4Catalyst April 2013
4
Stefania
Hartley
Where can you find pristine rock which
has never seen the sun, a fertile soil
for a vineyard, and ski slopes with a
sea view? Stefania Hartley tells us about Mount
Etna on the Italian island of Sicily.
Etna has impressive credentials. It is the biggest
and tallest active volcano in Europe, over 3000m
in height, and one of the most active volcanoes in
the world. It is a candidate for UNESCO‘s World
Heritage list.
Etna has been designated a Decade Volcano
by the International Association of Volcanology
and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior. ‘Decade
volcanoes’ are 16 volcanoes deemed worthy of
particular study in light of their history of large,
destructive eruptions and their proximity to
populated areas.
The geology of Etna
Etna has several layers of solidified lava, ash
and pumice on its slopes and changes height
periodically, following an eruption.
Etna is a type of volcano known as a
stratovolcano. Other stratovolcanoes include
Vesuvius and Krakatoa. Most volcanoes have iron-
rich magma, but these three stratovolcanoes have
a high silica (silicon dioxide) content which makes
the magma more viscous. This means that the
lava covers a shorter distance before it solidifies
and gives stratovolcanoes a characteristic conical
shape with steep sides.
Mount Etna
Europe’s biggest volcano
Key words
volcano
geology
igneous rock
tectonic plates
Mount Etna is known
as in Sicilian dialect
Mungibeddu, ‘The
Mountain’. This
eruption occurred on
30 July 2011.
gnuckx
Panoramic view of snow-capped Etna rising out of the clouds
Etna erupting, seen from space in July 2001.
Sicily lies off the toe of Italy.
Leandro
NASA/GSFC
