ETNA VOLCANO PHOTOS
- flank eruption on both Etna's N and S side in 2002: the eruptive fissure on the N side -
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27-28 October: first views of fiery Etna during the night |
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Etna and the active fissure seen from the pass between
Novara and Francavilla di Sicilia during the night of 27-28
October. |
Lights of Castiglione di Sicilia and an ignited Etna in the background. | Almost there: explosions behind the last ridge between the eruption and us! | |
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28 October early morning: lava fountains from the 1800m fissure vents on Etna's N flank |
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| 26 hours after the sudden onset of the eruption: The lower part of the fissure on the N side of Etna with 10-15 active vents. Lava fountains reaching 100m height are rising constantly from 7 vents. | In the right background, the ash-plume emitted from the S fissure on the other side of the mountain is visible. | The upper part of the N fissure has already ceased to erupt. The lava flows from them are still degassing. |
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| Occasionally, one of the craters produces dense ash-plumes. | Close views of the 50-100 m high lava fountain from the lowermost vents. | |
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28 October |
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The shadow of the observer (l) and Stephane (r) relaxing on a wonderful clear day (on the upwind side of Etna...) enjoying the view over the active fissure... |
Active craters and bursting magma bubbles. | ||
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The new crater row, Sicily, the Straight of Messina and Calabria in the background. |
Stephane observes the diminished activity from Monte Nero. |
The lava fountain from the lowermost vents remains stable throughout the day. |
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28 October: evening and night |
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Sunrays illuminate the steam and ash clouds emitted from various vents: below steam from the (now inactive) upper vents of the N fissure at ca. 2500m, in the back right steam from NE crater and Bocca Nuova, in the back left a powerful ash-plume from the S-fissure behind the summit drifting towards Catania. |
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Exploding magma bubble. During such explosions, the ground was strongly shaken. Instead of continuous lava fountains, all but the lowermost vents have changed to powerful strombolian activity. |
The fissure with at at least 7 visibly active vents. |
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| Lava flows and ejected material from a methane explosion (l) caused by burning vegetation. | Lava flow emerging from the middle vent. | Explosions from the upper vents. |
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The active vents of the fissure fall into two clusters: a group of 2 or 3 vents on the lowest part of the fissure (left picture) with strombolian activity and 4 major vents in a row above (right picture). The lowest one of these 4 vents is still continuously fountaining. Lava flows emerge from the base of the cones and move towards the left. |
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Strombolian activity illuminates Monte Frumento. The silhouette of the NE crater and stars in the background. |
Powerful bursts of exploding bubbles shower the NW side of Monte Frumento with bombs which cause causing small bush fires. |
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30 October: morning |
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Breaking of day. Lava flows with lights of the town of Linguaglossa in background. |
L: Strombolian explsoions from the upper craters. R: Powerful ash emissions begin to appear intermittently from one of the middle vents in the active row, probably related to beginning subsidence of the magma column and internal collapse. |
The upper part of the fissure in strong activity. In the background, the ash plume from the S vent. | |
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The intermittent fountains from the lowest (l) and the middle (r) main vents. |
The activity has concentrated on a group of 4 vents on the upper part of the active fiissure. The lowest one is fountaining, the others are in strombolian activity. |
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31 October |
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The activity has diminished considerably on the N side. Lava fountaining has given place to sporadic strombolian activity at the row of the upper vents. One of them emits dense ash plumes. |
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The vents at 2500m elevation on the N fissure are steaming and emitting ash, but no coarse material is ejected. |
The plume from the S fissure towering over the summit of Etna. |
Cooling lava flows from the uppermost vents (ca. 2500m elevation) of the N fissure. |
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Marco standing in front of a fractures on the interrupted access road from the N side to the summit area. |
Bottomless collapsed pit craters on the upper extension of the N fractures. |
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Before using text and photos of this page elsewhere please contact Tom Pfeiffer.
© Tom Pfeiffer, page last modified 31 January 2004.
