Photos: The eruption of Mount Etna

In a fiery spray of lava and ash, Italy’s Mount Etna erupted on July 4, sending molten rock cascading down one of Europe’s most active volcanoes and causing a temporary shutdown of the Catania Airport in Sicily.

Located on the eastern coast of the Italian island, Mount Etna rises roughly 10,900 feet, making it the tallest active volcano in Europe. Derived from the Greek word “Aitne,” meaning “I burn,” Mount Etna reportedly had been showing signs of activity in the days leading up to the eruption, with intermittent bursts of lava spraying into the air.

During the actual eruption, Italian authorities noted that ash had spewed a jaw-dropping 4.5 kilometers (or about 14,764 feet) in the air, eventually falling back to Earth, in the process impeding airspace and covering airport runways and streets.

Italy’s Civil Protection Department warned locals and visitors alike to follow safety guidance and not enter forbidden areas during an eruption: “[I]t is dangerous to approach the crater area even if there is no eruptive activity as sudden explosive phenomena or gas emissions are always possible.”

The following day, neighboring volcano Mount Stromboli erupted as well, sending ash and lava into the air, with the latter rolling down into the sea off Sicily’s northern coast. A popular tourist spot among the Aeolian Islands, Stromboli last erupted in 2022. Mount Etna last erupted in November 2023.

Photos of the spectacular Mount Etna display have themselves erupted all over social media, with users on X capturing the billowing ash, smoke and fountain of lava spraying into the otherwise blue sky. Photographers on the island also captured onlookers watching the eruption from a safe distance.

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