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Complex stratovolcano Currently about 3329 m (changing due to eruptive activity and collapse of its crater rims)
Sicily, Italy, 37.75°N / 14.99°E
Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)
Etna volcano eruptions:
Near continuously active; some major historic eruptions include 122 BC (large Plinian outbursts that created the small caldera of the "Cratere del Piano"), 1669 AD (devastating flank eruption that destroyed 15 villages and part of Catania), 1787 (Subplinian eruption and one of the most spectacular summit eruptions on record - lava fountains reportedly up to 3000 m high). Eruptions since 1950 (f: flank / s: summit activity): 1950 (s), 1950-51(f), 1955 (s), 1956 (s), 1956 (f), 1957 (s),1960 (s), 1961 (s), 1964 (f), 1964 (s), 1966 (s), 1966-1971(s), 1968 (f), 1971(f), 1972-1973 (s), 1974 (f), 1974-1975 (s), 1975-1977 (f), 1977-1978 (s), 1978 (f), 1979(s), 1979 (f), 1980 (s), 1981 (s), 1981 (f),1982-1983 (s), 1983(f), 1984(s), 1985(s), 1985(f), 1986(s), 1986-1987 (f), 1987(s), 1988(s), 1989(s), 1989(f), 1990 (s), 1991-93(f), 1995(s), 1996(s), 1997 (s), 1998 (s), 1999 (s), 2000 (s), 2001(s), 2001 (f), 2002(s), 2002-03(f), 2004-2005 (f), 2006 (s), 2007 (s), 2008-2009 (f), 2010(s), 2011-2013(s), 2014-18, 2018(f), 2019 (s), 2020 (s)
Typical eruption style:Effusive (lava flows) and mildly explosive (strombolian) eruptions. Both summit and frequent flank eruptions, the latter seem to be occurring in clusters lasting few to a few tens of years.
Etna volcano tours: Volcanoes of Italy - the Grand Tour (15-days study & walking tour from Vesuvius to Etna) Etna Trekking Tour (private and group tours to Etna volcano with a mountain guide) Etna Volcano Special (volcano expedition to see Mt. Etna volcano' eruption) Etna Discovery (8-days hiking & study tour on Mt. Etna volcano, Italy) From Stromboli to Etna (9-day walking & study tour to Stromboli, Lipari, Vulcano and Etna with our expert volcanologist)
Etna volcano updates and eruption newsThu, 25 Feb 2021, 06:00 Wed, 24 Feb 2021, 20:41  Lava fountain from Etna's New SE crater seen from the INGV webcam on Montagnola The amazing show at Europe's most active volcano goes on! Read more...Following the amazingly regular pattern of paroxysms (fire-fountaining episodes) at almost identical intervals of around 35-48 hours, the 6th eruption in a row is now in full swing! It seems to follow exactly the patterns observed during the previous events. Accompanied by increasing volcanic tremor, explosive activity from the New SE crater began to rise slowly this evening, and has now developed into tall, sustained lava fountains now reaching 500-700 m of meters in height, but still increasing! ![]() Thermal image of the lava fountains showing their size (image: thermal webcam of INGV on Montagnola) ![]() Currentr tremor signal (image: INGV Catania) [ less] Wed, 24 Feb 2021, 18:45 Wed, 24 Feb 2021, 09:15 ![]() Mild strombolian activity early this morning at Etna's New SE crater After the extremely powerful paroxysm (lava fountaining episode) during the night 22-23 Feb, which came as the 5th in a row at very regular intervals, many people around the world are probably wondering whether the volcano will continue this remarkable series of rhythmic eruptions. Read more...If the last interval is an indicator as to when to expect a new paroxysm, it might well be in the course of the next night - something volcanologists, but also thousands of nearby residents, volcano spotters, and many more people from all over the world via webcams are certain to follow closely. Since the end of the most recent activity, Etna has returned to intermittent mild summit activity from at least 4 of its summit vents, and volcanic tremor levels, kindly provided in real time by the National Institute of Volcanology and Geophysics (INGV) in Catania, are currently low. When this changes, be prepared for another show of fire! What we don't know from the publicly available data is whether the volcano currently inflates, which would be an indication that the volcano is about to recharge itself. This leaves us with the fun to speculate! ![]() Current tremor signal - when will the next peak appear? (image: INGV Catania) [ less] Tue, 23 Feb 2021, 07:41 ![]() Tall lava fountains more than 1000 m high and spectacular eruption column from last night's paroxysm on Etna (image: Giorgio Costa / facebook) Once more, Etna produced a