Strombolicchio

Strombolicchio
Island
Strombolicchio with its lighthouse
Country	Italy
Province	Messina
Comune	Lipari
Population
• Total	0

The Aeolian Islands.

Strombolicchio is a sea stack of volcanic origin 2 km (1.2 mi) to the northeast of the island of Stromboli in the Aeolian Islands of Italy.

Geologically, Strombolicchio is a volcanic plug or spine of extremely hard compacted basalt resistant to erosion, and is the remnant of the original volcano from which the island of Stromboli was built up. Eruptions at this site ceased approximately 200,000 years ago. Since then the volcanic activity has moved about 3 km (1.9 mi) to the southwest. It is the only subaerial part of a submarine platform that extends between it and the main island.

A lighthouse is located on its summit; it can be reached by a concrete stairway of over 200 steps. The island is a tourist attraction in Stromboli.

Its name in the Sicilian language means Little Stromboli.

Flora and fauna

Strombolicchio hosts some very rare species of flora and fauna and has been declared a natural reserve, with severe restrictions on access. Bassia saxicola, for example, an endangered flower at risk of extinction, is otherwise present only in a few hundred specimens on the island of Capri. Podarcis raffonei, a rare lizard classified as at critical risk of extinction, is found only at three other locations, all of which are in the Aeolian Islands: a small islet off the coast of the nearby island of Salina, another islet off the coast of Filicudi, and in some areas of Vulcano.

References

• Guest, John (2003). Volcanoes of Southern Italy. Geological Society. ISBN 1-86239-138-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)