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Mamma
Etna's countless children |
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Monte
Maletto, a huge prehistoric cone lying on the northwestern side of Etna
(in the direction of the village of Maletto), is densely vegetated and
surrounded by one of the largest forests on the volcano. The Forest Service
road passes near the western base of this cone but offers no views of
the cone, although it constitutes a prominent landmark when seen from
a distance. The summit of Monte Maletto stands more than 200 m above its
northwestern base, while the height is only about 70 m above the eastern
base. A conspicuous ridge extends from the summit to the northwest, marking
the position of a fissure on which smaller coalescing cones were built;
lava was presumably emitted from the lower end of this fissure. However,
the dense vegetation masks most of these features, and it is probable
that Monte Maletto erupted many thousand years ago. |
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Copyright © Boris Behncke, "Italy's Volcanoes: The Cradle of Volcanology" |
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Page set up on 21 February 2004 |