very impressive show of unsurpassed fireworks at night: The - awaited - 5th lava fountaining episode (known as paroxysm) occurred late at night and turned out to be particular violent, equal or even stronger than the previous one 48 hours earlier. It was the 5th in a row during a single week's time! Read more...The events building up to the eruption were quite typical and similar to the previous paroxysms: at first, the until-then intermittent and mild strombolian activity from the New SE crater gradually picked up, starting from around 10 pm local time. At the same time, volcanic tremor started to show a steep increase, sign of magma moving upwards inside the volcano's conduits. ![]() Lava fountain during the eruption (image: Massimo Lo Giudice / facebook) ![]() The eruption seen from Linguaglosso on the NE (image: Massimo Lo Giudice / facebook) [ less] Tue, 23 Feb 2021, 06:00 Mon, 22 Feb 2021, 22:30 ![]() Satellite image of Etna volcano on 22 Feb 2021 Mon, 22 Feb 2021, 21:42 ![]() Intense strombolian activity at the eastern vent of the New SE crater Yet another phase of lava fountaining, or paroxysms, is almost certainly about to start now. Volcanic tremor has started to rise sharply from low to now already high levels, and strombolian activity at the eastern vent of the New SE crater is becoming more and more intense and near-continuous. Read more...The 5th paroxysm in a row and within a single week comes after a slightly longer interval, approx. 48 hours, than the very regular roughly 35 hours intervals between each of the previous four events. Given that the last one was very intense compared to the first three, it might not be surprising. Maybe the time to recharge or reproduce the right conditions deeper below for a new gas-rich batch of fresh magma to start rising just took a bit longer. ![]() Current tremor signal (image: INGV Catania) [ less] Sun, 21 Feb 2021, 17:08 ![]() View of the eruption at night with its impressive umbrella cloud (image: Massiimo Lo Giudice / facebook) Last night's eruptive episode of tall lava fountains, known as paroxysm, turned out to be one of the most impressive and powerful in recent years. Not only did it produce higher fire fountains than usually, but also it lasted longer than most other paroxysms. Read more...Around 10:30 p.m. local time, volcanic tremor and strombolian activity from the New SE crater began to increase drastically. Half an hour later, a first lava flow started to descend from the eastern summit vent of the crater, and activity continued to increase, soon forming fountains of a few hundred meters tall. However, instead of peaking (and decreasing) very soon, activity continued to increase and first reached its climax at around 00:30 this morning, with fire fountains reaching the incredible heights of 800-1000 m! Thanks to the near-absence of wind, a tall eruption column of over 10 km height formed with a circular umbrella cloud at the boundary between troposphere and stratosphere (see attached image by Massimo Lo Giudice on facebook) ![]() Current tremor signal (image: INGV Catania) [ less] Sat, 20 Feb 2021, 22:57 ![]() Lava fountain from Etna's New SE crater during the paroxysm on 20-21 Feb 2021 (image: thermal webcam INGV Catania) The 4th paroxysm within little more than 4 days is occurring at the time of this update! Starting in the evening of 20 Feb 2021, the explosive activity at the New SE crater gradually increased and developed into sustained lava fountains now approx. 300 m tall, and still rising. Read more...A lava flow has started to descend towards the Valle del Bove and although obscured by the night, a tall ash and steam plume is rising above the summit region of the volcano. As spectacular as it looks, these eruptions pose no threat to inhabited areas, although the ash plumes can be dangerous to aircraft and the lapilli and ash falls are a (rather common) nuisance to the downwind areas around the volcano. It is remarkable to see that tonight's paroxysm came at almost exactly the same interval as the intervals between the preceding paroxysms on 16 Feb evening, 18 Feb early morning, and 19 Feb late morning, i.e. each approx. 35 hours after the previous one. ![]() Current tremor signal (image: INGV Catania) [ less] Sat, 20 Feb 2021, 21:15 ![]() Satellite image of Etna volcano on 20 Feb 2021 Sat, 20 Feb 2021, 20:14 ![]() Strombolian explosion at Etna's New SE crater this evening (image: LAVE webcam) As the same time interval (approx. 