The huge eruption of Etna surprised even those studying volcanoes – ZAP

For more than a week, the Etna volcano has been spewing lava, ash and volcanic rocks. What is considered the most active volcano in Europe was the protagonist of the last days on the island Sicily, in a scenario that surprised volcanologists.

In the past few days, the Etna it impressed even the most experienced volcanologists, with gigantic eruptions of lava illuminating Sicily’s landscapes. The last eruption ended on Tuesday morning, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

According to Phys, the Italian volcano spewed lava, ash and volcanic rocks regularly for a week. Following these geological events, Catania Airport, located on the east side of the island, had to temporarily close.

So far, there have been no reports of damage or injuries, but the inhabitants of the city of Pedara said that, on a certain day last week, it looked like stones were raining while a thick blanket of ash covered the city.

Boris Behncke, a volcanologist at the Etna National Observation Institute, followed the latest events with great admiration and wrote, on the institute’s website, that, after “presenting us with moments of suspense“The previous nights, Etna exploded on Monday to Tuesday night in a way that researchers” who have been working on this for decades rarely saw“.

“Did I call Etna’s 20-21 February paroxysm ‘incredibly powerful’? Well, his successor, on the night of February 22 to 23, was MUCH more powerful, ”wrote Behncke on Twitter. That night, the lava fountains exceeded 1,500 meters.