Overall Green alert Volcanic eruption for Etna
in Italy

Event summary

GREEN alert: The Etna Volcanic eruption is unlikely to require external humanitarian assistance based on the exposed population and coping capacity.

GDACS ID VO 1000000
Name: Etna (211060)
Lat/Lon: 37.75 , 15
Event Date: 21 Feb 2022 UTC
Exposed Population 30km: About 940000 people within 30km
Exposed Population 100km: About 2750000 people within 100km
Max Volc. Explosivity Index VEI: 5
Population Exposure Index PEI: 5
Inserted at: 21 Feb 2022 13:55 UTC

GDACS Score

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Virtual OSOCC
Meteo assessment
Satellite products
Analytical products
Italy - Volcanic eruption (ECHO 17 Feb 2021)Wed, 17 Feb 2021 10:35

  • There was an increase in activity of Mount Etna volcano on 16 February. This new paroxysmal phase is characterised by explosive activity. The ash column rose a few kilometres above the volcano, moved southward and fell over Catania and parts of Siracusa Province.  
  • According to media reports, the international airport of Catania has been temporarily closed due to the ash column.
  • According to the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), the aviation colour code has been lowered from red to orange due to the decrease in the explosive activity over the past few hours.
Italy - Volcanic eruption (ECHO 02 Apr 2021)Fri, 02 Apr 2021 16:14

  • A new paroxysmal event of Mount Etna volcano has been reported on 31 March at 23.00 UTC. This phase was characterised by explosive activity at the Southeast Crater that has gradually switched to a lava fountain. The ash column rose up to 9 km above sea level and moved south-southwestward.
  • As of 1 April at 21.37 UTC, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) recorded lava flows started at the eastern edge of the Southeast Crater expanding in the upper part of the Valle del Bove.
  • According to media reports, the international airport of Catania was temporarily closed on 1 April due to the ash column.
  • The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), has lowered the aviation colour code from red to orange due to the decrease in the explosive activity over the past few hours.
Detailed event map. European Union, 2024. Map produced by EC-JRC.
The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.

Updates on volcanic activity (Smithsonian)

The Smithsonian/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report provides information about global volcanism on a weekly basis. Latest Etna report has been published on 16 Feb 2022 07:22.
INGV reported that a notable eruption at Etna?s Southeast Crater (SEC) occurred during 9-10 February and changed the morphology of the cone. The eruption began with incandescence from explosive activity within SEC that was visible in webcam images at night during 9-10 February. Sporadic ash emissions rose above the crater. Lava began to effuse at 1520 on 10 February and flows descended WSW. Strombolian activity varied in intensity and frequency, though at 1700 there was a clear intensification. Lava flows continued to be fed and had descended S and SE to 2,900 m elevation. Strombolian activity transitioned to lava fountaining at around 2140, with fountains rising 1-1.5 km high, and ash plumes rising to 12 km (39,400 ft) a.s.l. and drifting W. Two pyroclastic flows, visible at 2140 and 2219, traveled a few hundred meters SE towards the Valle del Bove. At 2226 a larger pyroclastic flow expanded 1.6 km S and SE and covered the northernmost 2002-2003 craters, reaching 2,750 m elevation, and damaging a hut along the way. Lava fountaining ceased at 2300. The ash plume slowly dispersed W over the next few hours and the lava flow continued to be fed, reaching 2,850 m elevation. A new deep scarp opening to the SSW was formed during the eruption, overprinting the smaller breach that was on the SW crater rim. The new scarp was about 500 m long and had variable widths of 100-190 m. Weak and sporadic explosive activity continued from the lower part of the scarp. Tephra fell in areas to the NW (particularly at Maletto, 15 km NW) and as far as Sant?Agata di Militello (50 km NW) and Capo d'Orlando (50 km NNW), along the Tyrrhenian coast. At 1125 on 11 February a small vent opened at the SE base of the SEC, emitted ash, and produced a short, thick lava flow that traveled a few tens of meters SE. Source: Sezione di Catania - Osservatorio Etneo (INGV)
See the detail here

Latest media headlines

cronaca 23-02-2022 Eruzione Etna, la lava vista da vicino 2/24/2022 12:03:00 AM.

Le immagini girate a un passo dalla colata lavica scesa in concomitanza al nuovo intenso parossismo dal cratere di Sud Est dell'Etna. Grandi massi incandescenti di lava rotolano a valle. La colata ? apparsa ben alimentata, forse complice an
...(more)
Video Meteo Cronaca Diretta: Etna, a un passo dalla Colata di lava, ma.. 2/23/2022 5:56:00 PM.

Impressionanti le immagini girate a un passo dalla colata lavica scesa in concomitanza al nuovo intenso parossismo dal cratere di Sud Est dell' Etna . Grandi macigni incandescenti di lava rotolano a valle. La colata è apparsa ben alimentata
...(more)
14:28 | SPECTACLE Les images saisissantes de l'Etna en éruption 2/23/2022 3:11:00 PM.

Les images sont impressionnantes. Ce lundi, l’Etna est entré en éruption ce lundi , pour la deuxième fois en 2022. Nuages de fumée et de cendres, coulées de lave Habitants et experts ont partagé des vidéos époustouflantes du réveil volcan S
...(more)
Dallo spazio ci arrivano le più belle foto dell'eruzione vulcanica del.. 2/23/2022 11:30:00 AM.

Tutti gli articoli su Dallo spazio ci arrivano le....

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Estimated casualties (PAGER)

USGS estimates the number of casualties for each earthquake for the Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) product.
The graph shows the current fatalities estimate.

Exposed population

Data, images, links, services and documents

For this events, GDACS has links to information from the following sources: EC-JRC (32), (2), INGV (3), WMO (1), INFORM (2), JSR (1),