Etna volcano CURRENT ACTIVITY: new paroxysms from New SE crater

Ash emissions and strombolian activity from New SE crater

Update Thu 02 May 08:49


Tremor signal (ESLN station, INGV)

After 3 days of quiet, strombolian activity has resumed at the New SE crater yesterday. This has been accompanied by a rise of the tremor signal. Most likely, Etna is preparing again for yet another paroxysm in the near future.

13th New SE crater paroxysm

Update Sat 27 Apr 20:10


Lava fountains from the New SE crater (Etna Trekking webcam)

The 13th New SE crater paroxysm is occurring this evening. Tall lava fountains rise from the central vent of the cone, and a lava flow has rapidly descended the slope into Valle del Bove. A dense tephra plume is rising several kilometers above the volcano and drifting to the NE where ash- and lapilli fall is occurring.

Update Sat 27 Apr 19:26


View from Schiena dell'Asino (Etra Trekking webcam)

Judging from the webcam images, lava fountains have now started, i.e. the main phase of the paroxysm has begun. A denser plume is rising from the New SE crater. Tremor continues to climb steeply.

Update Sat 27 Apr 18:24


View from Schiena dell'Asino (Etra Trekking webcam)
Tremor signal (ESLN station, INGV)

Activity has continued to increase with near continuous strong strombolian explosions from the New SE crater, but it seems that the climax of the paroxysm with sustained lava fountains is yet to come, possibly very soon. The tremor has reached higher levels than during most of the previous paroxysms, but still rises.

13th New SE crater paroxysm ?

Update Sat 27 Apr 09:29


Tremor signal (ESLN station, INGV)

Strong strombolian-type explosions, probably accompanied by effusion of small lava flows continued all night from the New SE crater and produced strong glow visible through the fog around the summit. Rumblings were heard in nearby villages, but fog and clouds have been preventing detailed observations. The tremor has risen to high levels comparable with those during previous paroxysms, then decreased a bit and seems now to increase again. This pattern looks very similar to the 12 April paroxysm, one which was preceded by a long phase of very strong explosions, that culminated in lava fountaining only after the tremor had reached its peak.

Update Sat 27 Apr 01:01

Activity is now increasing towards a new paroxysm from the New SE crater.


Glow from Etna (EtnaWeb webcam)		Tremor signal (ESLN station, INGV)

Update Fri 26 Apr 20:29


Webcam image of Etna with glow from the NSEC crater (EtnaWeb webcam)

Activity and tremor continue to rise, and it looks more and more certain that a new paroxysm is about to occur in the next hours or so.

Update Fri 26 Apr 19:18

It seems that a new paroxysm is in the making at the New SE crater. Strombolian activity continues from the summit vent, and the tremor has started to rise as it did during the previous events.


Thermal image of the New SE crater (INGV Catania)		Tremor signal (ESLN station, INGV)

Update Fri 26 Apr 10:23


Ash emission from Etna's New SE crater (Etna Trekking webcam)

Relatively intense strombolian activity and ash emissions continue at the New SE crater. INGV tremor data seems currently not to be available to see whether this is rising or not, and might be the beginning of another paroxysm. A steam and ash plume is rising about 1 km above the volcano.

Ash emissions and strombolian activity from New SE crater

Update Thu 25 Apr 17:05

Ash emissions and strombolian activity has continued since the last paroxysm and increased in frequency yesterday and today. The tremor signal has remained low, not suggesting that the volcano is in for another paroxysm at the moment, something quite different (so far) from the activity preceding the past paroxysms.


Ash emission from Etna's New SE crater this morning (INGV webcam)		Ash emission from Etna's New SE crater this afternoon (INGV webcam)

12th New SE crater paroxysm

Update Sat 20 Apr 22:37

After only 2 days since the previous eruption, the 12th paroxysm of the New SE crater occurred this afternoon. Following a build-up phase of strombolian explosions since yesterday, the eruption culminated with tall lava fountains and lava flows.
At the end of the eruption, at least 2 pyroclastic flows towards the Valle del Bove were reported to have formed. After the eruption, lava flows continue to be active from vents at the base of the cone and descend towards Valle del Bove.


