3. Series of “stratovolcanoes” – cone like
volcano which is built up through magma
hardening as a result of eruptions
Located along the eastern coast of Sicily, Italy
10,900 feet high
Eruption radius of 600 miles
Base circumference is 93 miles
4. Two central craters in
Mount Etna
1. “Bocca Nuovo” –
northern crater
2. “Voragine”- southeast
crater that was recently
formed during an eruption
Valle del Bove- largest
feature in Etna, horseshoe
shaped caldera located on
the eastern slope
Fissions and vents which
pose the greatest threat to
inhabitants today
5. Longest record of activity in the world
122 B.C. – Roman records make note of black
clouds from a large eruption blocking the sun
causing damage to Catania
Catania also suffered from eruptions in 45
A.D., 1169, and 1669
1669- Eruption causes an earthquake which
killed 1500 people in Nicoli and despite a
damage control attempt, damages Catania,
taking out half of the town
6. 1928- village named Mascali was taken out entirely as a result of a fissure
opening up on the bottom of the mountain
1960- agricultural land surrounding Etna was corrupted by ash and lava
“OperationVolcano Buster”- locals in Zafferana built dams to contain
lava and when almost full, the U.S. Marines flew in huge blocks of
concrete in order to contain the lava
Despite this effort, many homes, farms, fields, orchards, and vineyards
were destroyed
November 2013 – did not endanger any houses and no evacuation was
necessary
7. Despite being the cause of much
destruction among Sicily, Mount
Etna is considered a blessing
Mount Etna’s eruptions have
provided the population with a
mineral-rich soil with vital
nutrients essential to prolific
farming
Attracts tourism
One of the only volcanos in the
world which emit smoke rings
from time to time
Was featured in StarWars:
Revenge of the Sith in order to
depict the fictional planet
“Mustafar”
