ROME (AP) – Mount Etna, the volcano that rises over eastern Sicily, evokes superlatives. It is the most active volcano in Europe and also the largest on the continent.
And the spectacular and noisy show of power he does for days or weeks, even years every so often, is always super spectacular. Fortunately, the last eruption of Mount Etna that captivated world attention has caused no injuries or evacuations.
But every time he does a dramatic action again, he surprises the spectators and impresses the geologists who spend their careers supervising all his tremors, rumbles and belches.
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW?
On February 16, Mount Etna erupted, sending high sources of lava rolling down the eastern slope of the mountain to the uninhabited Bove Valley, which is five miles wide and eight miles long. The volcano has uprooted ash and lava stones that dried up the south side.
The activity has continued since then, in more or less intense gusts. The burning lava illuminates the night sky with striking shades of orange and red. It is not clear how long this exciting round of activity will last, say volcanologists working at the Etna Observatory, run by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.
Although public fascination began with the first dramatic images of this month, the explosive activity began in September 2019 and became much stronger two months ago. The current activity consists mainly of the southeastern crater, which was created in 1971 from a series of fractures.
DIFFICULT TO FAIL
Mount Etna is located at an altitude of 3,350 meters and has a diameter of 35 kilometers, although volcanic activity has changed the height of the mountain over time.
From time to time, Catania airport, the largest city in eastern Sicily, has to close for hours or days, when ash in the air makes it dangerous to fly in the area. At the beginning of this recent period of eruptive activity, the airport closed briefly.
But for pilots and passengers flying to and from Catania at night, when the volcano is calmer, a glimpse of fiery red in the dark sky is an exciting sight.
LIVING WITH A VOLCANO
With the lava flows from Mount Etna largely contained on its uninhabited slopes, life goes on in towns and villages elsewhere on the mountain. Sometimes, as in recent days, lava stones rain down the streets, bounce off cars and make rooftops ring.
But many residents often find it a small inconvenience when weighing the benefits the volcano brings. Lava flows have left fertile farmland. Apple and citrus flowers bloom. The reds and whites of Mount Etna are some of the most popular wines in Sicily, from grapes grown on the volcanic slopes.
Tourism accumulates income. Hikers and backpackers enjoy views of the often spongy mountain and the sparkling Ionian Sea below. For skiers who want sparsely populated slopes, Mount Etna is the favorite.
IT CAN BE DEADLY
Inspired by ancient Greek legends, Mount Etna has had dozens of known eruptions in its history. An eruption has been attributed in 396 BC to keep the Carthaginian army in check.
In 1669, in what has been considered the worst-known eruption of the volcano, lava buried a strip of Catania, about 23 kilometers away and devastated dozens of villages. An eruption in 1928 cut off a railway route that surrounded the base of the mountain.
More recently, in 1983, dynamite was used to divert inhabited areas that threatened lava. In 1992, the army built a wall of earth to contain the lava, which flowed from Mount Etna for months, to hit Zafferana Etnea, a village of a few thousand people. At one point, the smoking lava stopped two kilometers (just over a mile) from the edge of town.
Over the past century, a hiccup in geological time, low-energy explosive eruptions and lava flows, fed from the summit and side openings, have characterized Mount Etna.