His Majesty Etna has a new record peak. The Southeast Crater reached 3357 meters in height

Etna has a new peak: no longer the North-East Crater, but its "younger brother", the South-East one which has reached 3357 m

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

New record for mum Etna. The highest active volcano in Europe has a new peak, which reaches i 3357 meters. For over thirty years the summit of Etna has always been considered the Northeast Crater, which in the 80s reached a maximum height of 3350 meters. This height, which has decreased over the years due to the collapse of its edges, settled at 2018 meters in the summer of 3326. Now, however, the record has been surpassed by the cone of the Southeast Crater, the "youngest" and the most active of the four Etna craters.

With about 50 paroxysmal episodes that have affected the South-East Crater of the volcano since 16 February 2021, Mount Etna has increased its height reaching 3357 meters above sea level - announced INGV Vulcani through a note published on Facebook - The events that took place in 2021 have accumulated considerable quantities of pyroclastic material and layers of lava on the cone of the Southeast Crater - the youngest and most active of the four summit craters of Etna, leading to a conspicuous transformation of the shape of the volcano. Thanks to the analysis and processing of satellite images, the South-East Crater has reached an altitude of 3357 m and is now far higher than its "big brother", the North-East Crater, which has been for 40 years. undisputed peak of Etna. This historical data, which has an uncertainty of 3 meters, was obtained through the processing of two triplets of images of the Pléiades satellites acquired on 13 and 25 July 2021, as part of the international partnership Geohazard Supersites and Natural Laboratories.

PRESS RELEASE INGV Etna surpasses itself. New record of height at 3357 meters With about 50 paroxysmal episodes that ...

Posted by INGVvulcani on Tuesday, August 10, 2021

In recent months' in Muntagna - as the citizens of Catania call it - it has completely changed its face following the continuous paroxysms that began last February and is still ongoing. Just look at comparing a photo from last year with a more recent one to see the incredible changes that have taken place in the shape of the volcano:

and here he is, our black beast, greeting the month of August 2021, after the paroxysm of this night. If before ...

Posted by Boris Behncke on Sunday, August 1, 2021

The sudden growth of the youngest crater of Etna surprised the experts and citizens who live on the slopes of the volcano. And most likely the new peak is even higher than what was communicated by the experts, considering that the data does not take into account two important paroxysms (both violent and spectacular) which took place between the end of July and the beginning of August and accompanied by loud roars. and ash emission.

He, the black beast, the last born of the 4 main children of the Mother; him: the Southeast Crater - comments the volcanologist of the INGV of Catania Boris Behncke - Some of you have seen it born, a sort of blowhole during the spring 1971 eruption. first meeting with him was in September 1989, when he has already presented himself in his typical way, with two paroxysms a day. We have seen it grow more and more rapidly, especially from 1998 onwards, then slow down, then create a new cone, make it "calmer" with the old one and grow further. After 2017 he seemed not to want to grow any more, perhaps he was reaching a limit determined by the laws of physics, perhaps he would not have made it, I thought. Instead of the laws of physics, he's making use of it in his own way, and since February 2021 he's started growing again, growing faster than ever, and finally made it.

At the moment Etna does not seem willing to rest. So all that remains is to watch how far he will be able to push himself!

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Source: INGV Volcanoes / Boris Behncke (Facebook)