A Massive Fracture Just Opened on Mount Etna -- Scientists Are Alarmed [8:00]

YouTube ^ | November 21, 2025 | Geology Watch

[SunkenCiv]

A massive dry fracture has just opened on Mount Etna -- and scientists are now raising the alert level. This newly discovered fissure on the southeast wall is not releasing lava, but that doesn't make it safe. In fact, this type of "silent cracking" is often a sign of deep internal pressure, structural movement, or early-stage volcanic instability. 

In today's Geology Watch report, we break down the footage shared by Pio Andrea Peri and the latest update from INGV, which has now issued an F1 Alert Status -- indicating a high probability of lava fountains and increased volcanic activity at Etna’s South-East Crater. 

A Massive Fracture Just Opened on Mount Etna -- Scientists Are Alarmed | 8:00 
Geology Watch | 13K subscribers | 83,061 views | November 21, 2025

[SunkenCiv]

Wait a second... I’m not clicking it yet... is that a FUGS song?!? CO, I’m shocked! Shocked I tell you.

[SunkenCiv]

From a safe distance, yeah. Watching through a live webcam is safe enough for this guy.

[Carry_Okie]

The Tubes were a riot to watch.

[SunkenCiv]

Life *is* an ash tray...

[SunkenCiv]

Ah, here we go, ancient fresco showing how fertile the mountain was back then. Kind of a dirty trick that thing pulled on ‘em. Regardless, sounds like a fun trip!

https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/F12.1.html

[al baby]

We tried using that as a condom once have you met my daughter Saran yet ?

[SunkenCiv]

Even Sarah Ann would be a dead giveaway.

There was an inspector (bureaucrat, not police officer) around here years ago who (at least claimed he) had a father in law who'd invented Saran Wrap. The inspector's wife's name was Sarah Ann (of course, he had a breakdown later, so the whole thing may have been a delusion).

When his in-law passed the royalties for something he'd made for the Alaskan pipeline had started to arrive.

[pfflier]

Mount Rainier was thought to be getting feisty too. A swarm of quakes recently. Geologists say that is a false alarm due to faulty sensors.

[BradyLS]

It’s not a shallow straight. There are youtube videos about why a bridge has never been built to span it. After the problems of engineering have been solved, there’s running the gauntlet of graft and corruption in the government and among contractors in Italy—particularly in the south. The last I heard, a plan is in the works to finally build the bridge, but few believe it will ever be finished and it will just be a pit that money is continuously shoveled into.

[SunkenCiv]

When they’re running for the lives ahead of the lava, we’ll text ‘em and see if the sensors got fixed. 😁

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Tectonic plate boundary runs up that straight…

[abb]

Still is fertile, apparently. There are wineries all around the mountain.

[woodbutcher1963]

It didn’t work out so well for the people in Pompeii about 2000 years ago.

The caldera to the east of Naples is where all the people live basically on top of a volcano.

[woodbutcher1963]

The caldera they are talking about is actually across the bay to the west of Naples.
Straight north of Sorrento across the bay of Naples.

We stayed in Sorrento a year ago in October.
Toured Pompeii too.

Etna is the volcano on the island of Sicily. It is north of the city of Catania. There is not much between Etna and the sea to the east except a couple small villages.
Teromina is directly north. But if it blows it mostly will go towards the water to the east.

[woodbutcher1963]

I meant Taormina is directly north of Etna on Sicily.
Whereas Catania is to the south.
The villages on the water to the east side are the ones in danger.

[9422WMR]

I was just trying to share where this was. Not offering a geo fix.
“Mount Etna, or simply Etna,[a] is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina and Catania.”
From wiki!!
🤣

[skr]

Lake Superior has a giant dormant volcano called the Superior Shoal in its depths, akin to the super volcano in Yosemite. Just checked, and, of course, there are volcanoes in the Gulf of America, too (they spout asphalt instead of lava). Apparently nowhere is particularly devoid of some kind of volcano either in full view or lurking underground/water.

You can still be smug about SS’s dormancy, though. :)

[Allegra]

I'm smug about the fact that I don't live in proximity to a volcano.

As a Navy brat “tween” (11-14), I lived in close proximity to *that* one. (Campi Flegrei in Pozzuoli.)

[abb]

We stopped in Sorrento during a tour of Amalfi. If ever we go back, I would rather stay there than Naples. Much less busy and more picturesque.

The regional train is really handy to get around.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumvesuviana

[skr]

Thank you for the info. I didn’t know where it was. I just knew it was the name of an insurance company.