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The latest update is below this line 24
December 2002 update.
NOTE:
This will be the last update on this page for the year 2002. Updating
will be resumed around 7 January 2003. Updates are provided nearly
continuously on the INGV-Catania
web site and by Charles
Rivière. 21
December 2002 update.
The
past few days at Mount Etna have been characterized by a relatively
regular prosecution of the eruptive activity on the upper southern
flank. The main focus of activity is the enormous pyroclastic cone
that stands now more than 150 m above the pre-eruption surface at
2750 m; explosive activity has occurred from up to two vents at
the summit of this cone and alternated between largely ash-free
Strombolian bursts and more copious ash emissions with intermittent
lava fountains. Lava has continued to issue from a vent on the southern
base of the cone and during the past three days fed three main flows,
the longest of which has advanced along the western margin of the
late-November southwestern lava flow. The other two flows were moving
south-southwest and south; the latter being the shortest of the
three active flows. Detailed descriptions of the activity and maps
of the extent of the lava flows are available on the INGV-Catania
web site. 19
December 2002 update.
After
the dramatic days at the beginning of this week, the situation on
Mount Etna has somewhat relaxed. Eruptive activity continues at
the cone at 2750 m elevation. Explosive activity shows frequent
shifts from lava fountaining and ash emissions to Strombolian explosions
and vice versa, but on a general level, ash emission is less continuous
and voluminous than in previous weeks. Lava effusion has shifted
to a vent on the southern flank of the cone and is now feeding a
flow to the southwest, while feeding of the previous southward flow
seems to have ceased, or in any case diminished significantly. As
a result lava is no longer menacing the tourist complex around the
Rifugio Sapienza, at least for the time being.
17
December 2002 update.
The
situation in the eruption area on the southern flank of Mount Etna
has become more complex since the afternoon of 16 December. New
surges of lava descending the steep slope above the tourist complex
commonly associated with the Rifugio Sapienza has destroyed at least
two buildings, cut the Provincial Road 92, and an explosion possibly
caused by invasion of a cistern by lava has injured 32 persons.
Information is preliminary and based on press reports, mostly "La
Sicilia". 16
December 2002 evening update.
According
to a report in the on-line version of the Catania newspaper "La
Sicilia", lava flowing from the still-active cone on the
southern flank of Mount Etna has overwhelmed and buried a building
of the Provincial Tourism Agency, located close to the surviving
base station of the cable-car. Another lava lobe seems to be moving
slowly toward the cable-car station. This information has so far
not been confirmed by the INGV-Catania
web site, where the latest update was posted on 1530 h (local
time=GMT+1). The "La Sicilia" report further states that
another lobe of lava is heading in the direction of the cable-car
station, but gives no data on the speed of this lobe. "For
this flow there are no possibilities of intervention by means of
containment dikes", says the report. Still another lobe of
lava is reported to move toward the remains of the arrival
station of the cable-car, located at approximately 2500 m on the
western flank of the Montagnola. That station had been burned but
not buried by lava during the 2001 eruption. Its impressive ruin,
which had attracted many visitors prior to the 2002 eruption, had
been dismantled sometime in September or October 2002 as a first
step toward reconstruction of the cable-car. 16
December 2002 update.
Eruptive
activity on the upper southern flank of Mount Etna is continuing
with explosive ash emission and lava flows, which descend toward
the touristic area around the Rifugio Sapienza and threaten to interrupt
the Provincial Road 92. As of 15 December, the most advanced flow
front was less than 100 m from that road and advancing slowly, while
numerous superposed but generally slow lobes of active lava were
advancing higher upslope. Containment dikes (earth barriers) were
built around and below the active flows to prevent them from reaching
buildings and force any eventual flow crossing the road into a very
narrow bed. On 16 December, a dense ash plume periodically rises
from the growing pyroclastic cone at (originally) 2750 m elevation,
and is being blown southeastward by prevailing winds. More information
on the progress of the lava flows and the activity in general can
be found at the INGV-Catania
web site. 13
December 2002 update.
No
big surprise, the eruption on the southern flank of Mount Etna is
continuing. Ash is being emitted from the pyroclastic cone at 2750
m elevation and blown eastward by a strong wind, and lava continues
to issue from two vents at the southeastern base of the cone. The
more vigorous of the two flows has advanced to 1950 m elevation
and is close to the Provincial Road 92, which connects the tourist
facilities around the Rifugio Sapienza with the town of Zafferana
Etnea. Since its course is more easterly than that of the previous
flow in the area in late November, it does not immediately threaten
the buildings and infrastructures of the tourist complex except
for the road, but the latest
update on the INGV-Catania web site indicates that advance of
the flow has slowed significantly. The extent of the lava flows
emitted until 12 December is shown in the map
of the INGV web site as usual new updates are posted during
the late afternoon (local time). It has also to be noted that the
INGV Catania is now posting images from a second
live-cam (besides the one at Milo, on the eastern flank of Etna),
which is located at the Institute's data acquisition center (CUAD)
in the northwestern part of Catania, nearly 27 km from the summit. 12
December 2002 update.
Lava
flowing from the still-active cone at 2750 m elevation on the southern
flank of Mount Etna is rapidly descending the steep slope above
the tourist facilities around the Rifugio Sapienza. In the latest
update (12 December 2002, 1300 h) on the web
site of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (Catania
section) the velocity of the flow front is given as 3 meters
per minute, and at 0900 h the flow front was at 2120 m elevation,
200 m above the Rifugio Sapienza, and 2.9 km from its source. The
area is hermetically closed to access by non-authorized persons.
