The thermal image of the eruption from the Voragine crater last night (image: INGV)
A new phase of violent strombolian activity has started from the central summit crater Voragine early last night.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Catania reported a powerful explosion at 02:30 local time, generating an ash cloud propagating to the ESE from the volcano.
The tremor signal has rapidly increased to a high level, which is typically a sign of an impending paroxysm that may occur within the next few hours, as individual strombolian explosions intensify and culminate into violent lava fountaining.
This would mark the 7th paroxysm at Etna’s Voragine this year, following the series that began on July 4th.
Source: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia volcano activity update 18 August 2024