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Freezing
cold on Etna in mid-May 1996: this poor couple of tourists probably
believed it was going to be hot on Etna, an active volcano in springtime
in a sub-tropical country (note the shoes of the lady at left).
Wrong. The winter of 1995-1996 was the harshest seen on the volcano
in many years, and by 12 May, when this photograph was taken, there
were still 3-5 m of snow lying near 3000 m elevation, at the Torre
del Filosofo mountain hut (visible in the background). On that day
a gale-force wind blew at the summit, rendering a visit to the summit
craters impossible |
Etna
photo gallery: 1996
Etna cold and hot, May and September 1995
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1996
was the year of the Northeast Crater. Between January and mid-August,
the crater was the site of several paroxysmal eruptive episodes
and long-lived Strombolian activity accompanied by spectacular effusive
activtity. I visited Etna twice during that year, in mid-May and
mid-September. On the first occasion I saw the volcano after an
unusually heavy winter, and several meters of snow still covered
the summit area. Weather conditions there were quite harsh (as can
be well recognized in some of the photographs) and it was not possible
to visit the then-active Northeast Crater. During the second visit,
weather conditions were quite favorable but activity at the crater
had diminished notably. I had to wait until mid-1997 to see eruptive
activity again, but then I got quite close... |
Cold,
freezing cold: 12 May 1996
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Left:
Etna seen from east (Catania-Messina highway) at sunset
on 9 May 1996. Peaks to left and right of summit are the
Montagnola and Pizzi Deneri, respectively
Right: Etna seen from the village of Pedara, on the SSE
flank, on the morning of 12 May 1996
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The
area of the Rifugio Sapienza and the cable car (whose departure
station is visible in the background) on 12 May 1996, southern
flank of Etna at about 1900 m elevation. The effects of
the extraordinarily heavy snow falls of February 1996 are
plainly visible, although the snow has melted at this altitude:
fences have been bent by the weight of the snow, which attained
thicknesses of several meters |
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The
Valle del Bove revisited: these two photos impressively
show the morphological effects of the voluminous 1991-1993
eruption, which affected the southern portion of the enormous
collapse depression on Etna's eastern flank. The upper photograph
was taken before that eruption, in early April 1990. The
same area is seen in the lower photograph after the eruption,
in May 1996. The thickness of 1991-1993 lava in some places
exceeds 100 m |
Hot,
but not erupting: 10-20 September 1996
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The
Valle del Bove is plainly visible in this photograph taken
from a train shortly after sunrise on 10 September 1996.
The summit crater complex is hidden in gas plumes issuing
from the craters, while the two conspicuous "shoulders"
at left and right are the Montagnola and the Pizzi Deneri,
respectively. Gently sloping flat area between the Montagnola
and the summit craters is the Piano del Lago, which has
changed beyond recognition during the eruptions of 2001
and 2002-2003 |
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Left:
a rootless, spatter-fed lava flow formed near the Northeast
Crater (background) during a paroxysmal eruptive episode
in November 1995, seen on 14 September 1996
Right: the cone of the Northeast Crater at sunset on 14
September 1996 |
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