Educational strategy aimed at enjoying a volcanic geosite: the active Vulcano island growing between fire and water

In the meanframe of the “EDU-GEO” Project sponsored by FIST, we propose a prototype of a geological field excursion across the active Vulcano island (Aeolian archipelago) which provides a 130 ka old outstanding record of building and destruction processes in volcanic terranes and of ongoing volcanic phenomena. Studied since at least the 18th century, the Vulcano Island is the paradigm of the Vulcanian type of eruptions and has featured significantly in the vulcanological literature for more than 200 years, still continuing to provide a fundamental field for volcanological studies of on-going development of landforms. The excursion is focused on mature high-school students (17-19 years old) and on their teachers by means of an appropriate educational strategy based on high scientific content. We believe that Vulcano is an excellent field example for introducing Volcanology to students because it addresses all main criteria in the geosites definition suggested by European ProGeo that is: 1) representativeness; 2) scientific interest; 3) rarity; 4) landscape importance; 5) educational value; 6) accessibility; 7) conservation standing; 8) vulnerability. The whole excursion is performed on the field because landforms and deposits are perfectly exposed at Vulcano, whereas introductory concepts are provided through the Internet by guidelines for teachers and lecture notes for students. We aim at improving students knowledge of rocks and landforms as tools for studying a volcanic area through a typical scientific approach based on the objective observation of field data and their consequent interpretation. So, independent observation and interpretation by the students are always stimulated by means of cause-effect examples and of comparison with other reknown examples. The following main geological aspects of a volcanic area are addressed at Vulcano: 1) building and destruction of a volcano; 2) origin and emplacement mechanisms of volcanic deposits; 3) criteria for the evaluation of volcanic hazard and risk. The first part of the excursion is focused on the fundamental stages of birth and evolution of the Vulcano island by means of an easily accessible (even for disable people) route from the harbour of Vulcano to the base of the La Fossa cone. The route consists of a few stops which are especially meaningful for the high degree of exposure of landforms aimed at showing a logically set out sequence of geological events from the progressive emergence of the volcanic island (e.g. the 2000 years old Vulcanello peninsula) to its subaerial stabilization (e.g. the 6000 years old and still active La Fossa cone). Traces of main caldera collapses displacing the volcanic apparatus are shown so to highlight the role of destructive events in the evolution of a volcano. The second part of the excursion is developed across the footpath that goes to the summit crater of La Fossa. There, detailed observation of lavic and pyroclastic deposits is possible and the connection to the corresponding source of provenance and emplacement mechanisms (effusive activity, fallout processes, pyroclastic density currents) is explained. Finally, the last part of the excursion is performed across the summit crater of the La Fossa cone with the purpose of showing main procedures of geochemical monitoring (e.g. the crateric high-T gas fumaroles) and evaluation of volcanic hazard from pyroclastic currents.