The eruption produced lava fountains reaching up to 400m and a dense ash column, with a new vent opening on the eastern flank of the Voragine Crater that remains active. Photo / Getty ImagesThe eruption produced lava fountains reaching up to 400m and a dense ash column, with a new vent opening on the eastern flank of the Voragine Crater that remains active. Photo / Getty ImagesMount Etna has been gearing up for 2026 with a bang – or, actually, several of them – with days of explosive activity, bringing lava fountains, loud booms and eruption columns that launched dark clouds of ash into the sky. The latest volcanic activity began last Thursday, when monitors detected a change in Etna’s usual signals, including volcanic tremors, changes in the Earth’s surface and infrasonic activity, Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said. The latest volcanic activity intensified, causing ejections of incandescent material above the crater rim, the institute said.

Source: New Zealand Herald December 28, 2025 22:54 UTC