Posted on 06/02/2025 6:17:09 AM PDT by Red Badger
SICILY, Italy – Italy’s Mount Etna volcano violently erupted on Monday, sending plumes of toxic ash and smoke billowing into the sky as people on the mountain ran for safety to escape the danger.
According to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), activity at Mount Etna on Sicily began during the pre-dawn hours on Monday and culminated with "intense and almost continuous" strombolian explosions hours later.
The INGV said that strombolian activity is a relatively low-level volcanic eruption, during which a modest amount of energy is released.
Dramatic photos and video showed dangerous pyroclastic flows racing down the volcano as the eruption intensified, and INGV officials said it didn’t appear as though it crossed the edge of the Valley of the Leo.
Officials said the pyroclastic flow was probably produced by the collapse of material from the northern side of the Southeast Crater.
Other photos and video show people on the volcano at the time running for safety as smoke and ash rise into the sky and begin to move down the side of the mountain.
The INGV said the explosive activity from the Southeast Crater has since transitioned into lava fountains, and ashfall was reported in some areas, such as Piano Vetore.
No other information was immediately available.
Mount Etna, a highly active volcano worldwide, sits atop the convergent plate margin where the African Plate meets the Eurasian Plate. This towering peak stands as one of Europe's tallest active volcanoes and the highest point in Italy south of the Alps, currently exceeding 11,000 feet in height.
Mount Etna is also believed to have the longest documented history of eruptions among all volcanoes, with records dating back to as early as 425 B.C.
Volcanic tourism doesn’t sound like that much fun, maybe it’s just me.
more vid clips:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aug+2025+etna
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