Mount Etna, Italy – Italy’s Mount Etna made international news on Monday after erupting in a remarkable explosion.
Mt. Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, shot ash high into the air. According to National Public Radio, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology‘s (INGV) Etna Observatory estimates that the volcanic cloud reached heights up to about 21,325 feet as a ripple of ash, gas and rock rolled down from the summit.
The BBC reports that part of volcano’s crater likely collapsed leading to the large cloud of material sliding down the slopes. This slide, known as a pyroclastic flow, can be incredibly dangerous to surrounding areas but no deaths or injuries have been reported from the eruption.
The eruption triggered a red alert for aviation crews in the region in addition to halting tourist visits to the popular volcano destination. While nobody was injured, many tourists were forced to flee the volcano at high speeds, running down the mountain to escape the massive cloud.
The activity was clarified by INGV as a “Strombolian” eruption, varying in size but defined by a series of intermittent explosions due to the presence of gas in the volcano’s magma chamber. The red alert issued for aircraft was later downgraded.
Mt. Etna’s last eruption of note came in February while snow still covered portions of the mountain. Local governments were forced to ask visitors to keep away from the volcano’s lava flow as some attempted to get up close for photos and videos.
