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I
first visited the volcanoes of Italy in September 1989, and Etna
was the last volcano of the tour. Just at the time it had begun
an impressive eruption at its Southeast Crater, with violent eruptive
episodes that occurred once or twice a day. These were characterized
by spectacular lava fountains, tephra columns, and outflow of lava
not only from the crater but also from fissures on its southern
and northern sides (much like the paroxysms of the year 2000). Following
a series of about 15 eruptive episodes, a new eruptive fissure opened
on 27 September in the Valle del Leone, on the upper ENE flank of
the volcano, emitting a lava flow, and lava fountaining at the Southeast
Crater changed to continuous ash emission with some Strombolian
activity. The eruption ended on 9 October, but my visit lasted only
until 29 September, and I did not get to see much of the flank eruption.
At that time I had few contacts and did not know the mountain well.
I was lucky to see some of the paroxysms from Nicolosi, at a distance
of about 15 km, and these were quite impressive. The photos below
(as well as the one at the top of the page) talk for themselves. |
First
clear view of Etna, 24 September 1989
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This
is the view of Etna from Nicolosi early on the morning of
24 September 1989. A dense gas plume is fed from the summit
craters, which on that morning were not showing any significant
eruptive activity (a powerful eruptive episode at the Southeast
Crater occurred a few hours later, but by that time the
volcano was shrouded in dense weather clouds) |
The
next morning: eruptive episode, 25 September 1989
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First
look towards Etna (from the Hotel Gemmellaro, Nicolosi)
on the early morning of 25 September 1989, and it's erupting!
Actually this is an eruptive episode at the Southeast Crater,
and it continues as day breaks, creating marvellous color
effects
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The
eruptive episode continues as the sun begins to rise, and
at the same time white plumes are generated by lava flows
issuing from the Southeast Crater and two fissures on its
southern and northern sides
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Another
eruptive episode in the evening, 25 September 1989
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A
glimpse toward Etna from the Hotel Gemmellaro, Nicolosi, on the
evening of 25 September, and once more the Southeast Crater is
in spectacular eruption! Of course those who were on the mountain
at that time had a much more awesome show to see, but seen from
Nicolosi, one got quite a good impression of the dynamics of this
event. The small horizontal line of lights visible between the
illuminated buildings in the foreground and the glow at the summit
is the road illumination at the tourist complex around the Rifugio
Sapienza |
...and
still another one the next morning, 26 September 1989
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And
there it goes again! This is the morning of 26 September 1989,
and yet another paroxysm is beginning at the Southeast Crater.
This time it's more powerful than its predecessors, with a dense
column of ash rising rapidly into the clear morning sky |
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Within
a few minutes the paroxysm gains amazingly in strength, and the
eruption column rises higher and higher, accompanied by a notable
increase in the noise level. Ash begins to fall from the eruption
column onto the eastern flank of the volcano. The white steam
column rising before the dark main eruption column is rising from
rapidly expanding lava flows on the southern side of the Southeast
Crater |
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The
eruptive episode reaches its climax within less than 30 minutes
after its beginning... |
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...and
then something strange happens. A second ash plume rises from a
site somewhat lower down on the eastern flank, suggesting the beginning
of a flank eruption (the previous flank eruption lasted from October
1986 until February 1987). But after a few minutes ash emission
from this second site ceases, and the expected flank eruption is
to begin only on the next day... The cause of this brief ash emission
remains mysterious but might have been caused by lava flowing over
a patch of snow buried under tephra, or a landslide on the steep
western slope of the Valle del Bove |
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Below
the Southeast Crater, 26 September 1989
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Waiting
for the next move of the Southeast Crater at the Torre del Filosofo
mountain hut (the stone building of which part is visible in the
background), around noon on 26 September 1989. An international
group of people has assembled on the spot. From right to left:
David Rothery, of the Open University at Milton Keyes, UK; Lori
Glaze, now at the Geodynamics Branch of the NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center, USA; Clive Oppenheimer, of the Geography Department
of Cambridge University, UK; and Karin Eusterhues, then student
in geosciences at the Ruhr-University Bochum (which was where
