Stromboli Volcano

Position of center of photo (Lat/Long): [38.789/15.213]

On March 8, 2007, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image. It is an infrared-enhanced, "false-color" image in which bare ground is gray, water is dark blue, and vegetation is red. Clouds, possibly mixed with steam, cover the new lava flow. The dark flow down the northwest side of the volcano separates the two areas of human settlement seen in this image. The towns of Piscita, Ficogrande, San Vincenzo, and Scari form the bright silver dots on the northeastern shore, while Ginostra is the small town on the western shore.

Stromboli is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of hardened ash, lava, and volcanic rocks. Strong eruptions have been recorded at the volcano for more than 1,000 years. In 2002, a major eruption caused a small tsunami and damaged Stromboli Village on the north side of the island.

Eruptions at Stromboli are not unusual. In fact, mild explosions and glowing lava flows are so frequent that the volcano has earned the name "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean," says the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program. The island of Stromboli is the tip of the massive underwater volcano. The island grows as the volcano continues to pump out fresh lava. As of March 6, the ongoing eruption had added a new 200-meter-wide delta that stretches 50-100 meters into the ocean, said Volcano Discovery.