The monsters wakes up ! Katla Hekla Iceland Dead Zone and rift as uniform system ! A lot of others worldwide !

yeah, that Unzen eruption was a pivotal moment. I agree. it got lost in the Pinatubo run up and aftermath, but for some reason THAT eruption was very significant. It's a pity the Krafts died in it.

Pinatubo and Unzen. two eruptions that kick started the modern period of major problems in the ring of fire.

if each 250 years we are already, it turns out that we're even 12 years late already. for me also remarkable activity in recent years of many volcanoes that are silent with the 1850 -1880 period, there are a lot of mentions (this case period lesser, 130-160 years???).
i don't know this maximum or next (or next after next), but sure this will be remarkable in many ways.

is clearly seen how was the release from Etna
[link to www.sat24.com]

slope still burns
[link to www.etnaweb.net]

and about location of main event
[link to volcans.blogs-de-voyage.fr]
The New SE Crater went through a new eruptive episode this evening between 18:00 and 20:00 or so...

Etna 2 hours ago [link to www.youtube.com]

from far sight, 1,30 hours ago

lava visible again! [link to www.etnaweb.net]

great finds, first timee see such fast uploading to youtube and same fast and succesfull searches!

from here as you know... [link to volcanocafe.wordpress.com]

this is really impressive! Do you think it can be worse and more violent?

Newby says:

February 23, 2013 at 21:21


And another quake in Scicily. Smaller at 2.2 but 1km shallower at 9km and almost in the same spot as the larger 3.4.
[link to www.emsc-csem.org]
[link to volcanocafe.wordpress.com]

Hekla
[link to www.ruv.is]
what shines behind a pillar? moon on ice?
weird also that Burfell and Hella strain charts both broke...

Hawaii
[link to hvo.wr.usgs.gov]
...Within the Pu`u `O`o crater, the northeast spatter cone, now an open lava lake, sporadically overflowed lava onto the crater floor. The tiltmeter on the north flank of Pu`u `O`o cone recorded very weak deflation that was overwhelmed by rain-induced increases after 5:30 am this morning. Seismic tremor levels near Pu`u `O`o remained low. The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 300 tonnes/day on February 21, 2013, from all east rift zone sources; these values have typically been between 200 and 300 t/d from November through January and 300-400 t/d so far in February.
Outside the crater and across the northeast flank of Pu`u `O`o cone, multiple lava flow lobes, informally called the Kahauale`a flow, continued to be active on the northeast flank of Pu`u `O`o and on older flows north of Pu`u Kahauale`a to the base of the 2007 perched channel (visible in Pu`u `O`o East Thermal and North Webcams); at the base of the perched channel, the flow front split with the strongest activity going to the northeast and a small amount of lava going to the southwest.

Stromboli is also beginning to wake up
[link to www.ct.ingv.it]

Notice: lava (think possible pyroclastic flows) down and down the slope:
[link to www.etnaweb.net]

yes it's impressive!

look now!!! [link to www.etnaweb.net]

yeh, the last solar minimum had the lowest radiance ever recorded, and this maximum (whenever it peaks?) is just as weird -all earth facing side of sun just gone quiet for last 7 months or so, no-one got a clue why... last few pages on solar watch thread been talking bit about possible sustained minimum ..-ice age? yeh agree something weird
going on, rapidly,
rp
-ty both for info

woooow!! woooow!

Etna Ends the Week with Lava Flows

By Erik Klemetti
02.22.13
10:51 AM

Lava flows flowing down the slopes of Etna, seen on February 21, 2013. Image: Dr. Boris Behncke / Osservatorio Etneo.

It was a busy, busy week for the folks at the Osservatorio Etneo. Etna ended up producing four separate fountaining events that culminated in a number of new lava flows (see above) issuing down the flanks of the volcano from new vents below the New Southeast Crater. As of Friday evening, the flows were still moving into the Valle del Bove from this new period of vigorous activity at Etna. These eruptions were also producing a healthy ash plume that was detected up to 30,000 feet / 9 km over the volcano, drifting out over the sea, along with small lahars as well, likely produced by the lava interacting with the snow on the volcano. You can see how robust the activity was in this video of the eruption — strombolian explosions sent large lava fragments far from the main vent while the lava fountains themselves were likely well over 100 meters tall. The NASA Earth Observatory posted an infrared image of the activity on February 20 from Etna and you can clearly see the extent of the lava flow field on the southeastern sides of the edifice (especially well-contrasted over snow). Dr. Boris Behncke posted a series of pictures (see below) this morning of some minor new activity from the summit craters as well — making for an all-around astonishing week of volcanism on Sicily.

Puffs from a small explosive at the summit Bocca Nuova crater on Etna seen on February 21, 2013. Much of the activity of the last week was from the new Southeast Crater area, so this activity was unexpected. Image: Dr. Boris Behncke / Osservatorio Etneo.

After this week’s noise, you never know what Etna might do next — so keep an eye on all the webcams.
[link to www.wired.com]

[link to www.flickr.com]

tremor at NE crater reached value 179!
[link to www.ct.ingv.it]

i also saw this cam with same pic and gave link on it, it was absolutely incredible !

tremor at chart the biggest from all five eruptions!

thats a dred picture

Geological history

Volcanic activity first took place at Etna about half a million years ago, with eruptions occurring beneath the sea off the ancient coastline of Sicily.[9] About 300,000 years ago, volcanism began occurring to the southwest of the summit (centre top of volcano) then, before activity moved towards the present centre 170,000 years ago. Eruptions at this time built up the first major volcanic edifice, forming a stratovolcano in alternating explosive and effusive eruptions. The growth of the mountain was occasionally interrupted by major eruptions, leading to the collapse of the summit to form calderas.

