A volcano just erupted in Europe and the footage is amazing
Red-hot, sparkling lava is shooting into the sky in eastern Sicily.
Italy's Mount Etna volcano first became active on Jan. 23 and has experienced a series of eruptions ever since. The latest lava-spewing event began on Monday evening.
In the video below, posted by Storyful, orange explosions of lava are seen spewing from the southeast crater.
Residents in the nearby cities of Catania and Toarmina could see the lava show in the distance. Authorities reported no dangers to communities along the mountain’s slopes, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
At 10,900 feet high, Mount Etna is Europe's largest active volcano. The "stratavolcano" has a conical shape and is made from many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice and volcanic ash.
This Sicilian landmark also has one of the world's longest documented records of historical eruptions, dating back to at least 1,500 B.C.E. Smaller bursts have occurred regularly in recent years, though the last major event was in 1992.
During that eruption, as lava threatened to overtake a Sicilian village, U.S. marines lent a hand during the aptly named Operation Volcano Buster. A team flew helicopters over Etna and dropped concrete blocks at the edge of the lava tunnel to plug the hole.
The marines apparently didn't sweat it.
"Everything is easier when no one is shooting at you," Comdr. John Carpenter of the Navy told the New York Times from Sicily in 1992.
Luckily, no soldiers were needed this time around.
Maria Gallucci was a Science Reporter at Mashable. She was previously the energy and environment reporter at International Business Times; features editor of Makeshift magazine; clean economy reporter for InsideClimate News; and a correspondent in Mexico City until 2011. Maria holds degrees in journalism and Spanish from Ohio University's Honors Tutorial College.
