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The volcano, located on the Italian island of Sicily, exploded alive on Sunday, April 19, releasing ash and obtaining gas. Volcano Discovery described the explosion as a “brief but intense episode of explosive activity,” with an eruption that occurred at 7:30 am local time.
Just 45 minutes later, the eruption had subsided, boiling a stream of lava down the steep side of the volcano.
The emission of ash and gases started slightly at first, but had intensified around 9 a.m. and reports say the ash column rose five kilometers (3.1 miles) in midair.
The ash column was blown southeast of the volcano and affected the Bove Valley and the nearby Zafferana commune, where residents are still locked in COVID-19.
According to local media, the last major eruption of Mount Etna took place in December 2018.
A video of the explosion shows a large explosion taking place on the high volcano, with red lava in the air.
Smoke and ash continued to come out of the volcano, although there have been no reports of damage or injury to people.
The situation is being continuously monitored several days later.
The monitoring station, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Catania (INGV), said: “The monitoring of the network has registered strombolian activity [explosive eruptions separated by calm periods of varying length], which later assumed the characteristics of a small lava fountain “.
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Etna is recognized as one of the most active volcanoes in the world with an almost constant activity rate.
Etna has been restless and aggressive for millennia, and its first confirmed eruption occurred around 6000 BC, according to the Smithsonian.
The volcano is constantly changing and bubbling, with around three million people living under its shadow, within a 62-mile radius.
Etna, sitting on the east coast of Sicily, is the highest peak in Italy south of the Alps.
