Only about 24 hours since the last one, yet another paroxysm occurred at the New SE crater in the early hours today, marking it the 42th or so event this year alone.
As during the previous ones, the episode announced itself with a shift and increase of tremor from around midnight, before strombolian activity began from at least 3 vents at the New SE crater from around 2:30 am (local time). From 4:15, a lava flow started to travel from the southern crater rim towards the SW.
Explosive activity increased quickly and reached lava fountaining by 4:45 am, lasting about an hour before ceasing abruptly around 5:45.
During the eruption, a second short lava flow was erupted towards the east, and the eruption column rose to more than 9 km height above sea level, according to the volcano observatory. Ash and lapilli fall occurred the eastern sector around Milo and Giarre towns.
The paroxysm today seems to have been more violent than the past ones and it came only about 24 hours since the preceding one: it seems that the intervals between events in the current series are gradually becoming shorter. It is impossible to predict how long this pattern might last and what will come next at the volcano.
