Mount Etna: Lava pours from volcano in large eruption
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Mount Etna has been erupting like clockwork since February 16, raining ash and debris over Sicily’s eastern coast. The 10,900ft (3,330m) volcano reared its ugly head again early on Monday after three days of relative peace. Activity at the summit picked began on Sunday evening local time before violent lava fountaining – paroxysm – lit up the night sky at about 3am on Monday.
Jets of lava were seen firing out of Etna’s new southeast crater in what has been described as “mild strombolian explosions”.
According to the volcanologists behind Volcano Discovery, the fountaining was preceded by volcanic tremors – a sign of magma pushing to the surface.
Volcano Discovery said: “At around the same time, a lava flow started to issue from the eastern summit vent of the New SE crater and descent towards the Valle de Bove.
“Strombolian activity increased rapidly to continuous lava fountains with several hundred metres height.”
As the lava made its way down Etna’s flanks and into Valle de Bove, it quickly reached lengths of a few kilometres.
The activity peaked by about 3am and waned about 40 minutes later.
Boris Behncke, a volcanologist who lives on the island, dubbed last night’s episode the “greatest show on Earth”.
The expert, who only lives about 12.4 miles (20km) from Etna, shared online breathtaking images of the volcano’s lava plumes painting the skies with an eerie red glow.
He tweeted: “#Etna produced her 13th paroxysm at the Southeast Crater during the night of March 14 to 15, 2021.
Mount Etna spews smoke and ash over Italy as it erupts
“Luckily, weather clouds opened during the climax of the activity, and it was once more The Greatest Show On Earth. Photos taken from home in Tremestieri Etneo.”
Etna has been erupting every two to three days since its first fountaining episode last month, with only one longer break between February 24 and 28.
The first eruption temporarily brought Sicily to a standstill, grounding flights at Catania airport, just outside Sicily’s second-biggest city, Catania.
Flights were resumed and the airport was up and running as soon its runways were cleared off the debris and volcanic ash.
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The volcanic fallout has also plagued the residents of Sicily’s eastern coast.
Photos and videos shared on social media show people sweeping the streets with brooms and leaf blowers.
On Friday, March 12, Etna belched a column of ash and smoke up to 6.2 miles (10km) high.
The outburst marked the 12th paroxysm and was “particularly powerful and rather long lasting”, according to Volcano Discovery.
The website added fallout rained lapilli or small volcanic rocks and ash on the town of Milo, Giarre and others.
The Volcano Observatory in Catania (INGV) said: “The 12th paroxysm of the sequence that began in February 2021 occurred approximately 54 hours after the previous one.”
Scientists believe Etna began life as an underwater volcano.
It is the biggest and most active volcano in Europe and its eruptions have been recorded since the ancient times.
Mount Etna is slowly sliding towards the Mediterranean and will likely crash into the sea thousands of years from now.
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