Getty Image / Aalvatore Allegra/Anadolu
Sicily’s Mount Etna, one of the most famous volcanoes on earth, has erupted for the second time in as many months. The first eruption of the Summer back back on the 4th of July and caused temporary airport closures in Sicily but that only lasted for 24 hours and this time around, the mid-August eruption did more of the same when the Catania airport was temporarily shutdown.
All volcano eruptions look spectacular from afar. But this is Mount Etna we’re talking about… This is the the mountain that the Greek/Roman gods Vulcan/Hephaestus (god of Blacksmithing) were believed to live under and his forge was powered by the stunning volcano. A Mount Etna eruption put a pause on the Carthaginian attack in 396 BCE during the Second Sicilian War… That’s all to say this is a globally significant volcano that appears throughout world history books as a powerful volcano.
Mount Etna Erupts Spewing Lava Into The Heavens
The August 14th Mt. Etna eruption lived up to its historical reputation. This eruption looked like a moment straight out of Frodo approaching Mt. Doom in The Lord of the Rings:
The eruption plume/column being produced by Etna is rotating. Don't think I've seen this from a volcanic eruption before. https://t.co/j5ksq85laf #wxtwitter pic.twitter.com/uVdHxJSocM
— MNStorm (@mn_storm) August 14, 2024
Longer videos of the late night eruption have hit YouTube along with livestreams from people who set up cameras in the area to watch Etna explode:
Mt. Etna remains one of the most active volcanoes in the world while simultaneously also being a fertile ground for vineyards and agriculture due to the rich volcanic soil.
It is incredible to stop for a moment and recognize that Mount Etna’s eruptions were first described by the Roman poet Virgil who described it in the Aeneid, one of the greatest books ever written, and two thousand years later we are still talking about the same eruptions but now we are live streaming the eruptions on YouTube…