© Nora CincottaEruption of Stromboli volcano this morning
From the village, a spectacular ash plume rising several 100 m above the summit could be seen. Soon after the eruption, moderately strong ash rain of small lapilli set in, covering all surfaces.
The color of most particles, up to a few mm in size, was mostly brown to reddish brown, described as "earthy". This could mean that most of the ejected material might be from older lava rocks in the summit craters or inside the vent, from collapsed parts of the craters or conduits. However, a small amount of lighter pumice was also present in the ash, probably representing a batch of fresh magma that had driven the explosion.
Last Tuesday (10 Nov), Stromboli also produced a significant above-average eruption. Such events are nothing unusual on the volcano and occur from time to time, but rarely more frequently than every few months or so. Whether this recent increase is a coincidence or hinting at a more pronounced change in activity level or type is currently unknown.
UPDATE: pyroclastic flow on Sciara del Fuoco
The event was indeed an explosion that also triggered a collapse in the crater area, which in turn produced an avalanche of fragmented material, a pryroclastic flow, that rushed down the Sciara del Fuoco, as recorded webcam images show.
R.C.