The rare phenomenon, called volcanic vortex rings, is created by a combination of the rapid release of gas and the shape of the eruption. Smoke rings emanate from a new crater that opened on Mount Etna on Tuesday.
Photo: AP
Amazing spectacle: Etna spews smoke rings, breaks records.
Volcanologist from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Catania, Boris Behncke, said in a post on social media that no volcano on Earth has ever spewed as many rings as Mount Etna in Sicily.
“Etna breaks all previous records. In the late afternoon of April 2, 2024, a small vent opened on the northeast rim of the southeast crater, producing plumes of hot gas,” Behncke said.
“By the next morning it was apparent that these clumps were producing an impressive number of rings, and this activity has continued ever since. Etna has already ejected hundreds, if not thousands, of these magnificent rings,” he added.
Photo: AP
Rings rise from Etna.
Due to the volcanic activity, no particular problems have been reported so far in the surrounding villages or at the Catania airport, which is often closed in case of major eruptions.
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