The Sezione di Catania - Osservatorio Etneo (INGV) reported eruptive activity at Etna’s summit craters during 4-10 August. Gas emissions rose from Bocca Nuova Crater, NE Crater, and Voragine. Modest explosive activity at two vents at SE Crater ejected lava fragments that fell back into the crater and onto the flanks of the cone. The activity generated diffuse ash emissions that quickly dispersed around the summit area. A fissure on the S flank of Bocca Nuova, which last effused lava during February-March, was again active. Late on 9 August lava effused from a fissure approximately 33 m long and trending N-S located between Bocca Nuova and SE Crater, at around 3,000-3,100 m elevation. The lava flow traveled about 600 m S; effusion stopped the next day.

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)