PREVIEW

Mount Etna Eruption Enters Seventh Day In Phenomenon Unseen Since 1970s. Mount Etna's eruption has continued for seven days, disrupting air travel across Sicily during the busy summer holiday season. All arrivals at Catania Airport, Italy’s fifth-busiest airport, will be suspended until 2 a.m. on 15 August because of volcanic ash from the eruption. Salvo Gambino, director of INGV's Etnean Observatory in Catania, said similar prolonged volcanic activity was last seen in the late 1970s. While Etna frequently produces lava fountains and flows, Gambino said such activity normally lasts only a few hours rather than continuing for seven days. Experts believe the unusually long eruption could be linked to magma rising from greater depths and containing higher levels of gas. Lava fountains and ash emissions are continuing at the Voragine crater, while several vents in the Valle del Bove are feeding a lava field. Experts said the lava flows currently pose no threat to inhabited areas, but the continuing ash plume has caused significant disruption to air traffic. The eruption has attracted large numbers of visitors to Etna, creating heavy traffic and disruption on roads and paths leading to viewing areas.
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