Magma Plume: Mt. Etna volcano rocked by third eruption in 2012 [1]

Magma Plume: Mt. Etna volcano rocked by third eruption in 2012

March 5, 2012 – ITALY - Etna just keeps on rolling. The Italian volcano had its third paroxysm of 2012 (see above) on March 4 and first since early February. This new eruption was a short event that was preceded by 18 days worth of small strombolian activity. The event may have been only ~2 hours, but it produced some spectacular explosions, aiding in some part by interaction with snow and a pyroclastic flow was spotted as well. Osservatario Etneo reported that even a small lahar was produced during this paroxysm as a result of volcanic material mixing with snow. Air traffic around Sicily was not affected by this paroxysm. –Wired [2]