Sicily’s Mount Etna has erupted causing dangerous conditions in Catania and the closure of the airport
On the night of Sunday 13 August, Sicily’s Mount Etna exploded into life in spectacular and violent fashion. A huge ash cloud, as well as falling volcanic debris and lava, quickly led to the closure of Catania airport, the busiest airport on Sicily. The eruption didn’t just kept aeroplanes grounded though. Due to a layer of ash covering many Catania streets, the mayor of the city banned the use of bicycles and motorbikes for at least 48 hours, and restricted cars to a top speed of 30km/h due to the slippery and dangerous conditions.
Sitting at the point where the Eurasian and African tectonic plates meet, Mount Etna, which at 3,357 metres (11,014ft), is the highest peak in southern Italy, and is often snow-covered in winter, is one of the most active volcanoes in Europe. Etna is a stratovolcano, which means it’s formed from viscous, sticky lava that normally flows slowly, and tends to cool and solidify near the crater. This action leads to the creation of a distinct steep-sided, cone-shaped volcano. The way that Etna is formed means that after major eruptions the height of the volcano often changes. Sometimes quite dramatically. For example, in 2021, Etna grew by an impressive hundred metres in just six months.
The summit area consists of five main craters, and most eruptions take place from one of these craters. While violent and spectacular, these crater eruptions rarely threaten nearby human communities. However, there are also hundreds of vents on the flanks of the volcano and when eruptions occur on one of these the effects can be much more destructive. And Etna is nothing if not temperamental, with some years witnessing multiple eruptions. In 2001, for example, an astonishing sixteen eruptions took place.
While most Etna eruptions lead to an impressive light display but little major damage, that isn’t always the case and over time Etna has been responsible for some truly terrifying explosions, including one, many thousands of years ago, which scientists believe led to a colossal Mediterranean tsunami. Another, which is thought to have taken place around 396BC, even changed the course of a war when the Carthaginian army was pushed back from its advance on the Sicilian city of Syracuse by volcanic eruptions. In more modern times, one of the most destructive eruptions occurred in 1669 when multiple villages on the flanks of the volcano were obliterated and lava seeped right up to the walls of the city of Catania itself.
In the build up to this latest eruption strange circular gas rings were seen emanating from the volcano. Known as Vortex Rings, these ethereal circular rings are made form a mix of steam, smoke and other gases released from volcanic vents at high speeds. Each giant smoke ring can remain visible for several minutes and sometimes several could be seen at the same time. Although Vortex Rings are nothing unusual on Etna (though they are rare on most other volcanoes) the number of rings visible this year has been unusually high. No connection has yet been made between this high number of Vortex Rings and this week’s eruption, but as well as the Vortex Rings, increased activity was noted in July with two minor eruptions taking place.
By Wednesday 16 August, the eruption had died down and Catania airport re-opened. To keep an eye on the latest volcanic movements on Etna check out the live webcam of the volcano below.
https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/sicilia/catania/vulcano-etna-sud.html
