Mount Etna Erupts Again, See Spectacular Video Of World’s Most Active Volcano

Mount Etna, considered the world’s most active volcano, blew its top again Sunday night, putting on an awe-inspiring display of nature’s fireworks for local residents along the east coast of Sicily. Mount Etna has been active all year, last erupting in November of 2013.

The Mount Etna eruption happened after dark local time in Sicily, allowing for some incredible video of the eruption, as the volcano blasted plume after plume of flaming lava into the atmosphere. Thankfully, residents in the area were not believed to be in any danger from the explosions.

The eruptions continued well into Monday, forcing a local airport in the nearest city, Catania, to close down. Several flights were diverted due to the thick volcanic ash that hindered visibility high in the air.

Mount Etna is also the tallest volcano in Europe and the tallest Italian mountain not part of the Alps, in the north of the country. The height of Mount Etna is listed at just under 11,000 feet, but geologists concede that the measurement is only an estimate because the height of the mountain changes every time Mount Etna erupts, which is often, blowing away parts of itself with each blast.

The record of Mount Etna’s eruptions has been traced back by researchers to 2,750 years ago. But scientists say that myths and legends from even earlier may also refer to eruptions of the volcanic mountain. Geologists say that Mount Etna has likely been erupting on a regular basis for about 500,000 years, a time frame they are able to determine from analyzing rocks around the mountain.

The ancient Greek myth of the goddess of agriculture, Demeter, being kidnapped by the underworld god Hades is believed to refer to a crop failure that resulted from a massive series of Mount Etna eruptions in 1400 B.C.

A 2012 geological study found that eruptions of Mount Etna generate enough lava every single year to fill the 108-story Willis Tower, aka Sears Tower, in Chicago.

Mount Etna has five distinct craters which erupt on a regular basis, as well as “flank eruptions,” when the side of the mountain blows up, spewing lava and ash. Sunday’s eruption came from the South Crater of Mount Etna.

While residents of Catania and surrounding towns will not be affected directly by lava flow from when Mount Etna erupts, the noise from the mountain’s frequent explosions during the current eruption cycle have proven to a be a nuisance, as has the ash clouding the sky.