From about 35,000 to 15,000 years ago, Etna experienced some highly explosive eruptions, generating large pyroclastic flows, which left extensive ignimbrite deposits. Ash from these eruptions has been found as far away as Rome, 800 km (497 mi) to the north.

Thousands of years ago, the eastern flank of the mountain experienced a catastrophic collapse, generating an enormous landslide in an event similar to that seen in the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The landslide left a large depression in the side of the volcano, known as 'Valle del Bove' (Valley of the Ox). Research published in 2006 suggested this occurred around 8000 years ago, and caused a huge tsunami, which left its mark in several places in the eastern Mediterranean. It may have been the reason the settlement of Atlit Yam (Israel), now below sea level, was suddenly abandoned around that time.[10]

The steep walls of the valley have suffered subsequent collapses on numerous occasions. The strata exposed in the valley walls provide an important and easily accessible record of Etna's eruptive history.

The most recent collapse event at the summit of Etna is thought to have occurred about 2,000 years ago, forming what is known as the Piano Caldera. This caldera has been almost entirely filled by subsequent lava eruptions, but is still visible as a distinct break in the slope of the mountain near the base of the present-day summit cone.
Mount Etna is one of the 16 Decade Volcanoes.

[edit] Historical eruptions

Eruptions of Etna follow a variety of patterns. Most occur at the summit, where there are currently (as of 2008) six distinct craters—the Northeast Crater, the Voragine, the Bocca Nuova, and the Southeast Crater. Other eruptions occur on the flanks, which have more than 300 vents ranging in size from small holes in the ground to large craters hundreds of metres across. Summit eruptions can be highly explosive and spectacular, but rarely threaten the inhabited areas around the volcano. In contrast, flank eruptions can occur down to a few hundred metres altitude, close to or even well within the populated areas. Numerous villages and small towns lie around or on cones of past flank eruptions. Since the year AD 1600, at least 60 flank eruptions and countless summit eruptions have occurred; nearly half of these have happened since the start of the 20th century, and since 2000, Etna has had four flank eruptions—in 2001, 2002–2003, 2004–2005, and 2008-2009. Summit eruptions occurred in 2006, 2007–2008, January–April 2012, and again in July–October 2012

The first known record of eruption at Etna is that of Diodorus Siculus.

The Roman poet Virgil gave what was probably a first-hand description of an eruption in the Aeneid:

A spreading bay is there, impregnable To all invading storms; and Aetna's throat With roar of frightful ruin thunders nigh. Now to the realm of light it lifts a cloud Of pitch-black, whirling smoke, and fiery dust, Shooting out globes of flame, with monster tongues That lick the stars; now huge crags of itself, Out of the bowels of the mountain torn, Its maw disgorges, while the molten rock Rolls screaming skyward; from the nether deep The fathomless abyss makes ebb and flow.
— Virgil, Aeneid, edition of Theodore C. Williams, ca. 1908 [lines 569–579]

Portus ab accessu ventorum immotus et ingens ipse; sed horrificis iuxta tonat Aetna ruinis; interdumque atram prorumpit ad aethera nubem, turbine fumantem piceo et candente favilla, attollitque globos flammarum et sidera lambit; interdum scopulos avolsaque viscera montis erigit eructans, liquefactaque saxa sub auras cum gemitu glomerat, fundoque exaestuat imo.
— The same, in Virgil's Latin/

In 396 BC, an eruption of Etna reportedly thwarted the Carthaginians in their attempt to advance on Syracuse during the Second Sicilian War.

A particularly violent explosive (Plinian) summit eruption occurred in 122 BC, and caused heavy tephra falls to the southeast, including the town of Catania, where many roofs collapsed.[11] To help with reconstruction after the devastating effects of the eruption, the Roman government exempted the population of Catania from paying taxes for ten years.

During the first 1500 years AD, many eruptions have gone unreported (or records have been lost); among the more significant are: (1) an eruption in about 1030 AD near Monte Ilice on the lower southeast flank, which produced a lava flow that travelled about 10 km, reaching the sea north of Acireale; the villages of Santa Tecla and Stazzo are built on the broad delta built by this lava flow into the sea; (2) an eruption in about 1160 (or 1224), from a fissure at only 350–450 m (1,148–1,476 ft) elevation on the south-southeast flank near the village of Mascalucia, whose lava flow reached the sea just to the north of Catania, in the area now occupied by the portion of the city named Ognina.[citation needed]

Etna's most destructive eruption since 122 BC started on 11 March 1669 and produced lava flows that destroyed at least 10 villages on its southern flank before reaching the city walls of the town of Catania five weeks later, on 15 April. The lava was largely diverted by these walls into the sea to the south of the city, filling the harbour of Catania. A small portion of lava eventually broke through a fragile section of the city walls on the western side of Catania and destroyed a few buildings before stopping in the rear of the Benedictine monastery, without reaching the centre of the town. Contrary to widespread reports of up to 15,000 (or even 20,000) human fatalities caused by the lava,[12] contemporaneous accounts written both in Italian and English mention no deaths related to the 1669 eruption (but give very precise figures of the number of buildings destroyed, the area of cultivated land lost, and the economic damage), so it can be safely assumed that the enormous number of fatalities often picked up also by the news media must be a confusion with the earthquake that devastated southeast Sicily (including Catania) 24 years later, in 1693. A study on the damage and fatalities caused by eruptions of Etna in historical times reveals that only 77 human deaths are attributable with certainty to eruptions of Etna, most recently in 1987 when two tourists were killed by a sudden explosion near the summit.[13]
[link to en.wikipedia.org]

La Republica photos: [link to palermo.repubblica.it]

I guess they also made by Boris Behncke

difficult to gauge the scale on these photos, but that looks big lava

it's by my eyes or this is getting bigger? [link to www.etnaweb.net]