Native name: Isola di Vulcano | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Aerial view of Vulcano from the east | |
 Vulcano and the Aeolian Islands | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Tyrrhenian Sea |
| Coordinates | 38°23′58″N14°57′50″E / 38.399434°N 14.963955°E /38.399434; 14.963955 |
| Archipelago | Aeolian Islands |
| Area | 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi) |
| Length | 8 km (5 mi) |
| Width | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
| Administration | |
| Region | Sicily |
| Province | Metropolitan City of Messina |
| Commune | Lipari |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 450 (2019) |
Vulcano (Sicilian:Vurcanu) orVulcan is a smallvolcanic island belonging to Italy in theTyrrhenian Sea, about 20 km (12 mi) north ofSicily and located at the southernmost end of the sevenAeolian Islands.[1] The island is known for its volcanic activity and contains severalvolcanic calderas, including one of the fouractive volcanoes in Italy that are notsubmarine. The English word "volcano", and its equivalent in several European languages, derives from the name of this island, which derives from the Roman belief that the tiny island was the chimney ofVulcan, theRoman 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.[2]
Vulcano is located approximately 20 km (12 mi) north of Sicily and is approximately 8 km (5 mi) long by 4 km (2 mi) wide. The island is 21 km2 (8 sq mi) in area and rises to 501 m (1,644 ft)above sea level. The island is separated by a 750 m (2,461 ft)-wide strait fromLipari to the north and is administratively part of the Commune of Lipari.[citation needed]
As of 2019, Vulcano had a population of 450 residents, a decrease from a population of 953 in 2011. The majority of the population resides in Vulcano Porto on the north side of the island, with secondary population centres at Vulcano Piano and Vulcanello.[3][4]
| Vulcano | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 501 m (1,644 ft) |
| Prominence | 501 m (1,644 ft) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Aeolian Islands,Italy |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Complexstratovolcanoes |
| Last eruption | 1888 to 1890 |
Volcanic activity in the region is largely the result oftectonic activity, the northward-movingAfrican Plate meeting theEurasian Plate.[citation needed]
There are three volcanic centres on the island:
Vulcano has been quiet since the eruption of the Fossa cone on 2 August 1888 to 22 March 1890,[2] which deposited about 5 m (16 ft) ofpyroclastic material on the summit. The style of eruption seen on the Fossa cone is called aVulcanian eruption, being the explosive emission of pyroclastic fragments of viscousmagmas caused by the high viscosity preventing gases from escaping easily. This eruption of Vulcano was carefully documented at the time byGiuseppe Mercalli. Mercalli described the eruptions as "...explosions sounding like a cannon at irregular intervals..." As a result, vulcanian eruptions are based on his description. A typical vulcanian eruption can hurl blocks of solid material several hundreds of metres from the vent. Mercalli reported that blocks from the 1888–1890 eruption fell into the sea between Vulcano and neighboringLipari, and several that had fallen on the island of Vulcano were photographed by him or his assistants.[citation needed]
Volcanic gas emissions from this volcano are measured by a multicomponent gas analyzer system, which detects degassing of rising magmas before an eruption, improvingprediction of volcanic activity.[5]
A survey on local groundwater from 1995 to 1997 found temperatures of 49–75 °C,sodium sulfate-chloride chemical composition, and near neutralpH in the water wells closest to the slopes of the volcanic cone. This is mainly due to condensation onto the slopes of the volcanic cone and water-rock interaction buffering.[6][7]
Since Vulcano island has volcanic activity, it is a place wherethermophiles andhyperthermophiles are found. The hyperthermophilicarchaeanPyrococcus furiosus was described for the first time when it was isolated from sediments of this island.[8]
.jpg)
.jpg)
TheAncient Greeks named this islandTherasía (Θηρασία) andThérmessa (Θέρμεσσα, source of heat). The island appeared in theirmyths as the private foundry of theOlympian godHephaestus, the patron ofblacksmiths. Their myths noted two more of his foundries, atEtna andOlympus.Strabo also mentions Thermessa assacred place of Hephaestus (ἱερὰ Ἡφαίστου), but it is not certain whether this was a third name for the island, or merely anadjective.[9]
Similarly, theRomans believed that Vulcano was the chimney of their godVulcan's workshop and, therefore, named the island after him. According to the Roman myths, the island had grown due to his periodic clearing of cinders and ashes from his forge. They also explained earthquakes that either preceded or accompanied the explosions of ash as being due to Vulcan making weapons for their godMars for his armies to wage war.[10]
The Romans used the island mainly for raw materials, harvesting timber, and miningalum andsulfur. These were the principal activities on the island until the end of the nineteenth century.[citation needed]
The first ascent of the volcanic cone is documented for the 13th century. The Dominican friarBurchard of Mount Sion, in his pilgrimage report to theHoly Land, tells of his return journey via Sicily, which probably took place in 1284. On Vulcano he had climbed the summit "crawling on his hands and feet".[11] His ascent can be considered authentic, as he reports in detail on his observations of the landscape and nature, for example describing the fumaroles or the diameter of the crater.[citation needed]
The island of Vulcano as well as the Aeolian Islands are already known toIsidor of Seville, the Gallic bishopArculf, who dictated his journey to the Holy Land to the IrishmanAdomnan (before 680), orBartholomew Anglicus. They are an integral part of medieval knowledge of the geography of the Mediterranean, but none of them wrote about Vulcano on their own initiative.[citation needed]
Vulcano is also mentioned in the pilgrimage report (ca. 1350) byLudolf von Sudheim, who, however, claims that he did not dare to climb it. Unlike Burchard of Mount Sion, Ludolf expected to find the entrance to hell at the crater. The Provençal knightAntoine de La Sale tells of an excursion to the island in 1406. His text is a didactic textbook for his pupil John of Calabria, the son of Duke Rene I of Anjou.[citation needed]
AfterBourbon rulecollapsed in 1860, the Scottish industrialist and philanthropistJames Stevenson bought the northern part of the island. He then built avilla, reopened the local mines, and plantedvineyards for makingMalmsey wine. Stevenson lived on Vulcano until the last major eruption on the island, in 1888. This eruption lasted the better part of two years, by which time Stevenson had sold all of his property to the local populace. He never returned to the island. His villa is still intact.[12][13]
An asteroid is named after this island,4464 Vulcano.[14]
The American attorney and writer, Richard Paul Roe, asserts that the playThe Tempest byWilliam Shakespeare is set on the island of Vulcano, rather than the more authoritative interpretation that the setting was based on reports about Bermuda in the Americas because of the hurricane.[15]
InJoJo's Bizarre Adventure:Battle Tendency, Joseph Joestar accidentally imbues Ripple energy into Vulcano, causing the volcano to erupt and launch his foe Kars into outer space.[16]
In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Concerning Flight", the island is mentioned by a holographic Leonardo Da Vinci.[citation needed]
Media from Commons
Travel information from Wikivoyage
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
