Europe’s Largest Active Volcano in Italy, Mount Etna, Erupts

THE Etna volcano, the largest active volcano in Europe, erupted on Sunday causing lava to flow as well as large and thick columns of smoke to arise that could be seen from 30 kilometres away, from the Sicilian city of Catania.

The volcanic activity began on Friday at 11.26pm. The eruption began with an ash explosion which rose to about five kilometres and gradually increased in intensity from 8.45am on Saturday. According to the local media, there has been a rapid increase in seismic activity from 7.40am reaching its peak intensity at 9.00am.

The monitoring station, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Catania (INGV), also registered a lava flow this Sunday morning at 10.06am, as explained in a statement released via their social media: “The network’s follow-up has recorded Strombolian activity [explosive eruptions separated by calm periods of varying length], which have subsequently taken on the characteristics of a small source of lava.”

On the other hand, the Italian media have ensured that its eruption does not endanger either people or their properties, nor does it affect the operation of the Catania international airport, whose operation is nevertheless restricted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Etna volcano, which has been actively erupting for at least 2,700 years, has registered several eruptions in recent years, the last ones being in July 2019 and in the winter of 2008 and 2009.