the Trojan wars, he skirted these islands where mountains moved and Harpies sung!
Il Faro de Mare es finis.
Hi have a look on this resource update:
http://www.volcanoetna.net/en/news-e-events/eruzione-stromboli-2007.html
Thank you for that mud flow update. I was looking for info on that yesterday to no avail.
They could put a giant rubber balloon down the hole and inflate it with concrete once they have the mud flow down to where they can insert something against the flow. Just an idea.
I fail to ziti humor in that.
One little active volcano=> 300 years of industrial pollution
In the old days they
would sacrifice a virgin . . .
What am I saying?
They'd better stick with
the giant concrete balloons.
(They can buy concrete . . .)
It is my belief that the Tyrrhenian Sea is a mini ring of fire. Just looking at the shape of the western side of Italy and the corresponding islands leads me to believe there was an extra-catastrophic event in that region in pre-historic times. It looks a lot like the geography of Santorini (caldera) except on a larger scale.
You've got the Greats Vesuvio, Etna (Sicilia), Stromboli, and another 14 or so volcanoes throughout the region to support this hypothesis. I heard some buzz about Vesuvio yesterday, but could only find recent articles about scientific speculation.
Happy FReepin'
K4
Tsunami Strikes Italy
Stromboli Online | December 31, 2002
Posted on 12/31/2002 7:57:09 PM EST by John H K
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/814923/posts
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