Near- and far-field survey report of the 30 December 2002 Stromboli (Southern Italy) tsunami

Abstract

In May 2002, Stromboli–one of the two active volcanoes in the Aeolian Islands (southern Tyrrhenian sea)–entered a new phase of explosive activity, initially characterized by gas and ash emission from the summit craters. On 30 December 2002, a massive submarine landslide, followed by a subaerial one from the elevation of about 650 m above sea level (a.s.l.), detached from the submerged part of the northwest slope of Stromboli island producing a tsunami. This huge mass movement was recorded by the INGV seismic stations installed, respectively, at Stromboli and Panarea. In the following days, a working group of INGV researchers and technicians was organized in order to perform a field survey of the tsunami effects in the near-field—including all the Aeolian Islands. Meanwhile, a survey in the far-field was planned, along the coastline of Campania and Sicily, where the effects of the 30 December tsunami were observed but not directly quantified. Visible material effects of the 30 December tsunami could be observed only along the northeast coast of Stromboli island, inundated by the wave, with run-up heights locally up to several meters. Many buildings were severely damaged. On the other Aeolian Islands and in the far-field, the effects of the sea wave were documented only through eyewitness accounts. To ensure a coherent collection of these accounts, a standard interview form, based on the advice of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), was used. A databank of all observations, measurements, interview forms and photographs was compiled in order to provide a useful base to test computer simulations, hazard analyses and damage scenarios. Additional information was also made available at the EMERGEO link of INGV web pages http://www.ingv.it/ emergeo and http://www.ov.ingv.it.