Mount Etna roars for life
Raw video: Europe’s highest active volcano sends ash clouds and lava into the night sky and rains roads with volcanic rock
Lifting an imposing cloud of ash and lava stones over Sicilian villages, the Italian volcano Mount Etna erupted with a spectacular explosion again this weekend, the latest in a series of explosions last month.
The moon is partly seen in the sky as lava flows from Mt. Etna volcano, near Catania, Sicily, southern Italy, at the beginning of Tuesday, February 23, 2021. (AP Photo / Salvatore Allegra)
Italy’s national institute of geophysics and volcanology, INGV, said the powerful explosion at 2 am on Sunday was the tenth big explosion since February 16, when Europe’s most active volcano began to give an impressive demonstration of firepower of nature, coloring the night sky in shocking shades of orange and red.
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The ash and lava column reached a height of 33,000 feet on Sunday, according to scientists who monitor volcanic activity with specialized instruments from an observatory on Etna in eastern Sicily.
In the middle of the morning, Etna’s last demonstration of activity decreased somewhat with the end of the lava flow, although the volcano was still emitting “low ash emission” from the southeast crater. A few hours later, the volcanic tremors increased again, INGV said in a statement.
Rising tremors shook the mountain for much of the night before. Ashes and small lava rocks rained down on eight villages on the slopes of Etna on Sunday morning, while lava flowed from the southeastern crater slowly through an uninhabited side, as has been the case for the past three weeks, the institute said.
Locals swept ash and lava stones off their front steps and balconies. They began to cover cars parked outdoors with carpets, blankets and sheets of cardboard to facilitate cleaning after each explosion. The winds helped to transport the ash to the east, said INGV.
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No serious injuries or injuries were reported after the recent explosions. Geologically active, Etna has a history of occasionally becoming particularly loud and explosive.
ARCHIVE – In the archive photo of this Wednesday, February 24, 2021, a river of brilliant lava flows on the northeast side of Mt. Etna volcano engulfed by ash and smoke near Milo, Sicily. (AP Photo / Salvatore Allegra, Archive)
INGV scientists say there is no way of predicting when this current round of particularly robust volcanic activity may subside.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.