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Mount Etna, Europe’s tallest and most active volcano, erupted on February 12, 2025, sending dramatic lava flows and plumes of ash high above the Sicilian skyline. The region has seen ongoing seismic activity, with several earthquakes, magnitudes up to 3.7, detected in the summit area. These earthquakes were likely linked to internal magma movements. Despite the eruption, Italian media reported no immediate cause for alarm as authorities continued to monitor the situation closely.
Mount Etna is located on the island of Sicily, Italy, and is the most active stratovolcano in the world. It stands 10,915 feet (3,327 meters) tall with an average basal diameter of 25 miles (40 kilometers), and it dominates the entire island with its size. The volcano’s eruptive history can be traced back 500,000 years. Its almost continuous eruptive activity continues to influence volcanology, geophysics, and other scientists worldwide. Volcanic activity has been recorded for at least 2,700 years, making it one of the world’s longest-documented records of historical volcanism.
This unique place offers people the rare opportunity to hit the slopes of a volcanic island. The ski resort in Piano Provenzana-Linguaglossa (North Etna) has ski lifts, red and blue ski slopes, ski schools, and equipment rental centers. The season typically begins in December and often lasts until May, although the best months are generally February, March, and April.
Snow in winter completely changes the lava scenery on Mount Etna. Piano Provenzana is the flagship of Sicily’s three ski resorts. The Etna-north area has an altitude of 5,905 feet (1,800 meters) and offers three ski lifts and a chairlift with four red and two blue ski slopes. Mount Etna’s flanks are ideal for off-piste skiing. The ski facilities allow skiers to gather and experience this unique landscape between snow, fire, and sea that only Etna North can provide.
Mount Etna is changing, as everything on Earth is. According to Dr. Morelia Urlaub of the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Germany, the volcano is sliding into the Mediterranean Sea at a few inches per year. “This movement is important to study as it could lead to a catastrophic collapse of the volcano, which could lead to a tsunami,” Dr. Urlaub stated to National Geographic.
What’s happening in Sicily – Italy is absolutely extraordinary
Mount Etna is erupting with its summit covered in snow
Here are some explorers skiing between snow and fire!
Unprecedented pic.twitter.com/l83jsBzLul
— Mambo Italiano (@mamboitaliano__) February 13, 2025
There’s also the question of whether this movement could one day turn into a catastrophic collapse. Urlaub’s data indicates that it’s possible, although she notes that there’s not enough information yet to evaluate the hazard fully. Geologists need decades of monitoring data before telling the difference between standard and fast slippage.
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