Italy's Volcanoes: The Cradle of Volcanology

Etna index

    
Geology Geological history Cones and craters
Eruptive characteristics Eruptions before 1971 Eruptions since 1971
Etna and Man References Web sites
Weather forecasts FAQ Latest news

 

Etna in autumn 1997
As the year 1997 draws to a close, the discovery of Etna and its environment continues. This photograph was taken in late November 1997 during a hike to the upper course of the Alcantara river, which passes to the north of the volcano and separates it from the adjacent Peloritani mountains. The snow-covered mountain is seen here at sunset, a scene of peace and serenity. But at the same time, three of Etna's four summit craters are in eruption, and frequent swarms of earthquakes raise fears about an impending flank eruption (which actually is still nearly four years away)

Etna photo gallery: 1997
Life on Etna, part 2: The eruptive activity


Continuation of the photographic record of eruptive activity in 1997. Here we see the images of August through November 1997 (after that I returned to Etna only in early January 1998), which show the volcano in great splendor. Unfortunately it was during this period that my camera went on strike (the aperture mechanism did not function well), and the photos of two summit visits on 28 September and 9 October were lost. It was Murphy's Law that did function very well instead, for on 28 September the Bocca Nuova was more impressive than during any other of the 1997 visits: the intracrater cone in its northwestern part had grown considerably, with an 80 m-diameter summit vent that was filled with a very active lava lake, which could be observed relatively safely. By 9 October much of this lake had frozen over and activity occurred in a relatively small area on its western side. One month later, when I had again a working camera, the same cone had grown to about 50 m below the rim of the Bocca Nuova, and thus stood about 100 m above the pre-1997 elevation of the crater floor. The rapid filling of the enormous pit of the Bocca Nuova stimulated the phantasy of all who study and love the volcano: sooner or later the crater would be filled to overflow, and there would be a great show... This show did actually come two years later, in October-November 1999.

Seventh summit visit, 5 August 1997

Bocca Nuova, 5 August 1997

Active cone in the northwestern vent area of the Bocca Nuova on the afternoon of 5 August 1997. Vigorous lava splashing occurs at a 30 m-diameter vent lying about 100 m below the observation point on the northwestern crater rim

 Bocca Nuova, 5 August 1997
Bocca Nuova, 5 August 1997

Left: a jet of fluid lava shoots obliquely from the northwestern vent of the Bocca Nuova
Right: explosive activity at the southeastern vent area of the Bocca Nuova is visibly less intense than that at the northwestern vent, but explosions are accompanied by powerful "cannon-shot" detonations

 Bocca Nuova, 5 August 1997
Bocca Nuova, 5 August 1997

Activity in the Bocca Nuova at nightfall on 5 August 1997. The more vigorously active northwestern vent is seen in right foreground, while two less active vents of the southeastern vent area are seen in left background

 Bocca Nuova, 5 August 1997

Bocca Nuova, 5 August 1997
Looking down into the fiery mouth of the northwestern cone within the Bocca Nuova on the evening of 5 August 1997
Voragine, 5 August 1997

Left: wide-angle view of the enormous pit of the Voragine shortly before sunset on 5 August 1997. The small cone on the crater floor continues in mild Strombolian activity. View is from north
Left: the small intracrater cone of the Voragine in action, 5 August 1997

 Voragine, 5 August 1997
Voragine, 5 August 1997

Eruptive activity at the intracrater cone of the Voragine on the evening of 5 August 1997. The depth of the crater at that time is slightly less than 80 m

 Voragine, 5 August 1997
Southeast Crater, 5 August 1997

Left: the Southeast Crater seen from the Northeast Crater on 5 August 1997, with mild Strombolian activity at its intracrater cone
Left: seen from much closer, and later that evening, the activity of the small intracrater cone becomes an awesome show

Southeast Crater, 5 August 1997
Southeast Crater, 5 August 1997

The Southeast Crater at its best, late on 5 August 1997. Where on Earth can you get images like these? Right photograph shows small lava flow issuing on left (northwestern) side of the active intracrater cone and the Catania-Acireale area in the background; lights of Augusta (about 50 km to the south) are in the distance. Bright star at top of image is Venus

 Southeast Crater, 5 August 1997

Eighth summit visit, 11 August 1997

Southeast Crater, 11 August 1997

Southeast Crater, 11 August 1997
The Southeast Crater's intracrater cone in mild but beautiful activity at sunset on 11 August 1997. The site of lava emission, which had been relatively stable on the northeastern flank of the cone has shifted to a new site on the western side of the cone, and a brightly glowing ribbon of lava is flowing down to the southern portion of the crater depression. This visit lasted only a few minutes, because one of the persons accompanying me suffered a crisis of anxiety at the sight of the eruptive activity, although it was considerably less intense than during any of the previous visits

Ninth summit visit, 30 August 1997

Bocca Nuova, 30 August 1997

Left: on 30 August 1997, activity in the northwestern sector of the Bocca Nuova is concentrated at two small vents, but dense gas hampers visibility
Right: in contrast, the Southeast Crater is once more well accessible and provides yet another great show

