Mount Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes, belched smoke and ashes in a new eruption on Monday, briefly forcing the closure of the airport of Catania in Sicily.

The ash cloud rose 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) into the air above a crater on the southeast of the volcano, the INGV National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology said on Twitter.

The nearby Vincenzo Bellini international airport in Catania closed at lunchtime Monday. Although it reopened after about two hours, it warned of delays.

Ash covered roads, balconies and the roofs of towns nearby, Italy's civil protection agency said.

The INGV said it had recorded a gradual rise in volcanic-seismic tremor -- induced by escaping gases -- which could be a sign Etna is heading towards another spectacular burst of fiery lava fountaining, known as paroxysmal activity.

At 3,324 metres (nearly 11,000 feet), Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe and has erupted frequently in the past 500,000 years.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

High-flying NASA 'NACHOS' instrument may help predict volcanic eruptions
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 21, 2022
NASA is launching a prototype instrument that could make it easier to monitor volcanic activity and air quality. Perched aboard a CubeSat about 300 miles (480 kilometers) above Earth's surface, the "Nanosat Atmospheric Chemistry Hyperspectral Observation System," or NACHOS, will use a compact hyperspectral imager to locate sources of trace gases in areas as small as 0.15 square miles (0.4 square kilometers) - about the size of the Mall of America in Minnesota. NACHOS is part of Northrop Grumman's 17th r ... read more