The Stromboli volcano is one of the most active in the world. Mountain is in the Aeolian archipelago, in Sicily
According to the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the giant waves occurred between 1343 and 1456 and reached the coast of Campania. The research included the collaboration of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the universities of Modena-Reggio Emilia and Urbino, the Institute for Ancient Mediterranean Studies and New York University.
The tsunamis of the Middle Ages were triggered by eruptions on the northwest face of the volcano, and the largest of these, in 1343, almost certainly devastated the ports of Naples and Amalfi, as witnessed by the poet Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374).
The writer was in Naples as ambassador to Pope Clement VI and spoke in a letter about a violent storm that had caused “many victims” and sunk several ships.
During the research, three trenches were excavated in the northern part of the island of Stromboli, each 80 meters long and two meters deep. In this way, researchers discovered three layers of sand containing beach pebbles carried by the tsunami waves.
Chemical analyzes and carbon 14 tests made it possible to establish an unequivocal relationship between these strata and archaeological findings that testify to the rapid abandonment of the island due to tsunamis.
“In the first half of the 14th century, Stromboli was inhabited and played an important role in the naval traffic of Crusaders coming from the Italian, Spanish and Greek coasts,” said Sara Levi, from the University of Modena-Reggio Emilia.
The island, located in the Aeolian archipelago, in Sicily, was uninhabited until the end of the 17th century, when its modern repopulation began. “The study reveals for the first time the volcano’s ability to produce events of dimensions greater than those known to date,” he said.
According to Antonella Bertagnini, from INGV, Stromboli can today produce “tsunamis of clearly superior scales and capable of reaching very distant coastal areas”. The volcano is one of the most active in the world and is located on an island with around 400 inhabitants.
by Ansa Agency
