Radon Gas on Mount Etna: Do Not Fear It

Posted on 27/04/2026 (27/04/2026) by Grazia Musumeci

Radon gas is one of the main sources of natural exposure to ionizing radiation for humans, and is particularly significant in volcanic areas—both current and extinct. For example, high concentrations of radon are also found in the Alps! Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe, is an ideal case study for understanding this invisible, […]

The Liberation Day on Mt Etna

Posted on 20/04/2026 (20/04/2026) by Grazia Musumeci

In a few days, we will celebrate April 25th, which for many Italians is now simply “picnic day” but which should actually remind us of something very important: liberation from nazism! On this date in 1945, the Northern Italy National Liberation Committee (CLNAI) proclaimed a general uprising throughout all territories still occupied by the Nazis […]

A new discovery makes Etna even more special today

Posted on 13/04/2026 by Grazia Musumeci

Mount Etna is an ever-evolving mystery. One of the most interesting volcanoes in the world, it never ceases to amaze. This has been said time and again by the same Catania volcanologists who know it like the back of their hands and admire it every day. Yet a “turning point” is just around the corner, […]

When magma is … “knocking”

Posted on 16/03/2026 by Grazia Musumeci

Volcano enthusiasts know this by now. Most eruptions are announced well in advance, with signals that today, thanks to sophisticated geovolcanology research techniques, are soon intercepted. But even without much technology, the phenomenon of “magma knocking” is a clear sign that something inside a volcano is changing. Of course, the terms are much more technical […]

Mongibello: “the” mountain

Posted on 09/03/2026 (09/03/2026) by Grazia Musumeci

Mount Etna has had many names throughout its long existence, but the one that has stuck with it, along with its current name, is Mongibello. This word encompasses not only a name but a phrase itself. And above all, an identity, that of a towering mountain that dominates the Sicilian and Calabrian coasts. To those […]