Mount Etna erupts in Sicily

Posted on 24 February 2021

Mount Etna erupted in Sicily, Italy on February 21 and has since been spewing orange plumes of gas, as well as blanketing the area in ash.

‘A lava flow has started to descend towards the Valle del Bove and although obscured by the night, a tall ash and steam plume is rising above the summit region of the volcano. As spectacular as it looks, these eruptions pose no threat to inhabited areas, although the ash plumes can be dangerous to aircraft and the lapilli and ash falls are a (rather common) nuisance to the downwind areas around the volcano,’ said Volcano Discovery in a statement.

The mountain is Europe’s most active volcano, with the last major eruption occurring in 1992.

The recent eruption has been particularly fascinating as it has transformed the Sicilian night sky into a thing of beauty and wonder.

‘It was certainly one of the most spectacular eruptions of recent decades,” Boris Behncke, volcanologist at the National Institute of Geophysics in Catania, said.

‘But this falls within the ordinary activity of this volcano. Etna is doing very normal things, even if each time everything seems bigger, stronger, more colourful and more threatening.’

Take a look at the spectacular display below:

 

Picture: Twitter




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