Italy's Fiery Mount Etna Erupts Again

Lava pouring down the side of Mount Etna during the July 30 eruption. CREDIT: Boris Behncke. View full size image

Italy's energetic Mount Etna has been putting on quite a show lately.

After two weeks of on-and-off eruptions, the famous Sicilian volcano erupted again, spectacularly, on Saturday (July 30). Etna's eruption shot volcanic material sky-high and sent hot lava pouring down the mountain's slopes.

Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe and one of the world's most well-known volcanic peaks. While 2010 was an exceptionally calm year for Etna, it is nearly constantly volcanically active and rarely a year passes without Etna erupting.

Some of the eruptions over the past few weeks have been on the small side, but others have shot fire up to 1,640 feet (500 meters) into the air. Etna has had eight eruptions, which is an active year for the volcano, wrote Erik Klemetti on the Big Think's Eruptions Blog.

Local airports were concerned that the ash would disrupt flights, but none were canceled since the ash blew away from the airport and toward the Ionian Sea (located between Italy's boot and Greece), reported the BBC.

See all the latest action on the Etna's webcams.

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