The Etna volcano is located on the east coast of Sicily, 30 kilometers from the city of Catania, and is approximately 3,357 meters high. It covers an area of 1,600 square meters and has a circumference of 200 kilometers. It should be noted that it is a stratovolcano, one of the most dangerous volcanoes that exist because its eruptions are very explosive.
It is the highest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world . In Greek mythology, Etna is said to be the volcano where the monstrous Typhoon inhabits, hence the constant earthquakes and eruptions.
With almost 2.7 million years of eruptive activity, in 2013 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The first eruption on record occurred on February 4, 1169, the day before the feast of Saint Agatha, patron saint of the city. At 9:00 p.m. an earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale took place.
The most destructive eruption was that of 1669 , which wiped out the outer part of the city of Catania and the lava reached the sea.
It is said that 60 eruptions of the Etna volcano have been recorded since the 17th century. In 1971 an eruption affected the Etna Observatory and destroyed several cable cars. In 1993 another took place, which threatened the town of Zafferana due to the path of the lava.
Between 2002 and 2003 , a series of volcanic eruptions released huge plumes of ash that could be seen from space.
Etna volcano erupts
As reported by the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) this morning, Etna has registered a new eruption. The last time the volcano erupted was at the end of August.
Volcanic activity began at 6:15 am with the emission of ash, and 40 minutes later strombolian activity resumed in the southeastern crater . The eruptive cloud has reached a height of nine kilometers and is dissipating in a northeast direction according to the forecast model.
The center of the source of the tremor is located in the southeastern crater area, at an altitude that ranges between 2,900 and 3,000 meters above sea level .
Etna, high eruptive cloud: activity from the South East crater #etna #eruption #crateredisudest pic.twitter.com/8Q6hLDD0y9
– Local Team (@localteamtv) September 21, 2021
