March 15, 2021 - Eruption at Mt. Etna

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   Eruption at Mt. Etna
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   On March 12, 2021, Italy’s Mount Etna erupted for the twelfth time in
   twenty-five days, sending a large plume of ash about 10 km (32,808
   feet) into the atmosphere along with dramatic lava fountaining. The
   Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s
   Terra satellite acquired a true-color image on that same day which
   captured the large ash plume as it drifted eastward over the Ionian
   Sea.

   There is nothing particularly unusual about Mount Etna flinging lava,
   volcanic ash, or molten rocks into the air. The Italian volcano ranks
   as one the most active in Europe and has been in a state of eruption
   since 2011. This most recent paroxysm, which started on February 16,
   has been particularly violent. In February, lava fountains rose as high
   as 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles), about 3 times the height of One World
   Trade Center, the tallest building in the United States. Columns of ash
   and small rock fragments (called lapilli) rose as high 11 kilometers
   (6.8 miles) in altitude. Long lava flows poured down Etna's eastern
   flank. Lapilli (rock fragments) and ash have landed in several cities
   and villages near the volcano in recent days.

   Despite the extreme strombolian activity, the risk to people has been
   deemed as small. The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System
   (GDACS) gave the eruption a “green” (low risk) alert, stating that the
   event is likely to have a low humanitarian impact. About 2.75 million
   live within 100 km (62 mi) of the volcano and 940,000 within 30 km (18
   mi).

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 3/12/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (358.8 KB),  500m (1008.7 KB),  250m (752.5
   KB)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MO'DIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2021-03-15
 