Thermal image of the lava fountains from the New SE crater (INGV Catania)		Lava flows from the New SE crater after the paroxysm		Tremor signal (ESLN station, INGV)


Montagnola webcam (INGV)		Montagnola webcam (INGV)
View of the plume from Paterno		View of the plume from Paterno
Pyroclastic flow, view from Schiena dell'Asino		View of the plume from Paterno

Some webcam images of the 20 April paroxysm:

Update Sat 20 Apr 09:29

Weak explosive activity persists at the New SE crater, which has been producing small ash emissions throughout the day yesterday. During the night, a small lava flow emerged from the fissure that cuts through the cone on its eastern flank.

11th New SE crater paroxysm

Update Thu 18 Apr 19:18

The 11th paroxysm from the New SE crater occurred as expected today. As during the previous eruption, the build-up phase with increasing strombolian activity was relatively long. The peak phase itself when activity culminated in lava fountains was comparably short.

New paroxysm of the New SE crater in the making

Update Thu 18 Apr 10:48

It seems likely that another paroxysm is in the making at the New SE crater: Strombolian explosions have continued throughout the night and this morning, and have been intensifying. Lava seems to have appeared at several vents on the fissure cutting through the New SE crater and the tremor signal is steeply rising.


Current thermal webcam image of the New SE crater (INGV Catania)		Strombolian activity during the night (Radiostudio7 webcam)		Current tremor signal (ESLN station, INGV Catania)

Strombolian activity from New SE crater

Update Wed 17 Apr 11:05

New activity has started from the New SE crater last night, when incandescent degassing vents were visible at the crater. This activity has progressively increased during the night and produced strombolian bursts during the second half of the night. Tremor has been showing a slow increase.

Update Sat 13 Apr 16:56


Webcam image of the New SE crataer with the suspected new vent (bluish degassing) at its base

Following yesterday's paroxysm, it seems that a new effusive vent has opened at the SE base of the New SE crater.

10th New SE crater paroxysm

Update Fri 12 Apr 18:18


Current tremor signal from Etna (ETFI station, INGV Catania)

The 10th paroxysm of the New SE crater has ended after a long phase of strong explosions, lava flows, lava fountains and a tall ash plume.
The style of this latest eruption was distinctively different from the preceding ones and suggests that Etna is in a period of change. Two pyroclastic flows that formed during the eruption, a smaller one at about 10:35 and a bigger one shortly before 11:00. They could have been caused by to the collapse of parts of the crater wall of the New SE crater.
The rise of activity has been gradual over several days, and while tremor peaked around midnight, then dropped a bit, the eruptive activity itself continued to increase and first peaked today:
- two phases of lava flows were produced, one at the end of the night and one at noon. The emergence of the lava flow caused a portion of the inner wall to collapse, which in turn produced the pyroclastic flows.
- strong single explosions merged into sustained lava fountains first during the early afternoon, after the tremor had started to decrease a bit. This activity was accompanied by a dense and tall plume of lapilli and ash, typical for Etna's paroxysms.

Pyroclastic flows during the 12 April paroxysm

At the end of the eruption, partial collapse of the New SE crater's walls triggered pyroclastic flows that descended towards and partly into Valle del Bove. Here are two webcam images (thanks to Geoforum.fr):


Radiostudio7 webcam image from Schiena dell'Asino showing a pyrocalstic flow		Etna-Trekking webcam image from Schiena dell'Asino showing a second pyrocalstic flow shortly after

Update Fri 12 Apr 10:32


Thermal image of the New SE crater (INGV Catania)

The eruption is still intensifying. Strombolian explosions are about to merge into lava fountains.

