No, it wasn’t over. As we said in the previous article, you can never truly say “the end” with Etna. Yesterday, all instrumental parameters indicated the eruption at the Voragine crater was “over,” but this morning, not only did this crater awaken for the fifth time in a month… but it also dragged the nearby Northeast crater into the dangerous game. Updates on such a complicated situation are continuous, and it’s impossible to end an article without adding further news. So be patient with the news we’ll give you, and with the timing, which may or may not always coincide with events.
What happened on the morning of August 17th
On August 16th, it seemed the eruption was over. But a certain restlessness in the Northeast suggested that something was still moving. And indeed, during the night between the 16th and 17th, a significant ashfall covered part of the Ionian coast. In the morning, instead of subsiding, Etna’s eruptive force intensified even further: both the Voragine and the Northeast craters erupted in tandem, spewing enormous columns of ash onto the eastern flank, once again obstructing Catania airport (which, however, as of 12:30 PM on August 17th, is still open). Between these two crater phases, a significant change also occurred in the Valle del Bove.
Yet Another Fracture
Around 9:00 AM, a completely new fracture formed in the belly of the volcano, adjacent to the others that had already opened in recent days. The fracture generated small pyroclastic flows due to the large amount of material expelled, which flowed along the path of the previous days’ lava flows without traveling very far. It all turned out to be a unique and completely unexpected spectacle, just as unexpected was the continuation of an eruption that seemed to have said it all.
What’s changing on Etna?
We asked volcanologists what’s changing in Etna’s “behavior” in recent weeks? They told us that Etna is still evolving. We could compare it to a rebellious teenager! It doesn’t change its behavior; it simply has outbursts of character that can recur over time. In the past, our volcano has given rise to extremely dangerous eruptions, with rivers of lava reaching the sea and fiery flows covering the Catania plain. It has experienced highly explosive periods, in one case losing its entire summit in a devastating collapse. Today, it seems to be in its “least dangerous” phase, but as with all teenagers around the world… you never know how it’ll wake up in the morning. So, it’s difficult to make predictions. The only thing to do is LISTEN TO THE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESPECT THE PROHIBITIONS, WHERE THERE ARE. Everything else is… Etna’s will! (PHOTOS BY G MUSUMECI)