Etna Volcano WARNING: Europe’s supervolcano is ‘UNSTABLE’ after 1,000 shocks in THREE DAYS
MOUNT Etna, the most active volcano in Europe, is “unstable and full of energy,” seismologists have warned, acknowledging the possibility of another devastating eruption after Boxing Day’s 5.0 magnitude earthquake – which has been followed by 1,000 aftershocks in just three days.
By CIARAN MCGRATH
Express.co.uk
Fri, Dec 28, 2018
Experts have confirmed the earthquake, which is located on the Fiandaca fault, is linked to the volcano’s heightened activity. Eugenio Privitera, director of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Catania (INGV), told Italian newspaper Courier: “We cannot rule out the opening of a new eruptive mouth at lower altitudes than the one opened on December 24th.” He stressed the quake was “closely linked to the new eruptive phase” of Etna, with an 9,500ft ash column and violent explosion causing a long fracture which starts from the base of the south-eastern crater of the Southeast.
A statement issued by INGV said: “From this cracking, there is a flow that is poured into the desert valley of the ox.”
The area is so remote that guides continued to bring tourists to visit the national Etna Park until two days ago.
The park’s volcanologist Salvo Caffo said: “Everything is part of the normal physiology of a complex structure that is among the most monitored in the world”.
High altitude eruptions are a major attraction for tourists, with ones which occur at low altitudes posing much more danger.
Mr Privitera said the quake of December 26, which he said occurred at a very shallow depth of just one kilometre, indicated the volcano had accumulated a lot of energy which was unable to “find an outlet”, with the consequence that it as trying to make its way through the rock along the fault known as Fiandaca, which runs from the Timpa of Acireale, “through the villages hit by the sequence of these days, up to Pian del Vescovo at 1,500 metres”.
He said this area was the “real crisis zone”, adding: “Here we recorded a significant increase in tremors.”
Unsurprisingly, in addition to an extensive network of 160 sensors on the volcano itself, 20 more were placed here, said head of the volcanic monitoring network Stefano Branca, adding: “We are ready to intercept the first signs of the soil cracking.”
However, he stressed there were other reasons to be concerned, explaining: “From a helicopter flight we have noticed that the flows are cooling down, while the emissions of sulphur dioxide from the summit craters are almost fivefold”.
Such data suggests Etna remains “very unstable”, with the pent-up energy inside still unable to find a point of release.
The Rest…HERE
