The volume contains the steps forward in deepening the understanding of the historic eruption of 1971 and the crucial role played by science and culture in the management of volcanic emergencies. The photographic exhibition of the Salvatore Tomarchio archive on the 1971 eruption will also be inaugurated.
On Saturday 25 May 2024, at 10 am at the prestigious headquarters of the Vincenzo Bellini Conservatory in Catania, the volume "Etna 30 Between history and volcanology" published by Edizioni INGV will be presented, edited by the Director of the Etna Observatory of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV - OE), Stefano Branca and Daniele Musumeci of the University of Catania. The event represents an important moment of reflection on the 1971 eruption and its important impact in both the volcanological and historical fields.
Don't miss the photographic exhibition, curated by Carmelo Nicosia, former director of the Academy of Fine Arts of Catania, which will be inaugurated on the same day and will last until June 25th, with free entry, where the main photographs from the Salvatore archive will be exhibited Tomarchio published in the volume.
The event, sponsored by the INGV, the Bellini Conservatory and the Municipality of Catania, will see the presence of the mayor Enrico Trantino and the director of the conservatory, Carmelo Galati.
The volume, created in collaboration with the University of Catania and the Etna Park, goes beyond the analysis of the eruption itself, exploring a vast range of topics, including epistemology, volcanology, seismology, volcanospeleology and the anthropological aspects of relations between man and the volcano. This cultural journey is beautifully illustrated through the extraordinary photographs of Salvatore Tomarchio (1922-2009), kindly provided by his family, which cover different aspects covered in the book: the eruption, the scientists, the territory that has changed over time, the population and its pagan rites, and faith.
The 1971 eruption, unlike the other lateral eruptions of Etna in the last three centuries, has gradually gained significant significance over the years, representing an event of great interest from both a scientific and historical point of view. This eruption, experienced in the field, in the research laboratories and around a working group that brought together Italian, French and English volcanologists, contributed in the following decades to the development of a multiparametric monitoring system, which was later supported by a surveillance system for civil protection in the management of volcanic emergencies on Etna.
The creation of interdisciplinary contributions of a popular nature is an integral part of the institutional activities of the INGV Third Mission, in which the Etna Observatory has always played a leading role through the transfer of its scientific, technological and cultural knowledge to society. Scientific dissemination is one of the strategic objectives of the Etna Observatory, which has long been committed to the valorisation and dissemination of the historical, iconographic and documentary heritage linked to the eruptive history of Etna, encouraging dialogue with the University of Catania, the school , the Etna Park, the local administrations and the cultural associations of the Etna area, with the aim of developing a society based on knowledge.
Useful links
Web page of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV)
