Lipari Location:38.48 N, 14.94 E Elivation: 602 m Lipari, the largest of the Aeolian Islands, is located immediately  north of Vulcano Island. The irregular-shaped island contains  numerous small stratovolcanoes, craters, and lava domes on a  basement of submarine volcanic deposits. Lipari was formed in  three major eruptive cycles, the first of which took place from about  223 to 188 thousand years ago (ka) from N-S-trending fissures on  the western side of the island. The second eruptive period from  about 102 to 53 ka included the formation of the Monte San Angelo  and Costa d'Agosto stratovolcanoes in the center of the island. The  third eruptive cycle (40 ka to the present) included the Monte  Guardia sequence, erupted at the southern tip of the island between  about 22,600 and 16,800 years ago, and Holocene rhyolitic  pyroclastic deposits and obsidian lava flows at the NE end of the  island. The eruption, at Monte Pilato on the NE tip of the island, formed the Rocche Rosse and Forgia Vecchia  obsidian lava flows, which have been dated variously from about 500 to 1230 CE. Objects made of obsidian from  Lipari have been found throughout southern Italy. The last recorded eruptions occurred in the fifth century CE when  airborne pumice, together with volcanic ash, covered the Roman villages of the island. As a result of its volcanic  origin, the island is covered with pumice and obsidean. Pumice mining has become a large industry on Lipari, and  the pale pumice from Lipari is shipped world wide. In the year 2000 the Aeolian islands were declared a UNESCO  World Heritage Site.  The pumice mining in Lipari was stopped in  2007. (Global Volcanism Program)  Obsidean In the northeast of the island are two obsidian flows of the Monte Pilato (476 m a.s.l.) The obsidian was mined since the Neolithic period. Since this time  Lipari was a center of trading in obsidian, a hard black volcanic glass prized by Neolithic peoples for the extremely sharp cutting edges that can be obtained. Finds from this period are available throughout the western Mediterranean. In the archaeological museum of Lipari can be seen hundreds of obsidian tools. Pumice In northeast of the island there are 300 m thick deposits  of pumice. Pumice mining has become a large industry on  Lipari and the pale pumice from Lipari was shipped world  wide. Pumex S.P.A. was one of the world leading pumice-  stone industry since 1958.  Then, in 2000 the Aeolian  Islands are classified as World Heritage Site. UNESCO  urged the Italian government to enact laws to preserve its  beauty. The pumice quarries cover one million three  hundred thousand square meters of land. In 2007 the  police has sequestrated it after illegal and abusive quarrying of pumice by the Pumex S.P.A.. 7  years after the closure of the factories, everything seems to remain as it was then. The beach  below the cave is the main tourist attraction of the island of Lipari, but behind it a large chasm  recalls the years of abusive excavations. The pier made to load the pumice on ships has not yet  been dismantled and residents and tourists are still worried by large amounts of ferrous materials.  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOME