|
WARNING: Etna
is currently showing only weak (if any) eruptive activity at
the summit craters, but as always visits to the summit area
expose escursionists to high risks, especially those risks related
to unstable weather conditions.
In late August 2001, two excursionists were killed by lightning
near the summit, and in early September, five other excursionists
had to be rescued during another thunderstorm.
Tourism
has resumed on Etna after the end of the recent eruption. Excursions
to 2800 m elevation are currently possible from Piano Provenzana
on the northern flank, and since a few days tourists can go
in Jeeps to about 2500 m elevation on the southern flank. The
lava flows and the lowermost eruptive fissure near the Rifugio
Sapienza and the cable car base station are easily accessible,
but the vent areas are still unstable and should be approached
only very carefully, preferably with a local mountain guide.
The mountain guides and excursion services can be contacted
at the cable car building (near the Rifugio Sapienza on the
southern flank), telephone +39-095-914141; or at the Hotel Le
Betulle (Piano Provenzana on the northern flank), telephone
+39-095-643430. Further information (in Italian) is available
on the Funivia
dell'Etna web site.
|
The latest update is near the bottom of this page
8
September 2001 update.
There
has been no eruptive activity anywhere on Etna since 10 August, the
day when the spectacular and destructive summit-flank eruption ended
after little more than three weeks. Unfortunately, since then there
have been more victims caused by (essentially easily avoidable) accidents
than have been caused by eruptive activity at Etna in the past 14
years. On 22 August, a couple from Switzerland was killed by lightning
in the Punta Lucia area at about 2900 m elevation, only about 1 km
W of the Northeast Crater. They had climbed from Piano Provenzana
on the northern flank and were neither equipped for the tour (both
wore sandals and light clothes) nor were they prepared for the unstable
weather which usually affects the Etna region in late August-September.
A similar accident had occurred almost exactly two years before, when
an Israelian tourist was killed by lightning at about 2000 m elevation
on the northern flank.
Only ten days later, on 1 September, a group of excursionists who
had also gone to the summit area from Piano Provenzana was caught
in a violent thunderstorm. Fortunately a search party aided by mountain
guides was able to rescue these people in time; also in this case
it was observed that the excursionists were not correctly equipped
for the tour to the summit area of the mountain.
These accidents once more confirm that many visitors to Etna are completely
unaware of the risks of unguided excursions, and very often they wear
only light clothes, sandals, they do not carry enough water and food
on long excursions, in many cases they go alone, without any maps,
compasses and communication means such as cell phones. In the past
three years five people have been killed by accidents on Etna, whereas
the last time people died in an eruption was in 1987, and in that
case they were killed close to the Southeast Crater by a small phreatic
explosion.
So the eruption is over, but only now is the scientific community
beginning to dig through the huge pile of data that poured in during
that event. One thing that can be said for sure already is that this
has been the best monitored eruption of Etna so far, and it is likely
that this will make us learn more about this volcano than has been
learned in more than 2000 years of history before. It has also been
understood, while the eruption was still ongoing, that this was one
of the most unusual eruptions of Etna in the past few centuries, and
it was also one of the most violent (in terms of explosivity) flank
eruptions of this volcano in the past century.
As could be expected, some of the first results emerging from recent
scientific research have immediately caused controversy. A paper published
in the 30 August 2001 of the renowned journal "Nature" by
P. Schiano et al. announces that Etna is currently changing behavior,
from a more benign hot-spot type eruptive style, to a more violent,
subduction-related activity. Some Italian researchers have rejected
this hypothesis, and of course the discussion of the article in the
news media has triggered an apprehensive reaction among the people
living around Etna. An in-depth discussion of this subject can be
found toward the end of the new "Etna
2001 page".
13
September 2001 update.
11 September
2001 will remain in human memory as one of the most mournful days
of modern history, and the bit of news that comes with this update
from Etna seems absolutely bland compared to the shock and terror
which overwhelmed the world on that day. What ever has been said about
Etna in the mass media during the large eruption of July-August 2001,
it is necessary to underline that volcanoes only do what the physical
laws of this planet force them to do, and those who live nearby usually
know very well that they coexist with potentially dangerous neighbors
and take that risk.
On 11 September Etna seems to have returned to its usual business.
During a summit visit on that day loud explosions occurred from the
northwestern vent of the Bocca Nuova at intervals of 5-10 minutes.
Observers standing on the rim of that vent during one of these explosions
did not see any rock fragments rising from the deep inner pit of that
vent and no noises of falling ejecta could be heard. Each blast, however,
was followed by a dense gas puff that rose higher than the continuous
gas plume issuing from the pit. Local mountain guides who were about
3 km away also heard the explosion sounds and remarked that no such
noises had been heard ever since the July-August eruption had ended
on 10 August.
The explosions heard on 11 September might mark the resumption of
eruptive activity at the summit, which had been expected to occur
sooner or later. It is possible that during the next weeks to months
this activity will intensify and extend to some of the other summit
craters, and that this activity will be very similar to that observed
between July 1995 and July 2001.
The discussion about the possible changing behavior of Etna is now
available on the new "Etna 2001 page".
28
September 2001 update.
