Strombolian activity at Mount Etna’s Southeast Crater continues with variable intensity. Weak and sporadic ash emissions are rapidly dispersing around the summit area, while lava flows, fed from three high-altitude fractures, remain active. This assessment is based on monitoring by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), Etna Observatory, in Catania.
From a seismic perspective, the average amplitude of the volcanic tremor, despite sometimes showing wide oscillations, continues to remain within the high-value range. The source of this tremor is still located in the Southeast Crater area at an altitude between 2,900 and 3,000 meters above sea level.
Following a period of low infrasonic activity in the early hours of the day, a clear increase in the number and energy of these events was recorded starting at approximately 08:15 UTC. These events, with medium to high amplitude values, are also located at the Southeast Crater. Ground deformation signals from monitoring networks currently show no significant variations compared to recent days.
The aviation alert code (VONA) issued by the INGV in Catania remains at ‘orange.’ The ongoing eruptive phase at Europe’s tallest active volcano does not impact the full operational status of Catania’s Vincenzo Bellini International Airport.
© Copyright ANSA – All rights reserved