Mount Etna | Eruptions, History, & Facts

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<div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Etna">Mount Etna</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/place/Mount-Etna">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref284776"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mount-Etna#ref284776">Geology</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref284777"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mount-Etna#ref284777">Physical geography</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Etna/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Mount-Etna">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a 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href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-050-7AE539C1/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/194532/112249" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-004-6922CD65/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg" alt="Mount Etna eruption" height="50" /> </a> <a href="/video/what-are-volcanoes-lava-flows/286694" data-href="/media/1/194532/286694" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <div class="position-relative --aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/64/248964-138-C9CF1DD3/what-are-volcanoes-lava-flows.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="How volcanoes work, explained by a volcanologist" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-sm btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; left:50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%)"> <em class="material-icons font-14" data-icon="play_arrow" > </em> </div> </div> </a> <a 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-02-15T00:00:00CST" >Feb 15, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Etna/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Latin: </dt> <dd>Aetna</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Sicilian: </dt> <dd>Mongibello</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Mount-Etna"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c1kmdvynz4wo" rel="nofollow">Lava and smoke emerge from a snowy Mount Etna</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 14, 2025, 2:08 AM ET (BBC) </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref250420"></span>Mount Etna</strong>, active <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/volcano" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">volcano</a> on the east coast of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sicily" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sicily</a>. The name comes from the Greek Aitne, from <em>aithō</em>, “I burn.” Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Europe" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Europe</a>, its topmost elevation being about 10,900 feet (3,320 metres). Like other active volcanoes, it varies in height, increasing from <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="deposition" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deposition" data-type="MW">deposition</a> during eruptions and decreasing from the periodic collapse of the crater’s rim. In 1865 the volcanic summit was about 170 feet (52 metres) higher than it was in the early 21st century. Etna covers an area of some 600 square miles (1,600 square km), and its base has a circumference of about 93 miles (150 km).</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="255782" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/64691-050-76EC60C9/Mount-Etna.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/194532/255782"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/64691-050-76EC60C9/Mount-Etna.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/64691-050-76EC60C9/Mount-Etna.jpg?w=300" alt="Mount Etna" data-width="1600" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/64691-050-76EC60C9/Mount-Etna.jpg" data-href="/media/1/194532/255782">Mount Etna</a><span>Mount Etna, active volcano on the island of Sicily, Italy.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph"></p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Etna has been studied systematically since the middle of the 19th century. Three observatories have been set up on its slopes; they are located at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Catania" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Catania</a>, Casa Etnea, and Cantoniera.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/47-questions-from-britannicas-most-popular-geography-quizzes" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/05/215905-131-626D860A/Encyclopaedia-Britannica-thistle-graphic-logo.jpg" alt="Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph." class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">47 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Geography Quizzes</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref284776"> <h2 class="h1">Geology</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="112249" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-050-7AE539C1/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/194532/112249"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-050-7AE539C1/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-050-7AE539C1/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg?w=300" alt="Mount Etna eruption" data-width="1600" data-height="1067" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/114989-050-7AE539C1/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/194532/112249">Mount Etna eruption</a><span>Mount Etna erupting at night, Sicily, Italy.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Etna’s geological characteristics indicate that it has been active since the end of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Neogene-Period" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Neogene Period </a>(i.e., for about the past 2.6 million years). The volcano has had more than one active centre. A number of subsidiary cones have been formed on lateral <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="fissures" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fissures" data-type="MW">fissures</a> extending out from the centre and down the sides. The present structure of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/mountain-landform" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">mountain</a> is the result of the activity of at least two main eruptive centres.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="286694" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="video" video-id="248964"><a data-id="248964" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/what-are-volcanoes-lava-flows/-286694"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/64/248964-138-C9CF1DD3/what-are-volcanoes-lava-flows.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="How volcanoes work, explained by a volcanologist" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/hlle104n.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/64/248964-138-C9CF1DD3/what-are-volcanoes-lava-flows.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/5XhUbNL9.vtt", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/7q3QSMWX.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="248964">How volcanoes work, explained by a volcanologist</span><span>Volcanologist Janine Krippner dives into the details of how volcanoes work and the different types of lava flows.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/place/Mount-Etna/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The Greeks created <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="legends" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legends" data-type="MW">legends</a> about the volcano, saying that it was the workshop of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hephaestus" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hephaestus</a> and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cyclops-Greek-mythology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cyclops</a> or that underneath it the giant <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Typhon" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Typhon</a> lay, making the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Earth" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Earth</a> tremble when he turned. The ancient poet <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hesiod" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hesiod</a> spoke of Etna’s eruptions, and the Greeks <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pindar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pindar</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aeschylus-Greek-dramatist" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Aeschylus</a> referred