Eruption Archives

Etna, crater Voragine “sings” again!

Posted on 17/06/2024 (20/12/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

World War 2 had just ended when the Voragine crater opened at the top of Mount Etna. It was October 1945 and, suddenly, a portion of the thousand-year-old Central Crater – already flanked by the North East Crater – collapsed, creating a hole (pit crater) which in turn began an intense eruptive activity. This new […]

Lone Hikers: challenging Mt Etna every day

Posted on 02/06/2024 (21/12/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

When we take tourists to Mount Etna we recommend a thousand times to be careful, not to take this special mountain lightly. Etna is a volcano and like all volcanoes it is a constant and complex mystery. In order to explore it you need to have the right skills and adequate preparation. But then, how […]

Mount Etna’s great show of “gas rings”

Posted on 04/04/2024 (20/12/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

Mount Etna prepares a new eruption and does so in style, drawing the world’s attention to itself. It does this by emitting a “feast” of gas rings that, depending on the daylight and evening light, take on particular colors and brightness. In the photos accompanying this article – kindly provided by the photographer Marisa Liotta […]

The mysterious paroxysm of 2021

Posted on 31/03/2024 (21/12/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

Year 2021 was one of the “busiest years” on Mount Etna in terms of eruptions. A crisis that began in 2020 led Sicily’s great volcano to erupt at an impressive rate for the next 20 months. So, what could be so “mysterious” in a paroxysm of 2021, that is in just one of the many […]

Volcanic “bombs”, what and where are they

Posted on 10/03/2024 (20/12/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

Volcanic bombs are shreds, “drops”, of incandescent lava that are expelled from the mouth of a volcano, even many kilometers away. They can have different dimensions, ranging from a few tens of centimeters up to many meters. In order to be defined as “bombs” the diameter must always be greater than 64 cm, otherwise they […]