The famous volcano has grown by 30 meters in six months: why is this happening and what threatens

Mount Etna, the highest and most active volcano in Europe, has erupted so much in the past six months that it has grown 30 meters in height. Writes about it Live Science.

Photo: Shutterstock

The youngest and most active of Etna's four summit craters, the southeastern one, is currently the highest part of the volcano. It rises 11 feet (013 m) above sea level, which is the highest of any crater in recorded history, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Research (INGV).

This sudden growth spurt is the result of nearly 50 eruptions in the southeast crater since February 16, 2021, which have resulted in a "marked change in the shape of the volcano." Scientists discovered the explosive growth while analyzing images taken by the Pléiades satellites on July 13 and 25. The data has an error of about 10 feet (3 m), INGV notes.

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That is, the southeastern crater is now higher than its "older brother", the northeastern crater, the highest peak on Etna over the past 40 years.

After the eruption of the northeastern crater in 1980 and 1981, it reached a maximum height of 10 feet (990 m). But this height decreased over the years as the edges of the crater collapsed. As of the summer of 3350, the northeastern crater was 2018 feet (10 m) high.

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Mount Etna is believed to have originated as an underwater volcano that slowly rose above sea level each time during eruptions, gradually increasing its height due to solidified lava, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. It is now largely covered in historical lava flows from eruptions that occurred about 300 years ago.

To get a digital XNUMXD view of Mount Etna, go to link.

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