This situation seems to be a neat repetition of the last weekend
of November, when lava followed the same path and passed at a distance
of a few meters from the surviving departure station of the cable
car before stopping short of the Provincial Road 92. A map of the
active lava flows as of 11 December is available at the INGV
web site; the updated extent of the lava flows is likely to
be posted later today. 11 December 2002 update. Eruptive activity is continuing at the cluster of vents between 2800 and 2700 m elevation on the southern flank of Mount Etna. At daybreak on 11 December, both pyroclastic cones emitted dense columns of ash, but later during the forenoon ash emission apparently changed to ash-free Strombolian activity, as plainly visible on images transmitted by the Albacom live cam at Riposto, east-northeast of Etna. Lava that began to issue from the southeastern side of the lower of the two cones has divided into several branches, one of which is slowly advancing toward the Rifugio Sapienza area (see the INGV and "La Sicilia" web sites for more information).
10
December 2002 update.
The
2002 eruption of Mount Etna is continuing on its 45th day without
showing any signs of abating; today it rather seems to be once more
gaining vigor. During the first 10 days of the eruption, activity
occurred simultaneously at two systems of eruptive fissures, on
the northeastern and southern flanks of the volcano. The northeastern
fissures ceased erupting around 5 November, but on the southern
flank activity has continued without interruptions to the present
day. For several weeks the activity in this place was purely explosive,
leading to the growth of a huge pyroclastic cone, whose summit eventually
grew to about 150 m above the original (pre-eruption) surface at
2750 m. Starting on 13 November, lava began to flow from a vent
on the southern side of the cone, extending about 4 km to the southwest,
and another flow from the southeastern side of the cone extended
southward to a similar distance a week later. Yet another flow advanced
about 4 km southwest in late November and stopped during the first
days of December. Meanwhile, on 25 November, explosive activity
extended to several vents on the main pyroclastic cone and at its
northern base, at about 2800 m elevation. The vent at 2800 m was
the most active, leading to the rapid growth of a new cone and heavy
tephra falls nearly buried the "Torre del Filosofo" mountain
hut. During the first week of December, explosive activity was essentially
limited to this vent, and there was no lava outflow. 5
December 2002 update.
Explosive
activity continues at one vent, in the northernmost portion of the
fissure opened on the upper southern flank of Mount Etna on 27 October
2002. This vent became active on 25 November and lies on the northern
side of a large pyroclastic cone formed during the previous four
weeks, which is inactive since several days. A new cone is actively
growing at the still-active vent; its summit is now higher (more
than 2900 m) than that of the previously active cone (about 2900
m). Ash emission and lava fountaining are vigorous, and continuous
tephra falls, the hallmark of the 2002 eruption, have affected areas
to the northeast and east during the past few days. Lava emission
seems to have (temporarily?) ceased after about three weeks of near
continuous effusive activity from vents on the flanks of the pyroclastic
cone complex formed during this eruption. Intermittent seismic activity
at and around the volcano is a continuing cause of apprehension
to the population, and has repeatedly led to near-fatal accidents,
as in the case of the partial collapse of a school building at Giarre
(east-northeast of Etna) on 2 December. The students and teachers
could leave the building in time, having been averted by a smaller
earthquake a few minutes earlier. 2 December 2002 update. A new rain of ash over Catania and surrounding areas occurred on the afternoon of 1 December 2002, forcing the renewed closure of the Fontanarossa International Airport of Catania. Meanwhile, explosive activity continued at two vents on the upper southern flank of Mount Etna, and lava issued from a third vent on the southwestern base of the large pyroclastic cone formed during the first five weeks of activity. However, the most advanced front of the latest lava flow that had devoured a part of a forest on the southwestern flank seems to have essentially stopped. A summary of the 2002 eruption (up to 11 December) The 2002 eruption of Mount Etna is now featured on more and more web sites. The two principal sources of information (updates, photographs, and other graphic material) are: Charles Rivière's Etna home page, with frequent updates and photos (in French) Like in 2001, Lisetta Giacomelli and Roberto Scandone of the University of Roma 3 have created an incredibly informative and well-illustrated web page, which unfortunately is only available in Italian: Furthermore there are two web cams pointed on the southern flank of Etna, which can be accessed at the web site of: Two further web cams, located at Riposto (east-northeast of Etna) show a wide-angle view and a close-up of the volcano; these are provided by: Alain Melchior presents interesting digital models of the lava flows of the 2002 eruption and has numerous captures from Italian television news of the eruption Eruption 2002 de l'Etna (du 26/10/2002 au ?) One could expect some high-quality photography of the eruption at "Stromboli On-Line", and Marco Fulle's photos do fulfill all expectations... The 2002 eruption of Etna at Stromboli On-Line The same is true for Tom Pfeiffer's photos, which are among the most spectacular of the 2002 eruption so far available - Tom was lucky to be at Etna on the evening of 27 October and photograph the most spectacular phases of activity on the Northeast Rift: This is a relatively poorly known site, created in 2000, which has photos and spectacular video clips of the 2002 eruption (and of the activity in 2000 and 2001 as well): Etna2000.com by Simone Genovese Another web site that has escaped attention thus far, but deserves to be visited (good photos and movie clips, including one of the spectacular explosive eruption at the Voragine on 22 July 1998): Malosito/Geoarchive by Marco Busetta Very spectacular photos of the still-erupting crater at 2750 m elevation on the southern flank (seen from the Torre del Filosofo area) plus a nice map of the upper southern flank of Etna are available on No less spectacular, the view of the eruption from the International Space Station (NASA): The eruption seen from space on 30 October 2002 ...and, of course, there are photos, updates and video clips at Much information (in Italian) is offered by the Catania-based newspaper
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Copyright © Boris Behncke, "Italy's Volcanoes: The Cradle of
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Page set up on 27 May 1997, last modified on 24 December 2002 |