Volcanology of Italy

Stromboli Pantelleria Ferdinandea Etna Lipari Vulcanello Vulcano Ischia Vesuvius Monte Nuovo LarderelloItaly volcano map.png

Italy is a volcanically active country, containing the only active volcanoes in mainland Europe. The country's volcanism is due chiefly to the presence, a short distance to the south, of the boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate. The magma erupted by Italy's volcanoes is thought to result from the upward forcing of rocks melted by the subduction of one plate below another.

Three main clusters of volcanism exist: a line of volcanic centres running northwest along the central part of the Italian mainland (see: Campanian volcanic arc); a cluster in the northeast of Sicily; and another cluster around the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria.

Active volcanoes

Three of Italy's volcanoes have erupted in the last hundred years:

Dormant volcanoes

At least nine other volcanic centres have seen eruptions in historic times, including some submarine volcanoes (seamounts). In order of the most recent eruptions, they are:

Dubious status

Several volcanoes in Italy have reportedly erupted in the past, but these events are not confirmed:

See also

External links

References

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