Lava flows downhill as Mount Etna erupts on the island of Sicily, Italy, Dec. 1, 2023. (Photo by Valeria Abis/Xinhua)
The volcano has been constantly active in the past 10 years but its outbursts rarely cause significant damage.
ROME, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Europe's highest active volcano Mount Etna on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, erupted again on Friday evening, with fountains of lava lighting up the night sky the east of the island.
The volcano in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina and Catania, is located above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate, with a height over 3,300 meters.
Eruption of Mount Etna is seen from Catania city, Italy, Dec. 1, 2023. (Photo by Valeria Abis/Xinhua)
According to the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Catania, lava fountains shot 6,000 meters above sea level on Friday evening.
The volcano has been constantly active in the past 10 years but its outbursts rarely cause significant damage.
This photo taken on Aug. 14, 2023 shows the Mount Etna volcano during its eruption in Catania, Sicily, Italy. (Str/Xinhua)
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the eruptive history of the volcano can be traced back 500,000 years and at least 2,700 years of this activity has been documented, making it one of the best-studied and monitored volcanoes in the world. ■