35 hours) as between the past 3 lava fountaining episodes or paroxysms has now passed since the last eruption yesterday morning, it is now a guessing game whether Etna is now heading to produce the 4th in a new series. Read more...It might well be: during the past hours, strombolian activity from the New SE crater and volcanic tremor have been showing an increasing trend, but it is still to early to be sure. It might be worth following the activity during the next hours on the numerous Etna volcano webcams... ![]() Current tremor signal (image: INGV Catania) [ less] Fri, 19 Feb 2021, 10:19 ![]() The New SE crater after the end of the lava fountains (image: thermal INGV webcam) After little more than an hour with impressive fire fountains, the eruption quickly ceased and is now over. The lava flows to the south and east continue to descend, but may no longer be alimented. Read more...The tremor signal started its rapid dive back to lower values as the supply of the just erupted batch of gas-rich fresh magma has been exhausted - until another one arrives from deeper reservoirs, maybe very soon... [ less] Fri, 19 Feb 2021, 09:41 ![]() The eruption plume from this morning's paroxysm of Etna (image: Sara Raciti) About 45 minutes after the onset, the eruption is now at its peak, probably going to start to decrease soon. Read more...An impressive eruption column is rising near vertically - thanks to only weak winds - from the New SE crater, to heights of estimated 20,000 ft (6.3 km) according to the latest bulletin of the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) of Toulouse. At altitude, it beautifully spreads into a near-circular cloud known as umbrella cloud. ![]() The eruption column 20 minutes after (image: Sara Raciti) ![]() Lava fountains of 5-700 m from the New SE crater (image: INGV thermal webcam) [ less] Fri, 19 Feb 2021, 09:15 Fri, 19 Feb 2021, 09:12 ![]() Lava fountains at the New SE crater during the peak of the ongoing paroxysm (INGV thermal webcam) UPDATE: the still ongoing paroxysm appears to be even more intense than its two predecessors and still not The height of the lava fountains is likely more in the range of 700 m, something which will be determined later by the volcano observatory. Read more...The paroxysm should be at its peak now. Tremor is extremely high, similar to yesterday's event, and tall lava fountains up to 500 m are rising from multiple vents of the New SE crater. In fact, it seems that the vents are along a west-east fissure dissects the whole summit of the large cone. ![]() The eruption plume seen from the SW (RadioTouring webcam) ![]() Current tremor signal (image: INGV Catania) [ less] Fri, 19 Feb 2021, 08:57 ![]() 300 m lava fountain from Etna's New SE crater (image: INGV thermal webcam) The rate with which intensity increases is impressive. Within a few minutes since the onset, the lava fountains have already reached heights of approx. 300 m and still grow... Read more...A tall ash and steam plume now rises several km above the crater. ![]() Corresponding visual view [ less] Fri, 19 Feb 2021, 08:33 ![]() Thermal view from the south towards the New SE crater showing explosions at the summit vent and the lava flow (image: INGV thermal webcam) Accompanied by steeply rising tremor, activity increases now by the minute. Read more...The lava flow that had begun half an hour ago or so now increases and starts covering yesterday's flow. At the summit vent, explosions or small fountains are now visible as well. ![]() View fro the SE towards the New SE crater with the lava flow (LAVE webcam) [ less] Fri, 19 Feb 2021, 08:21 ![]() Thermal view of the New SE crater showing the lava flows starting to descend from the cone (image: INGV Catania thermal webcam) Indications of a possible new paroxysm become stronger with the minute: lava flows have started to emerge from the summit vent of the New SE crater. Read more...This is often a typical precursor to a lava fountaining episode and can be explained with new, gas-rich magma rising inside the conduits first pushing out the older degassed magma in the upper part of the conduits left from the previous episodes. The situation is exciting! ![]() Blurry image of the LAVE webcam showing the lava flow as well [ less] Fri, 19 Feb 2021, 08:08 ![]() Diffuse ash is rising from Etna's SE crater (image: INGV webcam) Approx. 