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As Mount Etna erupted, explosions sent lava rocks flying into the air and left orange streams trickling down the slopes.
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On Sunday (Jan. 17), lava began "oozing" from the southeast crater and toward the east of Mount Etna, according to Boris Behncke, a volcanologist in Catania, Sicily. By Monday evening, the crater exploded in a "new paroxysmal eruptive episode," releasing bursts of lava, hot ash, and gas, Behncke tweeted.
Italian authorities issue ash advisory after eruption of Mount Etna. This video shot about 14 miles from the base of the volcano shows a huge plume of smoke rising as lava shoots towards the sky. https://t.co/7BhMUkKaJC pic.twitter.com/bqErtZwin9
— ABC News (@ABC) January 19, 2021
One lava flow spilled over the east side of the crater, snaking toward the uninhabited Valle del Bove, a horseshoe-shaped depression in the side of the volcano; a second lava flow was also detected on the northern side of the crater, Express reported. The molten lava glowed red against the dark rock, and it showered the volcano's summit with spectacular sparks.
As Mount Etna erupted, lava flowed into an uninhabited valley while some ash blew over some of the nearby towns, Associated Press reports. The local population was not at risk due to the eruption while the volcano continued to be active on Tuesday.