Mount Etna’s Southeast Crater Produces Fresh Lava Stream

Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, is once again showing signs of life with three lava vents currently open on its slopes, Italian scientists said Friday.

The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology reported that a new vent has appeared on the southern side of Etna’s Southeast Crater, at about 10,500 feet above sea level. That vent is feeding a stream of lava that is moving downslope to the southwest.

Two other vents, lower on the volcano at around 10,170 feet and 9,777 feet, remain active as well. Scientists said Etna is also producing what they call “Strombolian activity” — bursts of lava, gas and ash — that are sending plumes into the sky. The ash is dispersing quickly and, so far, has not created major disruptions.

Etna, which towers over the eastern coast of Sicily, is one of the world’s most closely watched volcanoes. It erupts frequently, sometimes dramatically enough to close Catania’s airport or blanket nearby towns in ash, but rarely causes serious damage. Its last major eruption in February 2021 sent spectacular fountains of lava into the air for weeks.

Etna has been active for at least half a million years and has one of the world’s longest written records of eruptions, dating back to ancient Greece. For Sicilians, the volcano is both a threat and a symbol, shaping the region’s landscape and history.