Additional Coverage:
- Italy’s Mt. Etna erupts sending people running for safety as pyroclastic flows sweep down mountain (foxweather.com)
Mount Etna Erupts, Sending Tourists Scrambling
SICILY, Italy – Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, put on a dramatic display Monday morning, sending plumes of ash and smoke skyward and prompting a hasty retreat from those on the mountain.
Activity began before dawn, according to the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), building to “intense and almost continuous” strombolian explosions. Strombolian activity is characterized by relatively mild bursts of energy.
However, the eruption intensified, producing pyroclastic flows that raced down the volcano’s slopes. Officials confirmed the flows likely resulted from a collapse on the northern flank of the Southeast Crater and, thankfully, did not extend beyond the Valley of the Leo.
Dramatic images captured the scene as tourists and other visitors scrambled to safety amidst the escalating ash and smoke. The INGV reported the explosive activity eventually transitioned into lava fountains, with ashfall affecting areas like Piano Vetore.
Mount Etna, one of the world’s most consistently active volcanoes, towers over the Sicilian landscape at over 11,000 feet. Located at the intersection of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, it boasts the longest recorded history of eruptions, dating back to 425 B.C.