INGV reported that during 13-19 June gas emissions rose from Etna’s Southeast Crater (SEC) and Bocca Nuova Crater (BN); the emissions from BN were dense and voluminous on 13 June and drifted SSW. Lava effusion from the vent located at about 2,700 m elevation, along the fissure that had opened on 29 May, had slowed by 13 June and stopped by that evening. Lava continued to erupt from a vent along the 7 June fissure, located at the base of the N wall of the Valle del Bove, advancing to 1,760 m elevation by 14 June. Effusion ceased overnight during 15-16 June.

Geological Summary. Mount Etna, towering above Catania on the island of Sicily, has one of the world's longest documented records of volcanism, dating back to 1500 BCE. Historical lava flows of basaltic composition cover much of the surface of this massive volcano, whose edifice is the highest and most voluminous in Italy. The Mongibello stratovolcano, truncated by several small calderas, was constructed during the late Pleistocene and Holocene over an older shield volcano. The most prominent morphological feature of Etna is the Valle del Bove, a 5 x 10 km caldera open to the east. Two styles of eruptive activity typically occur, sometimes simultaneously. Persistent explosive eruptions, sometimes with minor lava emissions, take place from one or more summit craters. Flank vents, typically with higher effusion rates, are less frequently active and originate from fissures that open progressively downward from near the summit (usually accompanied by Strombolian eruptions at the upper end). Cinder cones are commonly constructed over the vents of lower-flank lava flows. Lava flows extend to the foot of the volcano on all sides and have reached the sea over a broad area on the SE flank.

Source: Sezione di Catania - Osservatorio Etneo (INGV)