- Mount Etna erupted again in Sicily.
- On Thursday evening, lava triggered the volcano’s fountains.
- A plume of smoke rises to about 10,000 meters above the volcano.
The largest active volcano in Europe erupted, on Thursday evening, fountains of lava, the so-called “volcanic thunderstorms”. Lightning is visible in ash clouds. During the most recent particularly powerful volcanic eruption of Mount Etna, lightning bolts were visible across the sky in eastern Sicily.
A volcanic expert from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said that while such volcanic storms are rare, they can occur during particularly violent eruptions and at volcanoes near the sea. Such flashes were observed on Etna in 2021 and before that in 2015. The eruption of the volcano just before midnight Thursday did not cause any damage.
Three streams of glowing lava rock flowed a few hundred meters down the slope of the volcano. A plume of smoke hangs over the volcano reaching an elevation of about 8000 to 10,000 meters above sea level.
On Friday morning, no more lava was coming out of the volcano on the Mediterranean island. Despite an ash plume above the volcanic crater, operations at Catania International Airport at the foot of Mount Etna were unaffected.
The volcano has erupted several times in the past year. The ash in particular caused problems and minor damage in the surrounding villages and towns. In some cases, air traffic to Sicily had to be interrupted.
“Typical entrepreneur. Lifelong beer expert. Hipster-friendly internet buff. Analyst. Social media enthusiast.”