The Stromboli crisis and tsunami of 28–30 December 2002

On 28 December 2002, a new boca opened above sea level on the flank of Stromboli. Two days later, a landslide occurred on the same flank, and a tsunami hit the coast of the island. We give an interpretation of such crisis, based on the evidences provided by acoustic emission (AE) records collected at a nearby station, at 160 kHz. The entire set of phenomena, which in general is not linear, corresponded to a paroxysm generated by an anomalous increase of the prime energy breeding of the volcano. The phenomenon involved the entire physical system, and it was manifested in terms of different “catastrophic” events. The final equilibrium was attained when the system was reshaped according to the requirements of its new energy status and balance.