Mt. Etna's Christmas Celebration-2018

Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, came to life on Christmas Eve, spewing ash across a swath of the Italian island of Sicily.

The eruption was followed by a 4.8-magnitude earthquake, which shook eastern Sicily before dawn on December 26. The BBC reported that at least 28 people were injured in what was the strongest tremor since the eruption on December 24.

The quake damaged churches, roads and houses in towns near the volcano, and caused panicked residents to flee their homes. Many spent the remainder of the night sleeping in their cars.

At more than 10,000 feet high, Mount Etna is the largest of Italy’s three active volcanoes, and the second largest in all of Europe (Mount Teide in Tenerife is taller). Etna is classed as the most active stratovolcano in the world and has a long documented history of eruptions, stretching back to 1,500 B.C.

Etna has seen frequent activity since July. The eruption on Christmas Eve saw a new fracture appear on the volcano’s flank, spewing lava. It forced the temporary closure of Sicilian airspace because of clouds of smoke and ash, which coated nearby villages.

The 4.8 magnitude quake was the largest of the many tremors felt after the eruption. The quake’s epicenter was north of Catania, the second-largest Sicilian city, although no damage was reported there despite reports of shaking buildings.

Our little white Toyota Yaris was covered in ash as was most everything on the island! 

Mt. Etna entertained the island of Sicily on Christmas Eve this year.  The first fissure eruption in ten years.  It created lots of excitement and left damage in its trail for those villages that are close to the mountain. Our apartment building didn’t experience any damage outside the heavy ash that blew everywhere even closing the Catania International Airport for a short time. All is well in January, it is cold and snow is visible on Etna as it continues to spew ashes and steam!