No new
information is available about the current state of the summit craters
of Etna, but it is possible that some deep-seated explosive activity
is continuing in the Bocca Nuova, as gas emissions from that crater
have appeared more vigorous at times during the past few weeks. While
a dense gas plume is rising rather passively from the Northeast Crater,
a somewhat more dilute plume coming from the Bocca Nuova is sometimes
rising in distinct "puffs". All other areas on Etna appear
currently quiet. The new cones formed during the July-August 2001
eruption on the S flank (mainly at 2570 and 2100 m elevation) are
still emitting heat and minor amounts of gas, but it can be excluded
that there will be any further activity at these sites. It is hoped
to obtain new information about the current activity during a summit
visit planned for the next few days.
5
October 2001 update.
No new
daylight observations of activity at the summit craters of Etna have
been made, mostly due to cloud cover. Regular observations made by
Giuseppe Scarpinati (Italian delegate of the Paris-based "Association
Européenne Volcanologique") after nightfall has
not revealed any incandescence at the summit or elsewhere. Etna thus
seems to continue in relative quiet, and a resumption of visible eruptive
activity might occur sometime during the forthcoming months.
16
October 2001 update.
There
is not much to say about eruptive activity at Etna in this moment.
It seems that the volcano is currently quiet, with only some degassing
taking place at the summit craters, mostly at the Northeast Crater.
To mention a non-eruptive event that has taken place recently, a portion
of the western crater rim of the scoria cone formed during the July-August
2001 eruption at 2100 m elevation has collapsed into the vent, blocking
a narrow open pit that was visible there at least through late September.
The exact time of this collapse is unknown. The collapsed sector of
the crater rim had been crowded with tourists during the weeks after
the eruption although extensive fracturing around the vent had indicated
that collapse was likely.
Nearly two months after the eruption began, work is underway to free
the Provincial Road 92 (which connects the Rifugio Sapienza area with
Zafferana) from two lava flows which buried a 500 m-wide section of
it during July 2001. It is expected that the road will be functional
in 2001.
The July-August 2001 eruption and its precursors
(the spectacular paroxysmal eruptive episodes at the Southeast Crater
in June-July 2001) are featured on many web pages that contain additional
information, highly spectacular images, and video clips. These will
hopefully make up for the lack of photos on this page (I will post
them as soon as I have my office computer back to working fully)
The July-August 2001 eruption
- a new page on this web site, with an in-depth analysis of the events
and related public reactions, mass media coverage, eruptive products,
morphological changes, and a discussion of the recent paper in "Nature"
about the changing behavior of Etna. Includes a map and press photos
View a streaming video clip with
Boris Behncke interviewed by Dana Friesen of NBC channel on 2 August
2001 (courtesy of MSNBC). Windows Media Player is needed
The most instructive web page
on the 2001 eruption so far (but in Italian only), created by Lisetta
Giacomelli and Roberto Scandone
The "official" Etna
2001 eruption web site at the Catania section of the National Institute
of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), contains a preliminary map of
the lava flows
Photos of the eruption at the
Roma section of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology
(INGV)
Etna eruption 2001: a page produced
by the GNV (National Group for Volcanology) and hosted by Vulcanoesplorazioni.com,
with photos, maps and movie clips
"Emergenza Etna" -
the Etna emergency, presented by the Italian Department of Civil Protection
(includes simulations of the lava flows)
Charles Rivière's Etna
home page, with frequent updates, photos, video clips: Rivière
was at Etna almost continuously during the 2001 eruption
Davide Corsaro's (of the Hotel
Corsaro) "Etna FAQ", a nice and entertaining resource with
many references to this Etna News page (grazie Davide!)
Tom Pfeiffer (University of Arhus,
Denmark) has stunning photos of:
the precursory activity at the SE Crater in the spring of 2001 and
of the July-August 2001 eruption (scroll down to "Etna photos")
Alain Catté (Association Volcanologique
Européenne) is currently working on a page on the 2001 eruption (we
went together to see the incredibly spectacular activity at the "Monte
del Lago" (also called "cono del laghetto") one evening
during the eruption)
Thorsten Boeckel's web site (Germany) contains various
pages with photos and video clips of the SE Crater activity in the
spring of 2001 and of the July-August 2001 eruption
www.vulkane.net, a German homepage about volcanoes made
by my former colleagues (at the University of Bochum) Marc Szeglat
and Daniela Szcze
Jean Louis Piette from Belgium, who visits Etna every year,
and who always has something good to drink when we meet on the volcano,
presents his impressions of the July-August 2001 eruption
Alain Melchior, also from Belgium and partner in crime
of Jean-Louis Piette, has set up his Etna 2001 page, with nice 3D
animations and digital elevation models of Etna and photos, video
clips and other items are planned to appear on this site soon
Eurimage has spectacular satellite (Landsat, ERS) views
of the July-August 2001 eruption
www.vulcanoetna.com, a web site maintained by Andrea Fiore,
has impressive photos and videos of the eruption
Photos taken during the eruption on 20 July 2001 at www.sicilian.net
Photos and reports on a field trip with OUGS-ME (Open University
Geological Society - Mainland Europe) in May 2001, with a visit to
the erupting SE Crater
The Catania-based newspaper "La Sicilia" has
published numerous articles on the eruption. Here is a page dedicated
to the eruption, with photos, video clips and links
