The islands were colonized by the Greekss around 580 BC. They named them after the God of the Wind Aeolus.
The largest island is Lipari, and the others include Vulcano, Salina and Stromboli. The town of Lipari has about 11,000 inhabitants. Vulcano is famous for its fango baths.
The Aeolian Islands have been listed by the UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
The Æolian Islands are all of volcanic origin. The most interesting
among them, for the length of time it has been in action and the
constancy of its activity, is Stromboli. This name is a corruption
of the ancient Greek name Στρογγυλη {Strongulæ} which was given to it
because of its round swelling form. This is a very fussy little
volcano, for it keeps perpetually puffing, growling, and fuming. It
throws out columns of steam, and at intervals stones, cinders, and
ashes, which are for the most part drifted by the wind into the
sea. This restless volcano has been in almost uninterrupted
activity since at least the third century before the Christian era
--however much further back.
Several enterprising travellers have ascended to the crater of
Stromboli. It was examined with great care in 1828 by M. Hoffmann,
a celebrated Prussian geologist, who, while being held fast by his
companions, leant over the crag immediately above the crater, and
looked right down into one of its active mouths. He thus describes
what he saw:--
''Three active mouths were seen at the bottom of the crater. The
principal one, in the middle, was about two hundred feet in
diameter; it shows nothing remarkable, only fuming slightly; and
numerous yellow incrustations of sulphur coat the walls of its
chimney. Close by this mouth is another, somewhat nearer the
precipice, only twenty feet wide, in which I could observe the play
of the column of liquid lava, which at intervals poised itself at a
level. This lava did not look like a burning mass vomiting flames,
but as glossy as molten metal--like iron issuing from the smelting
furnace, or silver at the bottom of a crucible.
This melted mass rose and fell--evidently urged by the powerful
tension of elastic vapours pressing it upwards from beneath; and it
was easy to perceive the balance of effect between the weight of
the molten masses and the pressure of the steam which resisted
them. The surface rose and fell rhythmically: there was heard a
peculiar sound, like the crackling of air from bellows entering the
door of a furnace. A bubble of white vapour issued at each crack,
raising the lava, which fell down again immediately after its
escape. These bubbles of vapour dragged to the surface of the lava
red-hot cinders, which danced as if tossed by invisible hands in
rhythmic sport above the brink of the opening.
This play, so regular and attractive, was interrupted, every
quarter of an hour or so, by more tumultuous movements. The mass of
whirling vapour then rested motionless for a moment--even making a
jerking motion of return, as if inhaled by the crater, from the
bottom of which the lava rose more strongly as if to encounter it.
Then the ground trembles, and the walls of the crater starting
bend. It was quite an earthquake. The mouth of the crater uttered a
loud rolling bellow, which was followed by an immense bubble of
vapour, bursting at the surface of the lava with a loud thundering
report. The whole surface of the lava, reduced to glowing
splinters, was then tossed into the air.
The heat struck our faces forcibly; while a flaming sheaf rose
right into the air, and fell back in a shower of fire all around.
Some bombs ascended to a height of about 1200 feet, and in passing
over our heads described parabolas of fire. Immediately after such
an eruption, the lava withdrew to the bottom of the chimney, which
then yawned black and gaping. But erelong there was seen re-
ascending the shining mirror of the surface of lava, which then
recommenced the rhythmic play of its ordinary less violent
bubblings.''
What an agreeable visit this must have been! Don't you think,
between ourselves, that the German philosopher must, on this
occasion, have greatly resembled an Irishman in love, seeing he was
so eager to reach the mouth of the crater?
Before passing on to the description of other existing volcanoes,
it may entertain you to hear something about Julia. This
interesting crater had a short and troubled existence. She
was not born like others of her name, but rose suddenly and
majestically out of the sea, as the poets feign that Venus did of
old. She did not, however, keep her head long above water, but
after raging and fuming for about a couple of months, she plunged
again under the waves. This happened in the year 1831.
It was a French philosopher (Constant Pr¨Â|vost) who christened her
Julia; but it is hard to divine what prompted him to act so
ungallantly. Perhaps, at the moment, he may have had in his eye
some Julia of his acquaintance, with very red hair and a very
fiery temper.
This volcanic island rose out of the Mediterranean, about midway
between the Island of Pantellaria and the village of Sciacca on the
southern coast of Sicily. From about the 28th of June to the 2nd of
July 1831, the inhabitants of Sciacca felt several slight shocks,
which they imagined to have proceeded from Etna. On the 8th of July
the crew of a Sicilian ship, which was sailing at a distance of
about six miles from Sciacca, suddenly observed in the sea a jet of
water about 100 feet high. It rose into the air with a thundering
noise, sustained itself for about ten minutes, and then fell down.
Similar jets continued to rise in succession, at intervals of about
a quarter of an hour, and produced a thick mist overspreading the
surface of the sea, which was much agitated and covered with a
reddish scum. Shoals of dead fishes were drifted on the waves. On
the third day the jets were between 800 and 900 feet in diameter,
and between 60 and 70 feet in height, while the steam from them
rose to nearly 1800 feet.
On the 12th of July the inhabitants of Sciacca had their nostrils
assailed by a strong smell of sulphur, and beheld the surface of
the sea covered with black porous cinders, which, being drifted
ashore, formed a bed of some thickness on the beach. So great was
the drift of volcanic ashes, that boats could hardly struggle
through the water, and multitudes of dead fishes floated on its
surface. Next morning they saw rising out of the sea a column of
dark vapour, which, however, towards night became lurid red. From
time to time, during both the day and night, they heard loud
reports, and saw bright sparks of fire through the dusky vapour.
On the 18th of July the captain of the Sicilian ship discovered
that an island had arisen out of the sea at the spot whence the
appearances before described had proceeded. It had already attained
a height of nearly twelve feet, and had in its centre a crater,
which vomited forth immense jets of steam, along with ashes,
cinders, stones, &c. The water which boiled in this crater was
reddish, and the cinders, which covered the sea all round the
island, were of a chocolate colour. The island subsequently
attained a height of upwards of 90 feet at its highest point, and a
circumference of about three-quarters of a mile. A channel of
communication was also opened between the sea and the interior of
the crater, which had a diameter of about 650 feet. The vapours and
other matters thrown up from the mouth of the volcano formed a
luminous column upwards of 200 feet in height.
On the 29th of September it was visited by the French gentleman who
gave it the name of Julia, and it then presented the appearance
which we have sketched. He landed with a party and proceeded to
examine the crater, in which he found a circular basin filled with
reddish water, almost boiling hot, and fresh. This basin was nearly
200 feet in diameter. There rose from the water bubbles of gas,
which made it appear as if it were boiling. The water was not quite
at the boiling point, however, yet the bubbles of gas were
sufficiently hot to burn the fingers.
These bubbles rose from a great depth, and each, on bursting, which
it did with a feeble report, threw out sand and cinders. At a short
distance from the crater there rose sulphurous vapours, which
deposited sulphur and salt. The loose dust and ashes forming the
soil of the island were hot, and walking on them was difficult. The
foregoing woodcut will give you an idea of the appearance which the
crater presented to those visitors.The Æolian Island -- Stromboli -- Origin of name
Position of crater
Description of crater
New volcanic island named Julia
Phenomena preceding its elevation
Description of island and crater