Etna

Etna, with its 3350m above sea level and 35 km in diameter at the base, is the largest volcano in Europe. Located along the east coast of Sicily, with an area of 1250km2 and is bordered to the north by Nebrodi and Peloritani and south by the alluvial plain of the river Simeto.

It formed about 100,000 years ago. Over the years , the alternation of effusive and explosive activity , with lava flows and pyroclastic deposits , led to the stratification of volcanic products. For this , Etna is defined as a layer - volcanic basaltic nature.

Its eruptive vents are located at the summit of the volcano and the Bocca Nuova, Voragine Cratere of north -east and Cratere of south -east . Each of them has a diameter of about 200 meters. On the slopes of the volcano are also hundreds of small " adventitious " cones, that have arisen over the millennia during eruptions from the lateral sides.

The morphological structure of the main volcano is the Valle del Bove, a depression that opens to the sea , on the eastern flank of the volcano. The valley is about 5 km wide and 8 km long, and the escarpment , in its steepest is 1200m high. Its origin dates back to around 10,000 years ago, when the succession of explosive caused some collapses or landslides along the side of the volcano.

The alert level for Etna is yellow.