Stromboli 2017 [J-12]: Why Stromboli?

Stromboli volcano is famous for its mild explosions. Volcanic plumes usually do not exceed 300m high, and unlike at Eyjafjallajökull, Sakurajima or Etna, flashes have never been detected there…

So why going?

– First, for practical reasons. It is close to Germany and many other researchers will be there. More important, its usual activity features several explosions per hour: so even if we miss one, we don’t have to wait too much to have the next one. So, definitively a nice place to test the setup!

– Secondly, for science. Was lightning not accounted for because it does not exist, or because we never looked for it? The rare studies that were looking for electrical activity have detected small signal… So why not tiny flashes? The future will tell…