Europes tallest active volcano is now even taller following an increase in volcanic activity.
According to Italys volcano monitoring agency, Mount Etnas southeastern crater has grown in height after a surge in activity over the course of about six months.
Mt Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. Over the course of 2021, material and layers of spewing and cooling lava have accumulated, increasing the overall height of the volcano.
In a statement, Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said the activity occurring at the southeast crater the youngest and most active of the four summit craters of Etna had transformed the shape of the volcano.
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Smoke billows from the Mt Etna volcano as seen from Linguaglossa, Sicily, on Monday (local time).
Since February this year, about 50 episodes involving ash and lava being spewed from the mouth of the crater have occurred.
According to the agency, Etnas northeast crater has always been considered the summit its height in the 1980s was 3350 metres. Over the years, the craters edges have collapsed and its height decreased to 3326m in 2018.
This August, the height of the southeastern crater was measured at 3357m above sea level, and was now considered the new peak.
Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images
The city of Catania with the backdrop of Mt Etna, Italy.
Thanks to the analysis and processing of satellite images, the southeast crater is now much higher than its older brother, the northeast crater, for 40 years the undisputed peak of Etna, the agency said.
Mt Etna is a very active volcano, with its most recent eruption occurring on Sunday and into Monday (NZ time). According to the Independent, the latest eruption shook the walls and floors of nearby buildings in the Catania province of northeast Sicily.
Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images
A view of Etna’s summit craters from a helicopter in March, 2021.
Luckily, there was no damage, and local photographers managed capture some images of the spewing lava.
The volcano has been actively churning out smoke and ash since February 2021. Although it poses little danger to surrounding villages, the falling ash was proving a problem.
In July, Sicilys government estimated that 300,000 tonnes of ash had been cleaned up so far, The Guardian reported.
Europe’s tallest active volcano is now even taller following an increase in volcanic activity.
