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Mount Etna is putting on a new, different show. Since the evening of 2 April 2024, a small vent on the Southeast Crater is emitting unprecedented quantities of gas rings.

Mt Etna is an active stratovolcano located on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and has been erupting for the past several hundred thousand years.

The series of otherworldly photos Maria Liotta took from her home in Bronte, Sicily, Italy, on April 5, 2024, show a bizarre phenomenon known as “volcanic vortex. rings.”

Smoke rings over Mt. Etna, Sicily, Italy, on April 5, 2024. (Maria Liotta)

The rings arose from Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano. Etna rises 11,000 feet above the island of Sicily in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The volcano erupts frequently, and its explosions have been documented for more than 3,500 years.

Smoke rings over Mt. Etna, Sicily, Italy, on April 5, 2024. (Maria Liotta)

Until recently, how the smoke rings form wasn’t well understood. Formation requires a calm atmosphere and a circular volcanic vent. And, technically, it isn’t really smoke. When hot volcanic gases are released suddenly from the vent in a short pulse, the gases rush upwards and create a cloud, not unlike plane contrails. While the smoke rings have been documented at volcanoes worldwide, multiple displays like this one are extremely rare.

Smoke rings over Mt. Etna, Sicily, Italy, on April 5, 2024. (Maria Liotta)

Here are some more photos and videos showing the phenomenon:

 

 

 

 

 

 


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