It was just a few minutes before 22:00 pm on Monday, when the Operations Room of the INGV Observatory on Etna announced the start of weak activity at the South-East Crater, with the usual gradual increase in volcanic tremor.
After only half an hour the activity intensified and the explosions became more frequent with the launch of lapilli and bombs well beyond the crater rim and, at the same time, with the intensification of the tremor.
Already around 23:00, the lava jets reached the height of 300 meters above the crater rim, accompanied by the tremor which had now reached a high level. After half an hour a second vent, still inside the South-East Crater, produced a lava fountain. At the same time, a new lava overflow headed towards the Valle del Bove.
After midnight on 23 February, the explosive activity progressively intensified involving various mouths of the South-East Crater. Thus lava fountains were generated about a kilometer high with an eruptive column of gas and ash which rose for about ten kilometers above the summit of the volcano, to then widen like a mushroom and expand towards West-North-West.
The most intense phase lasted about half an hour. In fact, shortly before 1:00 on February 23, the violence of the fountains and the amplitude of the volcanic tremor abruptly decreased, until they ceased completely within a few minutes.
In the following hours, from 04:50 until the morning of 23 February, a temporary increase in tremor and Strombolian activity was recorded at the Southeast Crater, with launches of products up to 300 meters high and the formation of two small flows, one in the direction of the Valle del Bove and one on the other side of the crater, towards the South-West. This activity also produced momentary dense clouds of ash blown by the wind towards the North-West.
Etna's activity is constantly monitored by the INGV Etna Observatory in Catania. New inspections are underway by the staff of the Etna Observatory in the affected area, to take samples of the products emitted during today's paroxysm and analyze them in the laboratory.
INGV promptly disseminates all information on Etna's paroxysms on INGV's social channels. In particular, the INGVVulcani channels of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and the INGVvulcani blog are continuously updated, also with the press releases constantly issued by the INGV Etna Observatory and with significant photos and images of the phenomena.