volcano number: 0101-06= (according to Volcanoes of the World, 1994 edition)
One of Etna's major centers of activity, Northeast Crater began erupting in 1911 and since then has built a prominent cone with an associated lava apron around it. In November 1995, Northeast Crater has been the site of unusually violent explosive eruptions. This view was taken on 7 October 1995, in the early stage of the present eruptive period. A very dense, sulfur dioxide-rich plume rose from the crater which is visible here from the E rim of the "Voragine" crater (which more or less is to be considered the old "main" crater of Etna).
summit elevation: 3350 m
location: 37.734°N, 15.004°E
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Etna's Southeast Crater in eruption, 29 September 1989. Building in foreground is Rifugio Torre del Filosofo.
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Continuous bomb and ash emission from Southeast Crater, 29 September 1989, seen from about 1 km distant.
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Powerful eruption from Southeast Crater on the morning of 27 September 1989, seen from Nicolosi (15 km distant). Vigorous lava fountaining feeds an ash and steam column rising about 4 km above the summit.
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Summit area of Etna seen from Montagnola, a high parasitic cone (produced during a 1763 eruption), on 6 April 1990, after the end of the 1989-1990 Southeast Crater eruptive phase. The large terminal cone is visible in the center, with Southeast Crater adjacent to the right. Lava flows from various eruptions (1971-1990) are visible on the slope gently descending towards the observer (called Piano del Lago), the darkest of them being the most recent.
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Lava flows of the December 1991-March 1993 eruption in Valle del Bove, on the evening of 20 March 1992. Numerous flows issue from ephemeral boccas.
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View downwards from Monte Zoccolaro, about 500 m above the floor of Valle del Bove, on the evening of 20 March 1992. Braided lava flows are filling the Val Calanna and the artificial basin meant to keep the lava from flowing towards Zafferana village.
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Night view of lava flows running down Val Calanna, and towards inhabited areas. The threatened town of Zafferana lies out of the photo towards the right. 20 March 1992.
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One house was destroyed during the 1991-1993 eruption of Etna. This house had been illegally built far upslope above the town of Zafferana, on the floor of the Val Calanna which directly leads to the northern part of the town, right in the path of any lava flow expected to run down in the southern part of Valle del Bove. The owner of the house polemically wrote "thank you government" on the wall before the lava surrounded the building, indicating that efforts to divert the lava flow (which in the end were apparently successful) came too late. Shortly after the destruction, a woman notorious in the area for her admiration of Etna (leading her to call herself Etna!) placed the pole onto the ruin, saying "May peace prevail on Earth" in several languages. There is also a flagpole with the Italian tricolore, having "Also here we are in Italy" written on it.
Home destroyed during the 1983 eruption on Etna's S flank. That eruption was far more devastating than the 1991-1993 eruption but produced only about one third of the lava volume.
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Etna seen from Lipari, on an unusually clear day (10 April 1995). Etna lies about 200 km south of Lipari. Vantage point is Quattrocchi belvedere, in the W part of Lipari.
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Continuous ash emission from NE Crater on the morning of 12 October 1995, seen from Hotel Gemellaro, Nicolosi (about 15 km from the summit). Height of the ash plume is about 500-800 m. Conspicuous cone to the right of ash plume is the 1763 flank vent Montagnola (about 2600 m elevation).
Etna reawoke from more than two years of slumber in late July 1995 with episodes of Strombolian and phreatomagmatic activity in the Bocca Nuova and NE craters. Following a vigorous first episode in early August, another one occurred in early October, including a pulse of impressing Strombolian activity in NE crater on 3 October.
I witnessed activity in Bocca Nuova and NE crater at close quarters on 7, 12, and 14 October. The following images show ash emissions within these two craters on 12 October, caused by explosive (phreatomagmatic) activity, not internal collapse, and Strombolian activity within NE Crater on 14 October.
The activity of Etna is continuing. On 2-3 November 1995, Marco Fulle and Mario Cipollini from Trieste University witnessed explosions within Bocca Nuova every 5 minutes. The detonations were heard at Rifugio Torre del Filosofo, at least 1.5 km away, and 350 m below the summit. However, strong gas emissions precluded detailed observations of the crater's interior.
On 9 November 1995, NE crater started its most powerful eruption series of the 1995 eruptive period. Intense tremor registered on summit seismic stations between 0114 and 0147 on 9 November, followed within 20 minutes by a sizeable ash and lapilli fall in villages around the volcano and as far as Catania. The upper part of NE Crater was apparently destroyed during this eruption. Another, still more powerful episode of explosive activity from NE Crater occurred on the morning of 10 November.
On 14 November, a new eruption occurred, followed by still another one on 23 November. The most vigorous activity to date seems to have occurred on 26 November. According to Italian news agencies, this episode occurred from the main NE crater vent and a new vent on its northern slope. These reports mention "effusive activity" which is not the usual mentioning of "lava flows" by press sources which should generally be handled with much caution. Unless there is confirmation by the Istituto Internazionale di Vulcanologia, the occurrence of lava flows, the first after two years and eight months, should be considered a possibility only.
The Istituto Internazionale di Vulcanologia at Catania has prepared a detailed and neatly illustrated report on the first two major eruptive episodes, on 8-9 and 14 November 1995. This should be within briefly succeeded by a report covering the more recent activity.
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Carmelo Monaco of the University of Catania standing on the SW slope of NE Crater, 10 October 1995. Deep notch in NW side of the crater rim is visible in the background.
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Initial stage of a phreatomagmatic ash emission from a pit in the NW part of Bocca Nuova, at around noon on 12 October 1995. Depth of the pit is about 150 m below crater rim. Diameter of the pit is about 80 m.
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Resumed ash emission from NE Crater, seen from a car about 1 km from the crater (to the SW), at about 1400 on 12 October 1995.
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View of the floor of NE Crater from its NW rim, in one of the few and brief moments when steaming was permitting such a view, on 12 October 1995 at 1250. Just in this moment, glow at the crater floor started to intensify, heralding an episode of vigorous ash emission (see images below). Since the resolution of this image doesn't reveal you the incandescent spots, click here to see a zoom-in which has been color and contrast enhanced.
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Ash puff rising within NE Crater at about 1300 on 12 October 1995. NE crater wall is visible in the background. Height of visible crater wall is about 80 m.
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Active vent at the bottom of NE Crater in Strombolian eruption, at dawn (1730) on 14 October 1995. Crater floor was about 300 m below observation point. Note incandescent cracks and spots around the erupting vent.
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Another view of the same vent, showing more vigorous fountaining and incandescent areas nearby.
