Mt Etna Volcano Research
Mt Etna Volcano Research
Basic Information of the Volcano
The Location and Height of Mt Etna
Mt Etna is Europe’s tallest and active volcano. It is 3340 m over the city of Catania which is located on the east coast of Sicily. More than 25% of Sicily people live on the slopes of Mt Etna, agriculture and tourism are the major sources of income on this island.
How it was formed, the Tectonic Plates Involved and What Type of Volcano is it?
Mt Etna is a stratovolcano ( another name is a composite cone) which means that multiple layers of ash and solidified lava have formed this volcano. Mount Etna is formed on a convergent plate boundary, on two of the world’s active continental plates- the African and The Eurasian Plate. The Eurasian and African plates are moving past each other along most of the boundary, making it a conservative boundary. Many scientists now believe that the African Plate is actually going underneath the Eurasian Plate which implies that they are acting as a destructive boundary instead of a conservative boundary. Therefore, when the African plate went under the Eurasian plate friction occurred, magma was forced towards the surface, thus creating the volcano of Mt Etna.
Periods of activity
Mt Etna is an ‘unusual’ volcano and its eruptions are still taking place and because it is such a large volcano with many craters eruptions can happen multiple times and even simultaneously. Mt Etna has the longest period of recorded eruptions in the world and the first occurred 500,000 years ago. There have been 50 eruptions of Mount Etna dating back from 425 BC to a recent January 2015 eruption in which ash emissions occurred.
The Volcano’s Eruptions
Etna has erupted many times during recorded history and is still very active. As the Eurasian plate goes under the African plate, friction causes the crust to melt and it forces its way up into the magma chamber. Pressure builds up in the magma chamber and it is eventually released as an explosion. This causes
Basic Information of the Volcano
The Location and Height of Mt Etna
Mt Etna is Europe’s tallest and active volcano. It is 3340 m over the city of Catania which is located on the east coast of Sicily. More than 25% of Sicily people live on the slopes of Mt Etna, agriculture and tourism are the major sources of income on this island.
How it was formed, the Tectonic Plates Involved and What Type of Volcano is it?
Mt Etna is a stratovolcano ( another name is a composite cone) which means that multiple layers of ash and solidified lava have formed this volcano. Mount Etna is formed on a convergent plate boundary, on two of the world’s active continental plates- the African and The Eurasian Plate. The Eurasian and African plates are moving past each other along most of the boundary, making it a conservative boundary. Many scientists now believe that the African Plate is actually going underneath the Eurasian Plate which implies that they are acting as a destructive boundary instead of a conservative boundary. Therefore, when the African plate went under the Eurasian plate friction occurred, magma was forced towards the surface, thus creating the volcano of Mt Etna.
Periods of activity
Mt Etna is an ‘unusual’ volcano and its eruptions are still taking place and because it is such a large volcano with many craters eruptions can happen multiple times and even simultaneously. Mt Etna has the longest period of recorded eruptions in the world and the first occurred 500,000 years ago. There have been 50 eruptions of Mount Etna dating back from 425 BC to a recent January 2015 eruption in which ash emissions occurred.
The Volcano’s Eruptions
Etna has erupted many times during recorded history and is still very active. As the Eurasian plate goes under the African plate, friction causes the crust to melt and it forces its way up into the magma chamber. Pressure builds up in the magma chamber and it is eventually released as an explosion. This causes