Etna volcano: smoke (steam) rings from New SE crater
After the violent paroxysm during 10-11 Nov 2013, the New SE crater continued to produce regular explosions, and, to our great surprise, we could observe during the afternoon of 11 Nov, that it often made fantastic vortex rings (steam rings or "smoke rings") that were blown eastward by strong Ponente.
Most likely, the eruption had changed the morphology of the vent into a way (into a particularly well circularly shaped form?) that allowed it to produce this rare phenomenon. And being Etna, she exaggerates: not only one ring every now and then, but she made dozens if not hundreds during a few hours, often in a row.
Most likely, the eruption had changed the morphology of the vent into a way (into a particularly well circularly shaped form?) that allowed it to produce this rare phenomenon. And being Etna, she exaggerates: not only one ring every now and then, but she made dozens if not hundreds during a few hours, often in a row.
 The next afternoon (12 Nov), the upper slopes of Etna are all white with snow. The main phase of the... [info] (3128 Hits) |  Strong Ponente wind pushes a thick cloud over the western part of the volcano, but leaves the Valle ... [info] (2345 Hits) |
 A perfectly circular steam ring vortex detaches from the steam plume of the explosion that created i... [info] (2686 Hits) |  Zoom onto the rotating steam ring. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info] (3670 Hits) |
 Another perfect ring in the sky. Its diameter is probably about 100 meters. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info] (6193 Hits) |  A freshly "born" steam ring (right) drifts ahead of another one in the making (left). (Photo: Tom Pf... [info] (2970 Hits) |  The rotation of the vortex can be seen in this picture in the sideways perspective of another steam ... [info] (2474 Hits) |
 Not all rings are perfectly flat. This one is more irregular. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info] (2390 Hits) |
 "Failed attempt" (right) and successful blow-out plume from two explosions. See the result in the ne... [info] (2124 Hits) |  The "successful plume" has the right motion and geometry to produce a vortex that detaches and keeps... [info] (2024 Hits) |  Very narrow and irregular vortext ring. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info] (2044 Hits) |  The New SE crater itself is only rarely visible. Here, it just had produced two explosions, each cre... [info] (1870 Hits) |
 Sometimes, several rings (each from a small explosion) drift eastwards over the Valle del Bove in a ... [info] (1824 Hits) |
 A "smaller" (but still tens of meters wide) ring in the sky. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info] (2499 Hits) |  Two steam rings. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info] (1556 Hits) |  A large steam ring at night with the erupting New SE crater and the starry sky above Valle del Bove.... [info] (3508 Hits) |
