Mount Etna Erupts Over Sicily

Mount Etna erupted on Saturday (10/26/13) in Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily constitutes an autonomous region of Italy that extends from the tip of the Apennine peninsula, from which it is separated only by the narrow Strait of Messina, towards the North African coast. Mount Etna is its most prominent landmark, which is at 3,320 m (10,890 ft) the tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. Saturday's eruption spewed glowing lava into the air and sent a vast plume of smoke over the southern island of Sicily. According to Catania airport, an international airport near the second largest city in Sicily, The eruption did not require any villages in the proximity of the mountain to be evacuated or cause significant disruption. However, airspace over Sicily was briefly closed as a result of the large plume of smoke sent out from the eruption. Although the last major eruption was in 1992, volcanic activity is a constant occurrence for Mount Etna. This latest eruption was preceded by a series of underground tremors. This incident is the 14th time Mount Etna has erupted this year.