Mount Etna Eruption Levels Increase, Providing Spectacular Firework-Like Display [Video]

Sicily’s Mount Etna, the current tallest active volcano in Europe, erupted for the twelfth time this year on Monday – spewing out ash and shooting spectacular bursts of lava high into the air in the process.

Just eight days after the Mount’s previous blast, Italy’s Civil Protection agency said that they received reports from the geophysics and volcanology institute announcing a significant increase in explosive activity as well as in the volume of ejected material from Etna.

“During this paroxysm [Short, violent burst of activity], the southeastern flank of the pyroclastic cone of the New Southeast Crater fractured, with the opening of several eruptive vents down to the base of the cone, which produced lava fountains and a broad lava flow that advanced to the Valle del Bove, too. The acme of this episode lasted less than 40 minutes,” the Osservatorio Vulcanologico dell’Etna wrote in a recent report.

While eruptions – not uncommon from Etna – sometimes force Italian airliners to change flight paths to avoid flying through clouds of ash, reports say that Fontanarossa Airport, located just south of the volcano, wasn’t affected by the recent blast.

To see some of the spectacular footage of the most recent Mount Etna eruption, watch the clip below:

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