The Etna volcano erupted this Sunday when lava fountains and a dense ash cloud emerged on the southeast side. The situation has returned to normal in the last hours, and the alert has been lowered, in the affected area of the island of Sicily in southern Italy.
The new eruption by the southeastern crater, with the resumption of volcanic activity, first, and with lava fountains and ash emission later, caused the emergence of an eruptive column about 4500 meters high above sea level, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
All this caused lava ash to fall between the towns of Zafferana and Milo, although without affecting the operability of Catania’s international airport. “Although showing a new increase in amplitude, the volcanic tremor and infrasonic events do not show significant changes,” the INGV indicated, revealing that the energy present in the internal magmatic conduits of the volcanic edifice has returned to normal.
What Happened to Etna Volcano?
Only two lava flows present in the upper zone of Etna, the most active volcano in Europe, remain weakly fed, while lava ash and pyroclastic material that fell yesterday in some villages and reached the coast of the Ionian Sea have disappeared.
The INGV is closely monitoring the situation and has lowered the alert by issuing a bulletin that has changed from red to orange, although the new phase of the eruption of Etna has not affected the airfield of Catania. Last August was the last eruptive episode, which was of greater danger and forced a 24-hour closure of the airport, due to “wide fluctuations” in the values of the average amplitude of the volcanic tremor.
On that occasion, Civil Protection asked the authorities to prohibit access to the affected areas. According to INGV, these eruptive episodes are a typical phenomenon of Etna’s recent activity and usually cover the surrounding Sicilian towns with ash. The previous one had taken place in May.
From 1977 to the present, there have been hundreds of episodes similar to the current one, including the exceptional sequence of 66 tremors between January and August 2000 and about 50 between 2011 and 2013.
The Etna Volcano in Mythology
The Etna volcano has an approximate height of 3360 meters, and its surface covers an area of about 1200 square kilometers. Etna has always been associated with Greek mythology, as it was believed that inside the volcano were the furnaces (forges) of Hephaestus. According to Greek mythology, inside the famous forges of Hephaestus on Etna could be found incredible beings such as Cyclops or giants.
The name came from the nymph Etna, who for centuries was known as the deity of the volcano. Since 2013, the volcano has been a World Heritage Site following its designation by UNESCO.
This story was written in Spanish by Miguel Fernández in Cultura Colectiva News
