Mt Etna's latest eruptions awe even those who study volcanos
Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, has awed even seasoned volcanologists in recent days with spectacular spurts of lava lighting up the Sicilian sky each night.
The latest eruption petered out by around 9am on Tuesday (7pm AEDT), according to Italy's National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology.
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Lava flows from the Mt Etna volcano, near Catania in Sicily, southern Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 23 , 2021. AP
Lava spews during an eruption of Mt. Etna volcano, near Catania in Sicily, southern Italy, late Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. The explosion started before midnight on Monday night, provoking a huge eruption plume that rose for several kilometres from the top of Etna. AP
For over a week, Etna has been belching lava, ash and volcanic rocks on a regular basis.
The nearby Catania Airport closed temporarily, and residents of the town of Pedara said it appeared one day last week as if it were raining rocks as a thick blanket of ash covered the town.
Volcanologist Boris Behncke of the national institute's Etna observation centre has followed the latest paroxysms with awe.
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The moon is partially seen in the sky as lava flows from the Mt Etna volcano, near Catania in Sicily, southern Italy, early Tuesday, Feb. 23 , 2021. AP
Smoke fills the sky as Mt Etna volcano erupts, near Catania in Sicily, southern Italy, late Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. This is the fifth episode in a series of Mt. Etna eruptions which have been occurring over the past week. AP
Writing on the institute's website this week, he said that after "gifting us moments of suspense" over the previous nights, Etna finally erupted in a way "those of us who have worked in this for decades have rarely seen."
Referring to the activity overnight, he tweeted Tuesday: "Did I call the 20-21 February paroxysm of #Etna 'incredibly powerful'? Well, its successor, in the night of 22-23 February, was MUCH more powerful."
So far, there have been no reports of damage or injuries.
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Mt Etna volcano erupts. AP
Lava flows from the Mt Etna volcano, near Catania in Sicily, southern Italy. AP
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