I studied geology as well) and now with the Technische Universität
München, Germany. The lava on which the group is sitting
is from one of the paroxysms of the Southeast Crater, out of the
view to the right, only 1 km away. The wooden shack seen in left
background fell victim to a lava flow from the Southeast Crater
in 2000, and the Torre del Filosofo building itself was buried
by pyroclastics during the 2002-2003 eruption |
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While
waiting for something to happen at Torre del Filosofo, we see
a series of puffs of ash rising from the Southeast Crater, generally
the first sign of a new paroxysm... But this time no paroxysms
follows, and for much of the time the summit remains veiled in
weather clouds |
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By
the way, the Southeast Crater: at left that's how it looked on 26
September 1989. Right photograph shows the same crater, seen from
exactly the same spot, on 9 June 2003. The difference in height
of the cone is somewhere in the range of 250 m, indicating an amazing
rate of growth |
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Left:
during one of the previous paroxysms at the Southeast Crater, a
lava flow reached and scratched the wall of the Torre del Filosofo
building
Right: fumarole with sulfur and gypsum deposits on the surface of
a very recent lava flow emitted during a paroxysm of the Southeast
Crater |
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Flank
eruption begins, 27 September 1989
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On
the evening of 27 September it is clear that eruptive activity
has begun on the east-northeastern flank of Etna: a red glow over
the Valle del Leone (right) marks the site of a new eruptive fissure
and of a lava flow that is descending into the Valle del Bove.
The small red dot further left is a Strombolian burst at the Southeast
Crater. The line of lights below that small red dot represents
the lights of the road at the Rifugio Sapienza tourist complex |
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Throughout
27 September 1989, the Southeast Crater had emitted a continuous
plume of gray ash, which drifted toward east. Left photograph
was taken at Nicolosi, after a heavy thunderstorm which left a
light dusting of snow at Etna's summit. Right photograph was taken
from the Catania-Nicolosi road |
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Ash
from the Southeast Crater, 28 September 1989
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On
the morning of 28 September 1989, the ash plume rising from the
Southeast Crater appears denser than on the previous day. Left:
the view from the central square of Nicolosi, right: view through
the window of a vehicle driving up towards the Rifugio Sapienza
area, about 2 km north of Nicolosi |
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Left:
ash plumes rising from the Southeast Crater, seen from about 2500
m elevation on the south flank of Etna, 28 September 1989
Right: new ground fractures have opened near the rim of the Valle
del Bove, cutting through lava flows erupted from the Southeast
Crater only a few days earlier |
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Strombolian
bursts and flank lava flow, 28 September 1989
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At
nightfall, as the cloud cover lifts, the Southeast Crater returns
visible, displaying a beautiful Strombolian activity (left). A
view from the "Belvedere" lookout into the Valle del
Bove reveals the lava flow of the flank eruption |
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The
Southeast Crater in full activity, 29 September 1989
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Another
climb to the site of the impressive ash emissions at the Southeast
Crater on the morning of 29 September 1989. The ash plumes are
emitted more forcefully than on the previous day and often rise
in pulses |
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The
erupting Southeast Crater seen from a spot about 700 m to the
southwest. Many bursts of ash and blocks form characteristic "tephra
fingers"; the noise is limited to a muffled rumbling |
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View
from the "Schiena dell'Asino", to the E of the Montagnola,
of the Southeast Crater in Strombolian activity on the evening
of 29 September 1989. The small white dot immediately to the left
of the crater is the Torre del Filosofo mountain hut, actually
1 km to the south of the Southeast Crater. Reddish color at right
margin of photograph is caused by reflection of the glow of the
lava flow in the Valle del Bove |
A
farewell look at erupting Etna, 30 September 1989
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This
photograph was taken during a stop of the train, which brought
me back home to Germany, at the station of Giarre-Riposto, to
the east of Etna, on the late evening of 30 September 1989. The
glow from the active lava flow in the Valle del Bove illuminates
the sky above the volcano, and the towns and villages on the eastern
flank seem to lie uncomfortably close to the fiery river. Actually,
the eruption did not directly threaten inhabited areas; it ended
ten days later |
More
photos of the 1989 eruption
Continue
to 1990
Return
to the Etna photo gallery
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