Mount Etna erupts

Italy’s Mount Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has erupted twice in less than 48 hours, spewing fountains of lava and ash into the sky. After a powerful eruption on Tuesday (February 16, 2021) the volcano produced another spectacular display of fire yesterday (February 18), with tall lava fountains shooting into the night sky.

According to ESA, Tuesday’s eruption caused large lava flows to descend eastwards into the Valle del Bove, traveling for approximately 4 km, but the second major explosion on Thursday 18 caused the lava also to run for about 1.3 km down the volcano’s southern flanks.

Ash from the eruptions covered the city of Catania – which sits at the foot of Mt. Etna – and authorities have been monitoring developments in the nearby towns. The eruption forced the temporary closure of Sicily’s Catania Airport, which often happens when the volcano is active.

According to Volcano Discovery, which publishes frequent alerts about seismic activity, the volcano saw activity earlier today (February 19), but after about an hour with impressive fire fountains, the eruption quickly ceased and, although lava flows to the south and east continue to descend, the eruption is now over. Volcano Discovery’s most recent post said:

The tremor signal started its rapid dive back to lower values as the supply of the just erupted batch of gas-rich fresh magma has been exhausted – until another one arrives from deeper reservoirs, maybe very soon…

Bottom line: Italy’s Mount Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has erupted twice in less than 48 hours, spewing a fountain of lava and ash into the sky.

Via ESA

Source:
https://earthsky.org/todays-image/mount-etna-erupts-feb2021