Archive for Strombolian Eruption

Mount Etna, February 18 Eruption

Posted in Italy with tags , , , on March 1, 2011 by italyicelandvolcanoes

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