Etna volcano - eruption update
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Eruption continues, lava flows enter Valle del Bove
Update Sat 18 Mar 2017 00:36
The explosive-effusive eruption continues strongly. Several well-alimented lava flows are descending into the Valle del Bove from elevations between 2500-2700 m at the rim.
At the New SE cone, strombolian explosions or low, pulsating lava fountaining continue.
The latter strombolian-type activity returned to be the dominant activity at the cone shortly before 23:00 local time on Thurday (16 Mar), abruptly replacing the previously intense ash emissions from the same vent. What caused the rapid change in eruption style at this vent is unclear.
During the night 16-17 March, the lava flow from the new fissure vent at the southern base of the SE crater started to descend into the Valle del Bove. The first flow front arrived at the edge of the depression at 23:48 near the Cisternazza pit crater (at about 2600 m elevation) and then quickly descended the steep slope into the Valle, reaching the ridge (formed by dykes) of the Sierra Giannicola Grande shortly before 2am (17 Mar).
A bit later, small glowing rockfalls began to descend into the Valle from points higher upslope, near the Beledere zone (2700 m elevation), originating from the sides of a branch of the lava flowing more or less parallel to the edge of the Valle.
This situation continued all day during yesterday (17 Mar). At around 22:30 in the evening, two tongues of the lava flow also started to descend into the Valle del Bove from the Belvedere area.
As of 02 am local time (18 March), the activity continues with little signs of waning and the lava flows (currently 3 branches actively descending into the Valle del Bove) remain well alimented. Tremor levels although lower than during the first 24 hours of the eruptive phase have more or less stabilized at elevated levels.
Dense ash emissions from SE crater cone
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Ash emissions from Etna's SE crater cone (image: Nicola Zappala webcam from Bronte) |
Satellite image of Etna on 16 March 2017 (image: SENTINEL 2 - ESA/Copernicus; annotations: Culture Volcan) |
The explosive-effusive activity continued during the whole day, but an interesting change occurred at the upper vent (the "New SE cone"): from about 14:30 local time, the strombolian activity (or pulsating low lava fountaining) there changed into and then alternated with dense ash emissions. The ash plume rose a few 100s of meters and drifted SW towards Adriano. In the meanwhile, the first lava flow (from the upper southern flank of the SE crater) stopped and ceased to be alimented, while the second flow that had appeared late on 15 March originating from a new fissure vent at the southern base of the cone continued to advance and reached the ramparts of the Valle del Bove. A satellite image taken today by the SENTINEL 2 and processed by Culture Volcan shows the scene well, with the second lava flow at that time being about 1400 m long and 250-300 m wide, with its front near or just below 2700 m in the area where the jeep track bends and the phreatic explosions occurred that caused several injuries. New lava flow from SEC - Phreatic explosion causes injuries
Update Thu 16 Mar 2017 22:19
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Strombolian activity and lava flow at dawn (image: Boris Behncke / Flickr) |
The strong strombolian activity from the SE crater continued all day yesterday and today. The lava flow from the summit vent has flowed on top of the lava flow from about 15 days ago and yesterday it had reached an altitude of 2800m.
Yesterday late in the evening a new lava flow started from a vent that has opened at the southern base of the SE crater. This lava flow descended slowly toward the southeast reaching the Belvedere at an elevation of 2700m.
This morning the contact of the hot lava with snow caused a phreatic explosion, ejecting fragmented rocks in all directions. Unfortunately several tourists, mountain guides and volcanologists were close to the front of the lava flow when this explosion happened. Several people sustained injuries due to falling rocks, but luckily nobody is in a bad condition. Also present was a BBC television crew that has recorded the moment of the explosion.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39293086
This afternoon at around 15:00 a dense pulsating ash column started from a summit vent of the SE crater. It is dispersed by the wind in westerly directions.
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