Italy's Volcanoes: The Cradle of Volcanology

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Monte Maletto
The green cone of Monte Maletto rises above one of the most densely forested areas of Etna, reaching a height of 70 m above its eastern (near) base and more than 200 m above its northwestern base, making it one of the largest of Etna's flank cones. This view was taken from near Punta Lucia, at nearly 2900 m elevation, more than 1000 m above Monte Maletto and about 5 km to the southeast, on 25 October 1999. Dark lavas in foreground were erupted from the Northeast Crater (at the summit) during a series of powerful paroxysms during the winter 1977-1978; these are probably the longest lava flows known to have erupted from one of the summit craters in historical time

Mamma Etna's countless children
Monte Maletto
NW flank, 14.941850° E, 37.794010° N
Summit elevation: 1771 m (NNE rim of crater)

 

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.
I have passed close to Monte Maletto at least five times but never climbed it; the photographs shown on this page were taken from many kilometers away but show that even when seen from far away it forms a conspicuous feature in this sector of the volcano.

Monte Maletto
Seen from a distance, Monte Maletto forms a prominent landmark in the western to northern sectors of Mount Etna. This photograph was taken during a rainy afternoon in May 1999 from the fertile plains near the village of Maletto, from a distance of about 7 km

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