Mount Etna is Europe's highest(3350 metres above the ground) and most active volcano. It towers above the city Catania in Sicily. It has been growing for 500,000 years and is also currently in the midst of a series of eruptions which began in 2001. Surprisingly more than 25% of Sicily's population lives on Mount Etna's slopes, due to the rich volcanic soil. It is the main source of income for the island, both from agriculture and tourism. Mount Etna has been subjected to a number of different volcanic eruptions whicinclude voluminous lava flows and violent eruptions.
Mount Etna has been associated with the subduction of the African Plate under the Eurasian Plate, which also created other volcanoes such as Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei. However it is part of the Calabrian Volcanic Arc rather than the Campanian Arc. Several different theories have been proposed to explain Mount Etna's geographic position and eruption history. These include rifting processes, a hot spot, and intersection of structural breaks in the crust. Scientist have so far been unable to decide which theory best fits their data and are using many different methods to build a clear image of the Earth's crust below the volcanoMount Etna consists of two edifices: an
ancient shield volcano at its base, and the younger Mongibello stratovolcano, which was built on top of the shield. The basaltic shield volcano eruptions began about 500,000 years ago while the stratovolcano began forming about 35,000 years ago from more trachytic lavas.
Huge volumes of partly molten rock have forced their way upward within Sicily's Mount Etna since 1994, according to a new study of earthquakes under the volcano and bulges at its surface.
Issues associated with Mount Etna
Eruptions caused by Mount Etna have been relatively gentle and many volcanologists agree that it poses nowhere near as much of a threat as that of Mount Helen. However it has caused many issues with nearby towns. Ash falls from Mount Etna have damaged the agriculture and tourism industry. Dozens of structures have been destroyed by lava flows both on the slopes and in the nearby city of Catania. One of the reasons for the continued damage to the economy of Sicily during the past decade is that scientists have failed to get a good grasp of the magma resevoirs below the volcano's summit, making it hard to predict future volcanic activity.
Solution to inpredictable volcanic activity
There is now a solution to the predicting Mount Etna's activity. Surveys of ground deformation during the past 8 years and detailed seismic records have shed light on these hidden structures. In a study published online by Science on 6 February, a team led by volcanologist Domenico Patanè of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisicae Vulcanologia in Catania reports the locations and rupture patterns of 647 earthquakes near and under the mountain. There research has revealed changes in the slope and altitude along the volcanos flanks.
By combining the two approaches, Patanè and his colleagues concluded that the magma has been injected from a depth of 6 to 15 kilometers below sea level, into a series of resevoirs closer to the Earth's surface. This process dramatically raised pressure levels in Etna's plumbing system. In addition, Patanè noted that the magma stored in the resevoirs was rich in gas, creating very explosive lava fountains and ash clouds. He quoted "It sems probable that the next eruptions could occur at relatively brief intervals." The volcano flanks were "intensely fractured." The study conducted by the group has provided volcanologists with the most realistic model of the internal dynamics of Mount Etna.
It is very hard to predict a volcano's activity but having a detailed insight of the structure of the volcano itself can prove very useful in improving the success of future predictions. Early warning signs based using data collected can help warn Sicily's population and give them enough time to evacuate the danger zone. This study is a very successful solution, prevention of volcaninc eruptions and damage are near impossible so only the reduction of damage is possible. Improved warning and detections systems would be the only way to help the population of Sicily.
Case Study
Crops growing in an area near Mount Etna were ready to be harvested during the course of a 3 month eruption. The produce was still being sold in markets but had to be cleaned of ash beforehand, this might sound easy but in fact, the ash was so adhered to the fruit that a simple rinse would barely remove any of it. Grapes in particular had to be washed individually to avoid any chance of ingestion of ash. As a result, the grape crop was completely, economically ruined, this was also the case with the citrus fruit. In addition, mechanical processing of of fruit was stopped because the ash would damage the machinery. Half of the orange crop was destroyed by ashfall and most of the crop had received less tan 3mm of ash. It was estimated that 80% of vegetable crops were lost as well as 75% of agricultural jobs as the crops could not be harvested.
