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In this article I am going to tell you about Etna and what it can do!
About Etna
Etna is Europe’s most active volcano, situated on the isle of Sicily in Italy. The latin name is Aetna, and the word came from the greek aithō ‘I burn’. The elevation of this volcano being about 10,900 feet or 3,320 metres. All active volcanoes vary in height - this one certainly does.
Towering over the city of Catania, it is the highest mountain in the southern alps. When you think of volcanoes you would think people would avoid living there but in actual fact 25% of Sicily’s population live in the shadow of this mountain, and the tourist industry on the island is at its peak there, so much so that you can ski with Etna smoking behind you!
An example of a recent eruption
In early 1992 Mount Etna erupted, this would be the start of a chain of eruptions that would last until March 1993. This eruption was one of the most famous eruptions of the 20th century.
By the time these eruptions got more serious it was obvious that the town of Zafferana was under threat. Dams were built to contain the lava flows into the Valledel Bove, unfortunately these were shortly topped by the immense flow of lava and the lava continued into the valley destroying vineyards, olive orchards and houses. The situation for Zafferana had just got a lot worse. So bad that in fact the US marines were called in.
In a mission called “operation volcano buster” the marines used helicopters to drop large blocks of concrete onto the end of a lava tunnel. Suspended underneath the helicopters were more slabs of rock acting as hammers to knock the dropped blocks into place. This slowed down the progression of the lava into Zafferana fortunately. But at the cost of several vineyards and houses.
Why does Etna erupt?
Etna erupts due to the fact that it is on a major tectonic plate boundary, the Eurasian Plate and the African plate. The heavy African plate sinks under the Eurasian plate because the African plate is covered by the water of the Mediterranean Sea, and the Eurasian plate has land above. Etna’s magma comes through the earth’s crust in
a break between the subduction of the African plate.
Prevention and Preparation
Amazingly, 25% of all Sicily’s population live on Etna’s slopes, but why? Well, the volcanic Soil around Etna is one of the most fertile in Italy, growing the most amazing fruit and veg. People also live on the slopes of this mountain for the love of it. Many of the towns surrounding Etna call it ‘mongibello’, meaning ‘the beautiful
mountain’. One resident of Zafferana laid a white tablecloth and some of the finest wine around, on the day he was having to leave his house before it was destroyed by the lava flow.
Safety Measures in place
As with any volcano, with so many people living very close to this natural phenomenon, many safety measures have to be put into place. A big part of keeping people and animals safe around volcanoes is to keep a very close watch on the seismic activity - this is done with instruments called seismometers. If an earthquake or tremor occurs, it is very important that volcanologists make sure that there is no threat of an eruption. The scientists that do this job are called volcanologists, they are specially trained to look into the actions of a volcano. Volcanoes like Etna will have many volcanologists working on it at the one time.
Cool Etna Facts
Etna has one of the longest history of recorded eruptions, with the first being recorded in just 425 BCE, and in 122 BCE roman taxes were cancelled for 10 years.
The roman god Vulcan was believed to have used the base of Etna for metal working.
Etna’s geological and atmospheric conditions make it similar to mars so many scientists have done experiments on robots fit for the red planet.
Etna was also used in ‘Star Wars’ ‘Revenge of the Sith’, for the planet ‘mustafar’.
