Etna is accelerating its rhythm of intermittent strong eruptions: Only about 16 hours since last evening’s paroxysm, another similar event occurred today around noon:
Accompanied by the usual rising tremor signal, sign of magma on the move upwards, shortly after 11 am local time, strombolian activity started to occur again at the New SE crater. At the same time, a small lava flow continued to be active from a fissure vent on its lower SE flank.
By noon, the explosive activity had increased to reach lava fountaining and an additional lava flow over-topped the southern rim and traveled to the SW.
The lava fountains reached 400-500 m height and produced an eruption column that rose to 9-10 km above sea level, again drifting towards the ESE where heavy ash and lapilli fall occurred, in particular in the town of Linguaglossa.
The paroxysm lasted approx. one hour and activity rapidly decreased around 1 pm. While explosive activity ceased, the lava flow from the effusive vent at the southeastern flank of the cone, at approx. 3050 m elevation, was reactivated and began to feed a small lava flow that remained active until the time of this update. By early afternoon, it had reached an elevation of 2800 m in the western slope of the Valle del Bove.