Mount Etna has been associated with the subduction of the African Plate under the Eurasian Plate, which also created other volcanoes such as Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei. However it is part of the Calabrian Volcanic Arc rather than the Campanian Arc. Several different theories have been proposed to explain Mount Etna's geographic position and eruption history. These include rifting processes, a hot spot, and intersection of structural breaks in the crust. Scientist have so far been unable to decide which theory best fits their data and are using many different methods to build a clear image of the Earth's crust below the volcanoMount Etna consists of two edifices: an
ancient shield volcano at its base, and the younger Mongibello stratovolcano, which was built on top of the shield. The basaltic shield volcano eruptions began about 500,000 years ago while the stratovolcano began forming about 35,000 years ago from more trachytic lavas.
Huge volumes of partly molten rock have forced their way upward within Sicily's Mount Etna since 1994, according to a new study of earthquakes under the volcano and bulges at its surface.
Issues associated with Mount Etna
Eruptions caused by Mount Etna have been relatively gentle and many volcanologists agree that it poses nowhere near as much of a threat as that of Mount Helen. However it has caused many issues with nearby towns. Ash falls from Mount Etna have damaged the agriculture and tourism industry. Dozens of structures have been destroyed by lava flows both on the slopes and in the nearby city of Catania. One of the reasons for the continued damage to the economy of Sicily during the past decade is that scientists have failed to get a good grasp of the magma resevoirs below the volcano's summit, making it hard to predict future volcanic activity.
Solution to inpredictable volcanic activity
There is now a solution to the predicting Mount Etna's activity. Surveys of ground deformation during the past 8 years and detailed seismic records have shed light on these hidden structures. In a study published online by Science on 6 February, a team led by volcanologist Domenico Patanè of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisicae Vulcanologia in Catania reports the locations and rupture patterns of 647 earthquakes near and under the mountain. There research has revealed changes in the slope and altitude along the volcanos flanks.
By combining the two approaches, Patanè and his colleagues concluded that the magma has been injected from a depth of 6 to 15 kilometers below sea level, into a series of resevoirs closer to the Earth's surface. This process dramatically raised pressure levels in Etna's plumbing system. In addition, Patanè noted that the magma stored in the resevoirs was rich in gas, creating very explosive lava fountains and ash clouds. He quoted "It sems probable that the next eruptions could occur at relatively brief intervals." The volcano flanks were "intensely fractured." The study conducted by the group has provided volcanologists with the most realistic model of the internal dynamics of Mount Etna.
It is very hard to predict a volcano's activity but having a detailed insight of the structure of the volcano itself can prove very useful in improving the success of future predictions. Early warning signs based using data collected can help warn Sicily's population and give them enough time to evacuate the danger zone. This study is a very successful solution, prevention of volcaninc eruptions and damage are near impossible so only the reduction of damage is possible. Improved warning and detections systems would be the only way to help the population of Sicily.
Case Study
Crops growing in an area near Mount Etna were ready to be harvested during the course of a 3 month eruption. The produce was still being sold in markets but had to be cleaned of ash beforehand, this might sound easy but in fact, the ash was so adhered to the fruit that a simple rinse would barely remove any of it. Grapes in particular had to be washed individually to avoid any chance of ingestion of ash. As a result, the grape crop was completely, economically ruined, this was also the case with the citrus fruit. In addition, mechanical processing of of fruit was stopped because the ash would damage the machinery. Half of the orange crop was destroyed by ashfall and most of the crop had received less tan 3mm of ash. It was estimated that 80% of vegetable crops were lost as well as 75% of agricultural jobs as the crops could not be harvested.
![Picture](/uploads/5/8/1/0/5810162/1378091340.jpg)
This is a simplified plate tectonics cross-section showing how Mount Etna is located above a subduction zone formed where the Eurasian and African plates collide. In this
subduction zone a window has torn in the subducting slab.
subduction zone a window has torn in the subducting slab.