Eruption continues

Update Fri 12 Apr 07:51

The eruption continued all night with strong strombolian explosions and the slow effusion of one or several lava flows from the eruptive fissure to the east. The explosions have been accompanied by loud bangs that rattled windows in many kilometers away and could be felt until the Ionian coast.
The volcanic tremor has continued to rise to very high levels (as high as during the most powerful paroxysms of the past weeks) where it has now been stagnating for the past hours. This paroxysm has been quite different from most others: It seems that so far, no true lava fountaining has occurred, rather ongoing strong explosions at a duration that is truly amazing.


Webcam image from the NE (etnaweb)		Thermal image of the New SE crater (INGV Catania)		Current tremor signal from Etna (ETFI station, INGV Catania)

Update Thu 11 Apr 19:22

Several vents on the fissure cutting through the cone are now active and produce strombolian activity and/or small fountains (lower vents) feeding a lava flow that starts to descend eastwards towards Valle del Bove.


Thermal image of the New SE crater (INGV Catania)		Current tremor signal from Etna (ETFI station, INGV Catania)

Update Thu 11 Apr 18:47

This time, Etna is taking it really slowly to build up to the presumed next lava fountaining phase from the New SE crater (paroxysm). Tremor keeps rising, and strombolian explosions slowly increase from the summit vent of the cone.


Thermal image of the New SE crater (INGV Catania)		Current tremor signal from Etna (ETFI station, INGV Catania)

Begin of the paroxysm

Update Thu 11 Apr 14:59

Strombolian activity at the New SE crater is intensifying and volcanic tremor is now steeply rising. The 10th paroxysm seems to be about to start.


Thermal image of the New SE crater (INGV Catania)		Current tremor signal from Etna (ETFI station, INGV Catania)

Update Thu 11 Apr 07:33

This time, Etna seems a bit undecided what to do. Strombolian explosions from the New SE crater continued throughout the night and were sometimes quite intense. Tremor has risen a lot (about 10 times background), but has now been stagnating for a while.
Maybe we are in for something different this time, or, more likely, the expected new paroxysm will take longer than the previous ones to build up.

Current tremor signal from Etna (ETFI station, INGV Catania)

10th paroxysm in the making

Update Wed 10 Apr 23:33

It looks almost certain that we are about to "witness" another paroxysm from the New SE crater: Strombolian explosions continue to increase and the tremor signal has started to rise sharply. (Next update tomorrow morning... )


Strong strombolian activity from the New SE crater		Tremor signal (ETFI station, INGV)

Update Wed 10 Apr 20:59

Strombolian activity at the New SE crater and tremor continue to rise slowly. It looks more and more likely that a new paroxysm could occur (perhaps very) soon.


Strombolian explosion from the New SE crater		Current tremor signal from Etna (ETFI station, INGV Catania)

Continuing ash emissions and explosions

Update Wed 10 Apr 09:57


Ash emission from Etna's New SE crater (INGV webcam)
Current tremor signal from Etna (ETFI station, INGV Catania)

Strombolian explosions and relatively strong ash emissions from the New SE crater have continued throughout yesterday and the night, and seem to be gradually becoming more intense.
However, this current behavior of Etna is a quite different from the usual more or less short build-up of activity the cone showed preceding the recent paroxysms. The tremor is slowly increasing.
It will be interesting to see what comes next, another paroxysm, or something different? Etna is always good for surprises!

Update Tue 09 Apr 11:39

Relatively strong ash explosions continue to occur from the New SE crater. At the same time, the tremor signal is rising - maybe we're about to witness the start of a new paroxysm?


