Mount Etna is spitting lava more violently than it has in years

[malaise]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/volcanic-riddle-burst-mount-etna-eruptions-puzzles-experts/story?id=19248870#.UaU1kZyyDuZ
<snip>
Mount Etna is spitting lava more violently than it has in years, and scientists are baffled as to why. Despite being the world's most-studied volcano, the Sicilian mountain is also its most unpredictable.

The volcano is raging. Fountains of lava, some taller than the Eiffel Tower, shoot from its mouth every few weeks, flowing in red-hot streams into the surrounding valleys. There have been 13 eruptions since the beginning of February.

Mount Etna, 3,329 meters (10,922 feet) high, towers majestically above the Sicilian city of Catania. In June, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will decide whether to list it as a World Heritage Site. Etna is considered the most heavily studied volcano in the world, and it is thoroughly wired with sensors. In addition to lava, Etna spits out vast amounts of data -- several gigabytes a day, coming from magnetic field sensors, GPS altimeters and seismic sensors.

Despite this wealth of data, Etna still poses a conundrum to scientists. "The eruptions in recent weeks have been unusually fierce and explosive," reports German volcanologist Boris Behncke, who monitors the mountain together with a few hundred colleagues at Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). "There have been lava fountain events in the past, but rarely in such rapid succession."

[niyad]

1. most interesting, thank you for posting this

[Skittles]

2. I could not take my eyes off her when I was in Catania

she is gorgeous

[malaise]

3. From a distance

[Skittles]

5. I actually did some of that climb

oops

[malaise]

7. Before sheshe2's pic I hope

Sure looks lovely.

One of my sisters and her hubby just returned from their trip to Italy

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. nice pics

[truedelphi]

4. Gaia apparently realizes that us humans will not undertake what needs to

be done to reduce the earth's horrendous cycle of warming, so she is seeing to it that some needed cooling happens via her volcanic networks.

The people of Pompei had only a few weeks warning. If lived anywhere near this volcano, I think I would leave.

[jazzimov]

18. Like Gaia cares about anything we puny humans do.

Gaia was here for billions of years before we arrived. She'll be here for billions of years after we're gone. We may affect some climate change, but that's nothing to Gaia.

Let's be clear - when we talk about "saving the Earth", we are talking about saving the "Earth as we know it" and about saving US!

Eventually, Gaia will just shake us off as a dog would with fleas.

[truedelphi]

20. Can't say I disagree with your sentiments.

And since we are in cyber space, you couldn't hear the inflection in my voice, which offered a sense of irony. So we are pretty much in sync.

[Dreamer Tatum]

21. Who the hell is "Gaia"? nt

[sheshe2]

6. WOW!

Mt. Etna sure looks angry, thanks for posting, malaise!

[PADemD]

8. Not just Mt. Etna

http://earthquake-report.com/2013/05/27/wordwide-volcano-activity-copahue-volcano-chile-alert-raised-to-red/

[malaise]

10. Yep the folks around Copahue have been evacuated

http://www.livescience.com/34744-copahue-volcano-evacuation-eruption-warning.html
<snip>
Officials in Chile and Argentina ordered more than 2,500 people to leave their homes as Copahue volcano threatened to erupt on Monday (May 27). The volcano is at red alert status, meaning an eruption could be imminent, according to Chile's Geological Survey. The volcano has erupted several times in the past 100 years, and has been spewing steam and ash on and off since Dec. 22, 2012. Towns near the 9,833-foot (2,997 meters) summit could be hit by fast-moving lahars (a debris flow of water and volcanic rock), volcanic bombs and lava flows. A YouTube video posted yesterday shows a helicopter's view of the steam column pouring from volcano.

[Mosby]

13. heard about that in npr today

Hope they decide to save the animals.

Last time the gov didn't.

[malaise]

15. Only if the folks moved them which I doubt

Let's hope the governments move them

[PADemD]

11. World Volcanoes – webcam page

http://earthquake-report.com/2011/11/15/world-volcanoes-webcam-page/

[malaise]

12. Thanks for that link

[PADemD]

14. You're welcome

[malaise]

16. I've walked around and driven around Souffriere

in Montserrat - even picked up some pumice stones - freaking unbelievable

[temporary311]

17. Typhon stirs.

Maybe Zeus needs to apply another beat down.

[malaise]

19. Don't remember that working

so well.