Mount Etna’s new eruption, which began on August 6, appears to have become something “more”. It could be a protracted event, with consequences still unpredictable despite ongoing monitoring by the INGV Volcanology Institute. While the Voragine crater is once again spewing large columns of ash for the fourth consecutive time, the ground below 2,900 meters continues to crack.
How did it begin?
Strombolian activity at the Voragine crater has progressively intensified, becoming more sustained and frequent starting around 19:30 UTC, evolving into lava fountaining activity that is still ongoing. The eruptive cloud produced by this activity is dispersing in a SE direction. From a seismic perspective, starting around 19:00 UTC, a sudden increase in the average amplitude of volcanic tremor was observed, reaching the high-value range, indicating a tendency for further increase. The source centroid, from approximately 19:15 UTC, is located in the Voragine crater area, in a depth range between approximately 2,900 and 3,000 m above sea level. Infrasonic activity is high; the events are localized to the Voragine crater and show medium and sometimes high amplitude.
On the morning of Friday, August 7, a new lateral fracture opened in roughly the same area as the one in July. A lava flow is flowing rapidly from this fracture, thanks to the slope of the terrain, and reached the Valle del Bove in just a few hours. The situation is currently evolving, so we will update as data and images arrive from the technicians working on the project. A copious emission of ash has also been recorded, while the Voragine crater is emitting fairly loud rumblings, which are heard especially from the southeast side of the volcano.
New vents: is there any danger?
At the moment—at 4:40 PM on August 11, 2026—four effusive vents appear to be open on the eastern flank of Etna, specifically along the north face of the Valle del Bove, at the foot of the Serracozzo mountains. Two more fractures have joined the previous two, one of which, however, has recently subsided. Afterwards, so there are actually four vents, but only three are active. At the moment. It’s always necessary to specify “at the moment” because this situation is constantly evolving. Etna has always been particularly fragile on its eastern flank, which tends to slide slowly toward the sea, but this same fragility allows lava—when it searches for a passage on the surface—to easily pierce the ground in that very area.
What we know for certain at the moment is…
- the paroxysm continues, with lava and ash fountains at the summit craters
- other lateral vents have opened and possibly will open in the Valle del Bove
- the current vents are located between 2,900 and 1,900 meters
- the lava flows are multiple, some well-fed
- there is no danger yet for urban areas (the closest towns are Fornazzo and Milo) as the eruption is still confined to the uninhabited Valle del Bove
- even if from the coast the lava appears to touch the houses in the villages, this is only an optical illusion of perspective and not Danger
Always consult volcanologists and be wary of social media
Finally, for more technical updates and, above all, to always have REAL NEWS—not fake news—on the eruption, check the INGV website or social media pages (here: https://www.ingv.it/ or here: https://www.facebook.com/ingvvulcani?locale=it_IT) and DO NOT PANIC BY READING SENSATIONAL OR ALARMIST PRESS RELEASES WRITTEN BY ANYONE.