 Southeast Crater, 30 August 1997
Southeast Crater, 30 August 1997

Left: explosive activity at the intracrater cone of the Southeast Crater, and numerous glowing spots on the flanks of the cone indicate slow lava effusion in many places
Right: another zoom on the summit of the intracrater cone of the Southeast Crater on the evening of 30 August 1997

 Southeast Crater, 30 August 1997

Southeast Crater, 30 August 1997
Gorgeous show of the Southeast Crater on the evening of 30 August 1997. This was the last time one could stand on the rim of the crater, look down onto its erupting intracrater cone and see the lights of Catania and surrounding towns in the background. One month later the cone had grown higher than the observation spot and thus no further views into its vent were possible

Tenth summit visit, 3 September 1997

Roby Carniel, 3 September 1997
Roberto Carniel, one of the authors of the fabulous web site "Stromboli On-line", sitting on the least comfortable terrain one can sit (and walk) on: the lava field filling the Southeast Crater. Photograph was taken on 3 September 1997
Southeast Crater, 3 September 1997

Southeast Crater, 3 September 1997

 Southeast Crater, 3 September 1997
Three panoramic views of the Southeast Crater on 3 September 1997, largely filled by the ever-growing intracrater cone and the surrounding lava field. Height of the intracrater cone is approximately 40 m, and its summit is now as high as the highest point of the old rim of the Southeast Crater (seen in the background of the photos). The broad, much taller cone visible in the background of the photographs at left and right is the central summit cone that hosts the Voragine and the Bocca Nuova
Southeast Crater, 3 September 1997 Southeast Crater, 3 September 1997 Southeast Crater, 3 September 1997
Intracrater cone of the Southeast Crater in explosive activity, 3 September 1997. Note the tiny lava flow that has issued from a spot below the summit vent in the photographs at left and right
Southeast Crater, 3 September 1997

Southeast Crater, 3 September 1997

 Southeast Crater, 3 September 1997
Left: another look toward the intracrater cone from east-northeast, showing long-lived effusive vent of July 1997 (inactive since early August) on near side of the cone. Center and right: small active lava lobe advancing slowly along southern wall of the Southeast Crater, 3 September 1997

Eleventh summit visit, 28 September 1997

The photos were taken by geologist Carmelo Monaco, University of Catania

Bocca Nuova, 28 September 1997
On 28 September 1997, the northwestern vent area of the Bocca Nuova has transformed into an enormous cauldron filled with strongly bubbling lava, about 80 m in diameter. Due to the vigorous activity, it was wise to stay on the rim of the Bocca Nuova only for a few minutes; high attention was warranted not only by the frequent dense lava jets rising high above the crater rim but also by the presence of numerous fresh bombs up to a distance of 50 m from the rim
Voragine, 28 September 1997

Southeast Crater, 28 September 1997

 Southeast Crater, 28 September 1997
Photos from the 28 September 1997 visit to Etna's summit craters. Left: a surprising view into the Voragine, where a small patch of lava has covered the deeper portion of the crater floor and half-buried the small intracrater cone formed during the previous >2months. The time of this lava outflow is unknown, and no effusive activity is seen at the time of the visit, but very weak Strombolian bursts occur from a fissure at the top of the intracrater cone. Center: intracrater cone of the Southeast Crater, now about as high as the highest point on the crater rim, and Etna's shadow can be seen falling on the Ionian Sea in the background. Compared to the previous visits, the Southeast Crater is in a lazy mood on this day. For the first 30 minutes of observations it only emits white vapor, but eventually resumes its mild Strombolian activity (photo at right)

Twelvth summit visit, 9 October 1997

The only photos taken during that visit (by Marco Fulle) are available at Stromboli On-line, but they certainly are much more beautiful than any of those I would have made had my camera worked correctly!

Thirteenth summit visit, 6 November 1997

Bocca Nuova, 6 November 1997
Last visit to Etna in 1997, and the Bocca Nuova does the big show. The cone in the northwestern part of the crater has grown to impressive height, its summit standing only about 50 m below the low western crater rim. And its activity is absolutely marvellous, especially at sunset, as in the photograph above (6 November 1997)
Bocca Nuova, 6 November 1997

Left: an unusually clear look at the southeastern vent area of the Bocca Nuova, showing large cone leaning against crater wall
Right: two eruptive vents lie at the top of the huge intracrater cone in the northwestern part of the Bocca Nuova, 6 November 1997

Bocca Nuova, 6 November 1997
Bocca Nuova, 6 November 1997

Left: Strombolian activity at both vents at the summit of the large nortwestern cone of the Bocca Nuova on the evening of 6 November 1997
Right: beautiful Strombolian burst at the larger of the two vents, captured in a short exposure contrasting with the usual long exposures of Strombolian activity

 Bocca Nuova, 6 November 1997

Return to the Etna photo gallery

 

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

Page set up on 30 June 2003
Hosted by VolcanoDiscovery