Mount Etna’s northeastern crater has lit up Sicily’s winter sky with a renewed burst of Strombolian activity.
The eruptions, visible even from nearby ski slopes, have given tourists and locals a rare nighttime display. At 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, a 2.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Etna area at a depth of 32 kilometres, marking another sign of the volcano’s restless state.
Experts say this phase of activity, while not unusual for Etna, remains under close observation.
The last time this particular crater produced a lava fountain was in 1998, making this weekend’s eruption a striking reminder of the mountain’s constant vitality.