Mt Etna

Why Mt Etna is special
It is one of the largest, most unpredictable, least classifiable, and most active volcanoes in the world.

Mt Etna tips and insights
Height
Mt Etna is nearly 3,300 meter (11,000 foot) high. It commands the eastern Sicily skyline.

Not your typical volcano
Unlike most volcanoes, Mt Etna has many craters and varied eruptive behaviors. It defies easy classification by volcano scientists.

Lava risk
Lava is a serious threat to many villages as well as to Catania. That city was partially covered with lava flows during the powerful 1669 eruption. The last recorded eruption and lava flow occurred in 2013.

Rim visits
During calm volcanic periods, tours take you to the rims of some of the Mt Etna craters - and sometimes into them.

Geological history in brief
Mt Etna is fashioned by geological forces of great magnitude. The north-heading African tectonic plate is squeezing under its European counterpart. The resulting friction creates molten rock.

Mt Etna is part of Greek mythology
It tells us that Mt Etna is the home of Vulcan (the god of fire) and the one-eyed Cyclops.

Location in Italy