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I.—The Mechanism of Stromboli
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 May 2009
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Mr. R. Mallet—whose theory on the source of volcanic heat was noticed in a former number of this Magazine—has followed it up by a second paper, read before the Royal Society in June last, and published in the last number (155) of the Proceedings, upon “The Mechanism of Stromboli,” one of the Lipari Islands, well known for the permanence of its volcanic activity, which seems to have been incessant for the last two thousand years at least. This insular and conical mountain rises more than 3,000 feet above, from a depth of nearly 2,000 feet below, the level of the Mediterranean, and exhibits the usual structure of a volcano, having an old breached crater on one side, from the bottom of which red-hot scoriæ and fragments of lava are thrown up, together with much steam, by explosions occurring at irregular intervals of from two or three to thirty or even occasionally forty minutes.
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References
page 529 note 1 1768. Sir W. Hamilton with Signer Fabris.
1766–81. Stromboli seen twice by Dolomieu.
1781. 19th and 20th July, ascent by Dolomieu.
1788. 20th of August, 1st and 4th October, Spallanzani.
1810. Francesco Ferrara.
1813. Several visits by Admiral Smyth.
1819. May, G. Poulett Scrope.
1824. Dr. Daubeny.
1825. M. Biot.
1829. M. Virlet and the Members of the Commission visiting the Morea.
1831. M. Constant Prevost.
1831 (?–2). Friedrich Hoffmann studied Stromboli during three weeks. Three ascents, December 21st, etc.
1836. 24th and 25th July. H. Ahich collected and examined its products.
1844. June. MM. de Quatrefages, Edwards and Blanchard.
1855. May, June, and October, M. Charles Ste.-Claire Deville.
1856. July, M. Charles Ste.-Claire Deville.
1866. M. Fouqué.
1867. M. Jansenn.
1870. Dr. Julias Schmidt.
page 536 note 1 I learn from Prof. Owen that on the night of the 3rd October, 1845, he watched the explosions of Vesuvius from the deck of a vessel in the Bay of Naples; and timing them by his watch, he found the intervals to vary between the maximum of 6½ minutes and the minimum 2 to 2½ seconds: from 3 to 4 minutes was about the average time between the explosions.
page 540 note 1 The attitude of philosophical caution which should be maintained by us with regard to such questions was admirably pointed out by the late lamented Professor Phillips in the following passage:—“It is a common belief among persons who do not require strict proof of propositions which they accept, that the weather has influence on such phenomena as earthquakes and volcanos; the same minds may readily admit the influence of the moon on the weather; and thus we arrive easily at the opinion that Vesuvius is governed in its activity by the phases of the moon. On the other hand, men trained in exact reasoning are apt to deride such notions as quite unworthy of inquiry. Neither of these conditions of mind is right, when the problem is one like that of volcanos, fpr which a just solution cannot be had without taking into careful estimation all the known forces which may be influential on the epoch, duration, and intensity of the effect.”—Vesuvius, page 169.