to a famous eruption of 475 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>. Another of Etna’s better-known ancient eruptions was that of 396 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>, which kept the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Carthage-ancient-city-Tunisia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Carthaginian</a> army from reaching <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Catania" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Catania</a>. From 1500 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> to 1669 <span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span> there are records of 71 eruptions, of which 14 occurred before the Common Era. An eruption in 1381 sent a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/lava-volcanic-ejecta" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">lava</a> flow as far as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ionian-Sea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ionian Sea</a>, about 10 miles (16 km) away. The most violent historical eruption, however, was in 1669 (March 11–July 15), when about 990 million cubic yards (830 million cubic metres) of lava were thrown out. The eruption took place along a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="fissure" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fissure" data-type="MW">fissure</a> that opened above the town of <span id="ref250421"></span>Nicolosi, widening into a chasm from which lava flowed and solid fragments, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/sand" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">sand</a>, and ashes were hurled. The latter formed a double cone more than 150 feet (46 metres) high, named <span id="ref250422"></span>Monti Rossi. The lava flow destroyed a dozen villages on the lower slope and submerged the western part of the town of <span id="ref250423"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Catania" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Catania</a>. Efforts to divert the lava stream away from Catania were made by workers who dug a trench above the village. Historically, this seems to have been the first attempt to divert a lava stream.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Between 1669 and 1900, 26 more eruptions were reported. The eruption of 1852–53 flattened large stands of timber and nearly destroyed the town of Zafferana. During the 20th century there were eruptions in 1908, 1910, 1911, 1918, 1923, 1928, 1942, 1947, 1949, 1950–51, and 1971. That of 1928 cut off the railway around the base of the mountain and buried the village of <span id="ref250424"></span>Mascali. The eruption of 1971 threatened several villages with its lava flow and destroyed some orchards and vineyards. Activity was almost <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="continuous" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/continuous" data-type="EB">continuous</a> in the decade following 1971, and in 1983 an eruption that lasted four months prompted authorities to explode <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/dynamite" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">dynamite</a> in an attempt to divert lava flows. The final major eruptions of the 20th century occurred in 1986 and in 1999.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In the early 21st century a major eruption began in July 2001 and lasted several weeks. Other significant early 21st-century <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/volcanism" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">volcanic activity</a> included the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Stromboli-Island" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Strombolian</a> eruptions of 2002–03, 2007, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. (Strombolian eruptions involve moderate bursts of expanding <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/gas-state-of-matter" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">gases</a> that eject clots of incandescent lava in cyclical or nearly continuous small eruptions; <em>see also</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/volcano/Six-types-of-eruptions#ref253599" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">volcano: Six types of eruptions</a>.)</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper 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MOD7 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker h3"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref284777"> <h2 class="h1">Physical geography</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="145645" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/77/142777-050-BF46BA8F/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/194532/145645"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/77/142777-050-BF46BA8F/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/77/142777-050-BF46BA8F/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg?w=300" alt="Mount Etna" data-width="800" data-height="538" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">1 of 2</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/77/142777-050-BF46BA8F/Mount-Etna-Sicily-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/194532/145645">Mount Etna</a><span>Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="128348" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/53/117253-050-0C4C65CD/Mount-Etna-Sicily.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/194532/128348"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/53/117253-050-0C4C65CD/Mount-Etna-Sicily.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/53/117253-050-0C4C65CD/Mount-Etna-Sicily.jpg?w=300" alt="Mount Etna" data-width="1600" data-height="1063" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">2 of 2</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/53/117253-050-0C4C65CD/Mount-Etna-Sicily.jpg" data-href="/media/1/194532/128348">Mount Etna</a><span>Mount Etna, Sicily.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The mountain has three ecological zones, one above the other, each exhibiting its own <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="characteristic" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/characteristic" data-type="EB">characteristic</a> vegetation. The lowest zone, sloping gradually upward to perhaps 3,000 feet (915 metres), is fertile and rich in vineyards, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/olive-plant" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">olive</a> groves, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/Citrus" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">citrus</a> plantations, and orchards. Several densely populated settlements, notably the city of Catania, are found on the lower slopes, but settlements become less frequent as the height increases. Above, the mountain grows steeper and is covered with forests of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/chestnut" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">chestnut</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/beech" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">beech</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/oak" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">oak</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/pine" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">pine</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/birch" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">birch</a>. At heights of more than 6,500 feet (1,980 metres), the mountain is covered with ashes, sand, and fragments of lava and slag; there are a few scattered <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/plant" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">plants</a> such as <em>Astragalus aetnensis</em> (local name: <em>spino santo</em>), which typically forms bushes almost 1 yard (about 0.9 metre) high, while some alpine plants manage to survive even near the top. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/algae" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Algae</a> have been found near the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/steam" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">steam</a> outlets at 9,800 feet (2,990 metres).</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span> </section><span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Meg-Matthias/12593612">Meg Matthias</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":194532,"pageLength":789,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.9"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.9' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Mount Etna | Eruptions, History, & Facts | Britannica