Southeastern face of Monte Manfrè, a large prehistoric cone about 0.5 km northwest of Monte Sona, from which this photograph was taken on 22 April 2000. The main crater of this cone lies to the left of the summit, its rims forming the slope at left. The rim of a smaller and younger crater (probably formed during the 1536 eruption) forms the "shoulder" visible on the right (northeast) flank of the cone. The large cone in the right background is Monte Vetore; black lava seen before it is of the 1983 eruption

Mamma Etna's countless children
Monte Manfrè
S flank, 14.980838° E, 37.673856° N
Summit elevation: 1456 m

Among the numerous flank cones that lie on the south flank of Mount Etna between 1100 and 1500 m elevation, Monte Sona is one of the geologically most complex and interesting, although much of the geology is now hidden by dense vegetation. Monte Sona is a complex of two large cones, each of which has two craters, and on its south flank there is a line of younger craters that probably erupted in 1536. What is most intriguing in this area is that the alignment of vents on eruptive fissures is not radial to the summit of Etna, but follows a NE-SW trend. This trend is evident in the alignment of both the Monte Sona vents themselves and the nearby 1536 eruptive fissure system. Thus the two cones of Monte Sona are elongate in this same direction, as are the vents within their craters. The larger and more northeasterly of the two cones has a summit crater 180 x 250 m in diameter, with two vents separated by a low septum; the lower southwestern cone has two smaller craters.
Due to the morphological complexities, Monte Sona is highly irregular. Its larger northeastern cone rises about 130 m above its southern base but only about 30 m above its northern base, where it has been surrounded by the lava flow of 1910. The southwestern cone, which is about 80 m lower than the northeastern cone, shows a similar asymmetry. A well-maintained network of trails and dirt road allows very easy access to Monte Sona, from where one can enjoy very impressive panoramic views of the upper and lower southern flanks of Etna, with many of its pyroclastic cones and lava flows of different ages, the most recent of which was added in summer 2001.
I first visited Monte Grosso in early June 1998 but did not take photographs; during my next visit on 22 April 2000 I did take photographs, many of which are shown on this page, and a third visit was made on 31 October 2003.

Left: Monte Manfrè seen from nearby Monte Sona; its strongly inclined crater can be seen on the upper left slope of the cone. South rim of the main crater of Monte Sona is in the foreground Center and right: views of the crater of Monte Manfrè from its upper (northeastern) and lower (southwestern) rims, respectively. The crater is horseshoe-shaped and open to southwest; its inner slopes are overgrown with trees and details can be seen only during the winter season, when there are no leaves on the trees. Photos taken 22 April 2000

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Copyright © Boris Behncke, "Italy's Volcanoes: The Cradle of Volcanology"