Etna erupts again.

It seems as though the regions of Iceland and Italy are having a fairly quiet season in terms of volcanoes. Mount Etna, however, erupted on April 10. This is the third eruptive episode of its type to occur in 2011 on the Southeast crater. The type of eruption is strombolian: there was a lava flow, the expulsion of tephra, a gas column and lava fountaining. There were also small pyroclastic flows due to the presence of snow. Though the eruption seemed to have more or less subsided after two days, little is known as to whether more activity will ensue.

This image can be found here. It is an image of a small pyroclastic flow, created as lava passed over snow.

Khia Johnson 4/11/11

Mount Etna, February 18 Eruption

On February 18, Mount Etna erupted, only 36 days after its previous one. Both prior to, and after the eruption, there were a series of mild earthquakes, which is not unusual for the area. An updated version of the seismic activity in Sicily can be found here, with options for 7, 15, and 30 days prior to the current day.

The eruption itself came from the SE crater, just as in January of this year. The activity can be classified as Strombolian, with pulsating lava fountains, and light ash fall. It lasted for 11 hours, though much of the eruption was obscured by cloud cover. This can be seen by contrasting photos from this eruption and the January eruption.

The above photo of the February 18 eruption can be found here.

In contrast, this photo of the January 11-12 eruption allows for a clear view of the lava flow. It can be found here.

By Khia Johnson, 2/28/11

FYS 102 Vulcan’s Forge Volcanic Activity Blog – Welcome

Welcome to the volcanic activity blog for FYS 102 – Vulcan’s Forge – here at Denison University.

Etna erupting in January 2011, image by Dr. Boris Behncke.

Look for updates starting in the near future on activity at 10 of the most active volcanoes around the world.