********************************** Etna update: 15 March 2007 From: Sonia Calvari <calvari@xxxxxxxxxx> ********************************** The period of summit eruptions at Etna that began on 14 July 2006 ended on 14 December. No new eruptive activity has occurred as of mid-January 2007. The following is summarized from daily observations made by the INGV staff and their reports posted on the INGV-CT web site (www.ct.ingv.it). Updated reports of the activity (in Italian) are available at the page dedicated to the 2006 activity at http://www.ct.ingv.it/Etna2006/Default.htm. Following the temporary cessation of eruptive activity on 7 December, lava emission resumed shortly after midnight on 11 December from a cluster of vents at 2800 m elevation on the W rim of the Valle del Bove (2800 vents). Footage from the INGV-CT monitoring cameras later revealed Strombolian activity from a pit on the E flank of the SEC cone that had formed on 23 October and had been the site of intermittent Strombolian activity and ash emissions between late November and early December. Bad weather hampered detailed observations during most of the following days, but occasional clear views revealed voluminous lava emission from the 2800 vents, feeding a broad lava flow adjacent to the northern margin of the lava flow-field produced from the same vent between mid- October and early December, and ash emissions from the 23 October pit. Activity at the 2800 vents consisted of vigorous Strombolian explosions from two vents that built up a pair of large hornitos, and lava emission from a third vent located on the lower eastern flank of the larger, more easterly of the hornitos. No activity occurred from any other of the numerous vents that had been active during the previous weeks at the summit and in the vicinity of the SEC. A sharp drop in volcanic tremor amplitude late on 14 December heralded the end of this latest episode of eruptive activity at Etna in 2006. Field observations made on the next day revealed the absence of eruptive activity. As of mid-March 2007, Etna remains quiet. Information Contacts: B. Behncke, Sonia Calvari, M. Neri, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Catania, Piazza Roma 2, 95123 Catania, Italy. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Sonia Calvari Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia Sezione di Catania Piazza Roma 2 95123 Catania (Italy) Tel. +39 095 7165800 direct: +39 095 7165862 Fax: +39 095 435801 url: www.ct.ingv.it ---------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================== To unsubscribe from the volcano list, send the message: signoff volcano to: listserv@xxxxxxx, or write to: volcano-request@xxxxxxxx To contribute to the volcano list, send your message to: volcano@xxxxxxxx Please do not send attachments. ==============================================================
