A Reappraisal of Seismicity and Eruptions of Pantelleria Island and the Sicily Channel (Italy) SALVATORE SPAMPINATO, 1 ANDREA URSINO, 1 MARIA SERAFINA BARBANO, 2 CLAUDIA PIRROTTA, 2 SALVATORE RAPISARDA, 1 GRAZIANO LAROCCA, 1 and PIER RAFFAELE PLATANIA 3 Abstract—Three main tectonic depressions (the Pantelleria, Linosa and Malta troughs), the expression of a continental rift, characterize the Sicily Channel, a region with recent volcanic activity attested by the Pantelleria and Linosa volcanic islands, as well as numerous seamounts. To understand the seismic and eruptive behaviour of this area, we compare historical and instrumental seismicity retrieved from catalogues with recordings from both a mobile seismic network and a permanent station deployed at Pantelleria. A review of historical eruptions affecting the Sicily Channel is also presented. Recent instrumental seis- micity shows that the Sicily Channel is characterized by a low level of seismicity, with earthquakes mainly occurring as isolated events, rather than swarms as observed during the few docu- mented eruptive periods. The results of a seismic survey in 2006–2007, as well as the signals recorded by a permanent station in 2010–2014, enable stating that also Pantelleria is characterized by a very low rate of seismicity. The available, though scant, historical information suggests a recurrence time of about a century for the volcanic activity and that eruptions are usually preceded by seismic swarms. In the only historical known erup- tion of Pantelleria, in addition to shocks, uplifting and increasing fumarole activity, were observed. Notwithstanding the lack of eruptions over the past century, and despite the low recent seismic rate, we believe that the geophysical monitoring of the Sicily Channel needs improving since it is an area of potentially high seismic and volcanic hazard given the presence of several active submarine eruptive centres. Key words: Pantelleria, Sicily Channel, earthquake, volcano, eruptive activity, seamount. 1. Introduction A permanent local seismic network has been set- up in Eastern Sicily by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia-Osservatorio Etneo, (INGV-OE) to monitor the active Sicilian volcanoes (Etna, Vulcano, Stromboli) and the main tectonic areas (Hyblean and Peloritani Mts.). This network enables locating even low-magnitude shocks and detecting low-energy signals, which are typical of active volcanic areas (e.g. volcanic tremor, explosion quakes, VLP-LP events), providing an efficient surveillance of the Sicilian volcanic areas (Gruppo Analisi Dati Sismici 2016). The large amount of seismic data acquired over the years has also allowed acquiring comprehensive expertise both on the seis- micity of the monitored areas and related eruptive phenomena (e.g. Patane ` et al. 2004; Gambino et al. 2009; Alparone et al. 2010). In addition to Mt. Etna and the Aeolian Islands, another area characterized by active volcanism is the Sicily Channel, with the volcanic edifices of Pantel- leria and Linosa islands. The emergence (and subsequent disappearance after about 2 months) in 1831 of the Ferdinandea Island (also named Julia or Graham), as well as the Foerstner island in 1891 (about 4 km north of Pantelleria), is the most recent manifestation of the Sicily Channel volcanism, which is prevalently undersea (Fig. 1). Several submarine conical shaped structures, scattered 50–60 km off- shore from Sciacca, were identified during oceanographic research cruises (Gabbianelli 2008; Coltelli et al. 2016). These cones probably form a continuous volcanic belt, measuring about 30 km in length and 25 km in width. The smallest of the two cones belonging to the Graham Bank is the remains of the Ferdinandea Island (according to Falautano 1 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Catania-Osservatorio Etneo, Piazza Roma, 2, 95125 Catania, Italy. E-mail: andrea.ursino@ingv.it 2 Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambi- entali, Universita ` degli Studi di Catania, Corso Italia 57, 95129 Catania, Italy. 3 Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Istituto di Radioastrono- mia, Stazione di Noto, Contrada Renna Bassa, Casella Postale 161, 96017 Noto, SR, Italy. Pure Appl. Geophys. Ó 2017 Springer International Publishing DOI 10.1007/s00024-017-1550-x Pure and Applied Geophysics