Thread by @BiIndia

#Europe’s tallest active volcano has been spewing lava for three weeks — and now its raining stones and ash on the villages below

#Environment #Etna

businessinsider.in/science/enviro…

By @pabsgill

@pabsgill Italy’s famed active volcano, #Etna, has been spewing lava for over three weeks.

#Environment

@pabsgill On Sunday, March 7, the fiery mountain on the eastern coast of Sicily let out its tenth big blast of the season since February 16. Only this time, it also rained down ash and small lava stones on the town nearby.

#MountEtna #Environment

@pabsgill According to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology ( INGV), the giant exploded at approximately 2:00 am local time, pushing the column of ash and lava to a height of 10,000 metres.

#MountEtna #Environment

@pabsgill The lava down below did not change direction and continues to flow from the southeast crater — down the side of the volcano that does not house any residents. “This activity is still ongoing and the INGV is constantly monitoring its development,” the agency said in a statement.

@pabsgill However, the blast did result in ash and small lava stones causing damage to eight villages along #MountEtna’s slopes. Sicily’s governor Nello Musumeci has declared a state of crisis in the most affected regions, according to a local news outlet Tg2.

#Environment

@pabsgill One of these regions is Giarre, where the photos show streets covered in ash and lava stones that broke through windows. According to Musumeci, new vehicles will be brought in to help clear the roads.

#MountEtna #Environment

@pabsgill There is nothing new about Etna spewing out volcanic ash, molten rocks and lava. On this day, in 1669, an eruption at Mount Etna killed 20,000 people. According to INGV’s Marco Neri, #Etna’s most recent explosions have been “most violent in the Southeast Crater's young history.”

@pabsgill In 1983, engineers used dynamite to divert lava away from homes. And, in 1992, the army had to build an earthen wall to protect one of the village’s on Etna’s slopes.

#MountEtna #Environment