Europe’s most active volcano, Mount Etna, is presenting a spectacle that impresses even expert volcanologists.
The volcano, which lies to the east of the Italian island of Sicily, lit up the night sky last week with spectacular eruptions of lava, ash and volcanic rock.
Although there were no reports of damage or injuries, the nearby airport in Catania was temporarily closed, while residents of the nearby town of Pedara said last week that it appeared to be raining stones, as a thick blanket of ash covered the city.
The last overnight eruption disappeared at around 10 am CET on Tuesday, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.
The eruptions are being monitored by volcanologist Boris Behncke, from the national institute’s Etna observation center.
Writing on the institute’s website this week, he said that after “presenting us with moments of suspense” the previous nights, Etna finally exploded in a way that “those of us who have worked on it for decades rarely see it”.
The observation center will study the rocks launched by the explosions, which, according to him, can provide important information about what formed them.
Referring to the overnight activity, Behncke tweeted on Tuesday: “Did I call the #Etna paroxysm of February 20-21 ‘incredibly powerful’? Well, your successor, on the night of February 22nd to 23rd, was MUCH more powerful. “