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New K-Ar dates on Ischia volcanic rocks are reported in order to reconstruct the temporal evolution of volcanic activity and to estimate the rate of associated energy release. The most probable age of eruption of the « green tuff » pumice flows forming the horst in the central part of the island is 0.74 (±0.09) m.y. The formation of the horst occurred in the time span 0.7–0.3 m.y. The subsequent volcanic activity was episodic. The oldest formations (0.37–0.31 m.y.) were formed by lava lake activity with small energy content, whereas formations younger than 0.1 m.y. were formed by eruptions characterized by higher explosivity and energetic content. No ages in the interval 0.31 (±0.02) −0.10 (±0.07) have been found. Geological considerations also suggest that volcanic activity was very weak or absent in Ischia during this time interval. The different energies and characteristics of the eruption at Ischia in relation to the tectonic pattern are used to evaluate the volcanic risk for the island.

Major, trace element and Sr-isotope compositions are reported for a suite of lavas coming from the area of Commenda in the SE Vulsinian district. The analyzed samples have all low silica contents and variable but generally high CaO, MgO and FeOt. Based on K2O% and K2O/Na2O ratio, the rocks from Commenda can be classified as belonging to the Potassic Series (KS) and the High-potassium Series (HKS). The HKS rocks appear to have derived by cristal/liquid fractionation from the most mafic types with separation of olivine and clinopyroxene and then of clinopyroxene + leucite. The most primitive HKS rocks have aphyric texture and high Mg-values, Cr and Ni contents which are close or within the range of values of magmas formed by partial melting of periodititic mantle sources. The KS rocks have lower incompatible element contents as the HKS rocks with similar degree of evolution.