Europe’s highest active volcano, Mount Etna has begun spewing lava again.
Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of activity. The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south. Due to its history of recent activity and nearby population, Mount Etna has been designated a Decade Volcano by the United Nations.
Mount Etna’s most violent eruption was March 11, 1669, with lava flows that destroyed villages around its base and submerged part of the town of Catania, killing 15,000 people.
Public domain photo of Mount Etna in 2002 (NASA/International Space Station — ISS).