Explosion from the New SE crater		Current tremor signal from Etna (ETFI station, INGV Catania)

Ash emissions and strombolian activity from New SE crater

Update Tue 09 Apr 10:22


Ash emission from Etna's New SE crater yesterday afternoon (INGV webcam)
Current tremor signal from Etna (ETFI station, INGV Catania)

New activity has started yesterday afternoon from the New SE crater. Several relatively intense explosive ash emissions were observed from the summit vent of the cone. They produced dense ash plumes rising about 200 m. More explosions occurred during the night, separated by intervals varying from 20 minutes to about 2 hours, during which strong degassing continued and the fumarolic area at the crater rim remained incandescent.
The tremor showed a light increase during the night, but it is not clear at the moment, if this is already a precursor to yet another paroxysm.

Update Wed 03 Apr 23:49


Radiostudio7 webcam image of Etna's New SE crater with still active lava flows

Some lava continues to flow from vents on both the south and the north side of the New SE crater it seems.

Lava fountains during the 9th paroxysm

Update Wed 03 Apr 23:45


Lava fountains during the paroxysm (Photo: Boris Behncke)
Tremor signal showing the relatively slow build up and long peak phase of the eruption

The paroxysm indeed took a while to reach a relatively long-lived peak phase with high lava fountains, after building up slowly with large explosions of bursting liquid lava bubbles.
Boris reports: "After a few hours of seeming a bit undecided whether to really let loose or not, Etna's New Southeast Crater finally did let loose, and blood-red lava fountains shot hundreds of meters into the blue Sicilian sky. Taken at 14:22 GMT (=local time -2) from Monte Vetore, about 6.4 km to the southwest."
Source: Boris' Behncke on Flickr

Update Wed 03 Apr 16:07

After an hour or so of remaining stable, activity has picked up again to increase!


Lava fountains now 3-500 m tall from the New SE crater (INGV webcam)		View from Schiena dell'Asino (Etra Trekking webcam)

9th paroxysm of New SE crater

Update Wed 03 Apr 15:51

The 9th paroxysm from the New SE crater in 2013 is occurring this afternoon. It seems it now has reached its peak phase with lava fountains, and lava flows from the fissure vent of the New SE cone descending into Valle del Bove. It seems that the fountains are much smaller ("only" 2-300 m) compared to those of the last eruption on 16 March, but the peak phase lasts longer this time.


Lava fountain from the New SE crater (Radiostudio7 webcam)		View from Schiena dell'Asino (Etra Trekking webcam)		Current tremor signal from Etna, about 100xnormal value (ETFI station, INGV Catania)

Update Mi 03 Apr 10:58

Tremor at the New SE crater (ETFI signal, Torre del Filosofo station) continues to rise. It seems now almost Certain that a new paroxysm is in the making.

Tremor signal (ETFI station, INGV)

Rising tremor - begin of a new paroxysm?

Update Wed 03 Apr 08:01

The tremor has started to rise,- possibly this could be the begin of a new paroxysm at the New SE crater. Clouds in the summit area prevent direct view to confirm if any activity is occurring there at the moment.

Current tremor amplitude (IGN)

Etna quiet, comment on sandstone xenoliths from last paroxysm

Update Tue 02 Apr 10:01


Current view of Etna (INGV webcam)
Sandstone xenolith from the 16 Mar paroxysm

More than 2 weeks have passed since the last eruption from the New SE crater and it seems more and more likely that something in the volcano's current eruptive behavior once again is about to change. Of course, it would also not come as a surprise if another paroxysm occurred in the near future.
Sandstone xenoliths from 16 Mar eruption:
Closer inspection of the "white lava" reported in yesterday's news revealed that these were so-called xenoliths, i.e. no lava at all, but pieces of sedimentary rock from strata underlying the volcano brought up by the rising magma. In this case, they are pieces of barely compacted beach sandstone, similar to the xenoliths ejected during the flank eruptions in 2011 and 2012, which are believed to have trapped a different (so-called eccentric) shallow magma chamber beneath the volcano. To find such xenoliths as produces of eruptions from the SUMMIT craters is highly unusual and could (*speculation*) indicate that the latest, violent, eruptive episode has actually involved a different magma reservoir as well.
Fresh snow has now covered much of the bombs from the recent eruption.