A violent eruption of Mount Etna, Sicily, caused the northern side of the crater to collapse, generating a pyroclastic flow and an eruptive cloud several kilometers high, visible from afar and going viral on social media.
According to the experts who are monitoring the geological event, the eruption started with Strombolian activity and progressed in a fountain of lava that, however, currently appears not to have crossed the rim of Lion Valley, thus reducing direct risks to inhabited areas. As pointed out by the director of the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV), Etnean Observatory in Catania, Stefano Branca, “such an intense phenomenon had not been recorded since February 2021, with a similar episode only in 2014.” The phase was spectacular but with danger limited to the summit, which has been closed off to the public as a precautionary measure.
Currently, the level of volcanic tremor (an indicator of energy in the magma flows) is declining sharply from high to medium-low values, a sign that the current eruptive phase may be winding down. This is the 14th eruption in recent months, but without consequences for the population.
INGV in Catania recorded a spike in volcanic tremor during the most intense phase. The Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) reported the danger but Catania airport currently remains operational.
Sicilian Regional President Renato Schifani said there is no danger to the population, but local authorities are ready to intervene if necessary.
The head of the Regional Civil Defense, Salvo Cocina, recommends extreme caution to hikers, urging them not to enter the summit area until further notice.
