New eruptive fissures open up at Etna volcano, Italy

eruptive fissures etna volcano italy june 7 2022 f

Two new eruptive fissures have opened up at Etna volcano, Italy late June 7, 2022. Lava is being poorly fed and the flow has expanded only by a few tens of meters.

The fissures opened at the base of the northern wall of Valle del Bove, in the Serracozzo area, at an altitude of about 1 900 to 1 950 m (6 233 – 6 397 feet).

Lava is being poorly fed and the flow has expanded only by a few tens of meters, INGV-OE said.1

On the other hand, the effusive activity from fissures that opened up on May 29, between 2 700 and 2 900 m (8 858 – 9 514 feet) continues unchanged, with the active lava fronts reaching an altitude of about 2 000 m (6 561 feet).

etna new vent sentinel-2 june 8 2022
Image credit: Copernicus EU/Sentinel-2, ADAM Platform/Antonio Vecoli
eruptive fissures etna volcano italy june 7 2022
Image credit: INGV-OE
etna vis 1148z june 8 2022
Image credit: INGV-OE
etna ir 1148z june 8 2022
Image credit: INGV-OE

Regarding the average magnitude of the volcanic tremor, since late yesterday evening, a phase of gradual decline has been observed that brought this parameter from high to medium-high values.

The sources of the tremors are located in the SE crater area at an altitude of about 2 900 m (9 514 feet) above sea level.

Infrasonic activity is low, however, the strong wind this morning may have affected the detection of infrasonic events.

According to an analysis of soil deformation signals, no noise changes have been detected in the last few hours at clinometric and GNSS stations.

etna volcano swir image on june 6 2022
Etna volcano on June 6, 2022. Credit: Copernicus EU/Sentinel-2 (SWIR), EO Browser, The Watchers
etna volcano swir image on june 6 2022 zoomed
Etna volcano on June 6, 2022. Credit: Copernicus EU/Sentinel-2 (SWIR), EO Browser, The Watchers

Geological summary

Mount Etna, towering above Catania, Sicily’s second-largest city, has one of the world’s longest documented records of historical 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 (5.1 x 6.2 miles) horseshoe-shaped caldera open to the east.

Two styles of eruptive activity typically occur at Etna. Persistent explosive eruptions, sometimes with minor lava emissions, take place from one or more of the three prominent summit craters, the Central Crater, NE Crater, and SE Crater (the latter formed in 1978).

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.2

References:

1 Comunicato Etna – INGV – 22:32 UTC on June 7, 2022

2 Etna – Geological summary – GVP

Featured image credit: INGV

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