Why is it in the News?

Since last week, Mount Etna has been sending up almost perfect rings of smoke into the air which are a rare phenomenon that scientists refer to as volcanic vortex rings.

What are Volcanic Vortex Rings?

• Vortex rings are generated when gas, predominantly water vapor, is released rapidly through a vent in the crater.
• The vent that has opened up in the crater is almost perfectly circular so the rings.
• The phenomenon was first observed at Mt. Etna and Mt. Vesuvius in Italy in 1724 and has been documented in an engraved plate from 1755.
• In more recent times, volcanic vortex rings have been observed at volcanoes such as Redoubt in Alaska, Tungurahua in Ecuador, Pacaya in Guatemala, Eyjafjallajökull and Hekla in Iceland, Stromboli in Italy, Sakurajima in Japan, Yasur in Vanuatu, Whakaari in New Zealand, and Momotombo in Nicaragua.
• According to the report, the rings can remain in the air for up to 10 minutes but tend to disintegrate quickly if conditions are windy and turbulent.

About Mount Etna:

• Mount Etna, sometimes referred to simply as Etna, is an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, lying just off the toe of the Italian “boot”.
• Etna’s peak is the highest in Italy south of the Alps, and it is Europe’s largest and one of the most active volcanoes.
• Etna’s summit has five craters, which are responsible for most of the volcano’s eruptions; there are also “flank” eruptions that occur out of 300-odd vents of varying sizes along the slopes of the mountain.
• Etna is in almost constant activity and has seen, since the year 1600, at least 60 flank eruptions and many more summit eruptions.
  • In recent years, summit eruptions have occurred in 2006, 2007-08, on two occasions in 2012, 2018, and 2021; flank eruptions have taken place in 2001, 2002-03, 2004-05, and 2008-09.
• Etna has been a World Heritage Site since 2013, and according to UNESCO, the volcano’s eruptive history can be traced back 500,000 years.
  • At least 2,700 years of this activity have been documented.