Etna awakes with storm of fire and lava
Pastor Dale Morgan
Etna awakes with storm of fire and lava*
By Malcolm Moore, Rome Correspondent
(Filed: 18/07/2006)
Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe, threw fire and rocks
more than 800ft into the air yesterday.
Spectacular: The explosions are coming from two holes near to the top of
the volcano
Etna, which is almost 11,000ft high, sits 18 miles from Catania on
Sicily's east coast. Several villages lie on its lower slopes, but the
Italian government said yesterday that the lava was flowing away from
them, and that there was no immediate danger.
The explosions are coming from two holes near to the top of the volcano,
creating a lava field more than a mile long which is flowing at a rate
faster than 90 cubic feet a minute. Even though the eruption has
continued for three days, scientists said it had lost little of its force.
Etna is in an almost constant state of activity, but is not considered
particularly dangerous and its slopes are home to farms and vineyards
that make use of the rich volcanic soil. The last major eruption was in
2002.