Time-lapse videos from webcams allow to at least partially reconstruct the series of events at Etna yesterday: first, hot material rapidly accumulated on the eastern rim of the summit vent seemed to start sliding; the release of weight then seems to allow an explosion to take place, destabilizing a larger portion of the upper flank, thus generating a very large slide.
Due to the steep slope, acceleration is large: within seconds, the moving rock masses, disintegrating and mixing with air become a turbulent, hot, fluidized mixture (pyroclastic flow) that reaches the base of the cone quickly before descending further into Valle del Leone and Valle del Bove.
Italie – Etna
Des images de la coulée pyroclastique de l’Etna en timelapse.
Hallucinant.
Je ne vous cache pas que je reste surpris. C’est explicable bien sûr, on y viendra mais là, ça me surprend. pic.twitter.com/RPIVE0GdJb
— GeoTales (@GeoTales_) June 2, 2025