Geology of the island of Panarea

The geology of the island of Panarea reveals that it is the oldest of the Aeolian Islands. With its numerous islets ( Basiluzzo , Spinazzola, Dattilo , Lisca Bianca , Bottaro and the now almost disappeared Lisca Nera ) it is what remains of the eruptive phenomena of a single volcanic basin, now almost completely submerged and eroded by the sea and the wind.

Divided longitudinally by a backbone, all that remains is the eastern and southern part of the original island, with low coasts characterized by small beaches and large areas of plains, once cultivated in terraced vineyards and olive groves, now abandoned crops (also if initiatives aimed at reviving them are emerging, especially in the oenological field).

The western and northern part is instead characterized by jagged and elevated, inaccessible coasts, a continuous succession of terraces, crevasses and suggestive solidified lava formations.

The original chimney of the ancient volcano is located in the stretch of sea between the “Pietra Nave” rock and the “Cacatu” rock.
Also from the sea, on the west coast (Cala Bianca), you can see the remains of a secondary volcanic vent, which has the shape of a large funnel. In the north-eastern part of the island, on the Calcara beach, it is still possible to see fumaroles of vapors coming from the cracks between the rocks (with suggestive sulphurous colors), the last traces of volcanic activity with temperatures that can reach up to 100 ° C.

In some areas, among the pebbles on the shore, due to these heat sources, water heats up to become scalding.

Other submerged eruptive phenomena (recently returned to the news due to a sudden increase in activity) reveal the geology of the island of Panarea in the sparkling waters between the island of Bottaro and Lisca Bianca.

On the other hand there are no longer the hot springs marked on the maps pointed “Peppe Maria” “cemented” by a long sea in the eighties.