30 hours have passed since the last lava fountain episode or paroxysm at Etna, which followed after 30 hours after the preceding one. Read more...In the past, Etna has been known for producing series of paroxysms at similar, surprising regular intervals. Obviously, the question now is whether the next one will follow this pattern or not. At the time of writing this post, tremor seems to be rising indeed, first sign that activity increases. At the surface, the New SE crater seems to have sporadic mild explosions, with a light ash plume rising. ![]() Current tremor signal (image: INGV Catania) ![]() SO2 plume from yesterday's eruption (image: Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronom) [ less] Thu, 18 Feb 2021, 08:49 ![]() Lava fountains from Etna last night (image: Massimo Lo Giudice / facebook) Less than 30 hours after Tuesday's spectacular paroxysm (lava-fountaining episode), the volcano gave again an impressive display of fire, producing another similar and very powerful eruption last night. Read more...After the end of the previous paroxysm on 16 Feb, the volcano's activity had actually dropped to the lowest levels in recent weeks, but that was about to change very quickly last evening. Around 11 pm local time, the sop-far intermittent and mild strombolian explosions from the New SE crater began to increase significantly, both in size and frequency. At the same time, the monitoring network of INGV Catania detected a rapid rise of volcanic tremor signal, indication of magma moving underground towards the surface. ![]() Tremor signal showing the two peaks of the recent paroxysms (image: INGV Catania) [ less] Thu, 18 Feb 2021, 00:45 ![]() Satellite image of Etna volcano on 18 Feb 2021 Wed, 17 Feb 2021, 03:00 ![]() Satellite image of Etna volcano on 17 Feb 2021 Tue, 16 Feb 2021, 21:15 ![]() Lava fountain during Etna's paroxysm this afternoon (image: Massimo Lo Giudice / facebook) This afternoon, Etna produced a very spectacular lava-fountaining eruptive episode, known as paroxysm. Read more...Starting from around 5 p.m. local time in the afternoon, the strombolian activity, which had been going on for the past weeks from the New SE crater intensified significantly. Shortly after, a lava overflow was observed from the eastern side of the South East crater. At 16:05 UTC (5:05 p.m. local time), a part of the eastern flank of the cone collapsed into a pyroclastic flow that traveled down the western wall of the Valle del Bove depression. The flow, as hot material was sliding over snow, produced an ash and steam cloud that quickly dispersed from high altitude winds to the south. ![]() The lava fountain and ash plume in the beginning of the eruption (image: Sara Raciti) ![]() The lava flow into Valle del Bove (image: Sara Raciti) [ less] Tue, 16 Feb 2021, 17:30 ![]() Satellite image of Etna volcano on 16 Feb 2021 Sat, 6 Feb 2021, 17:08 ![]() Strombolian activity of Etna's Bocca Nuova on 3 Feb 2021 (image: Michele Mammino / youtube) Beautiful strombolian activity from at least 4 different crater continues with little changes, dominantly from the two vents of the New SE crater, but also from the central crater (Voragine) and the Bocca Nuova crater located west of the Voragine. Read more...The activity of Bocca Nuova, not usually visible on webcam views or pictures taken from below, was documented a few days ago by Michele Mammino, a regular visitor of the volcano and its eruptions: ![]() Strombolian activity this evening from the New SE crater (image: INGV webcam) [ less] Wed, 3 Feb 2021, 14:50 ![]() Strombolian eruptions at Etna's New SE crater (r) and Voragine (l) (image: Boris Behncke / facebook) The volcano continues to produce spectacular strombolian-type explosions involving several of its summit craters. Read more...Protagonist of this activity remains the New SE crater with two active vents, followed by less-intense activity at the Voragine and occasionally Bocca Nuova central craters. At the same time, micro-seismic activity remains elevated. A small swarm of magnitudes at shallow depth beneath the summit region has been detected during the past 24 hours. So far, there have been 15 quakes of magnitudes up to 2.1. ![]() Earthquakes under Etna during the past 24 hours ![]() Current tremor signal (image: INGV Catania) [ less] First visit to our site? If you havn't done it yet, download the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest volcano news online: Android | IOS
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