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Photo: Giuseppe Di Stefano / AP

Europe's most active volcano, with its sometimes extremely threatening appearance, is currently making quite a difference: Mount Etna, which is more than 3,300 meters high on the Italian Mediterranean island of Sicily, blows out white curls of steam that then rise far up into the sky - unusually peaceful scenes.

The so-called volcanic vortex rings come from a newly formed crater on the southeast crater. They are caused by small explosions of gas bubbles in a narrow throat above a magma chamber.

Etna (in Italian: Etna) was given the name “Lady of the Rings” by locals. The Sicilians like to call their most famous mountain simply La Montagna - in the feminine form.

It is by no means the first time that such figures have been seen: such rings were first mentioned 300 years ago, in 1724. However, the phenomenon occurs rather rarely - and when it does, then not with such frequency. Thousands have been spotted since the new maw opened.

Etna last erupted in November 2023. The people of Sicily call it “the mountain” – “a'muntagna” in Sicilian. The volcano is not only a threat to them, but also secures the livelihood of many. The volcanic soils contain important nutrients for plants such as phosphorus, potassium and calcium. This makes the earth particularly fertile.

The region is densely populated. Around 300,000 people live in Catania. To protect them, Etna is constantly monitored and is considered one of the most studied volcanoes in the world.

In 1669, in what is believed to be the worst catastrophe, more than 20,000 people died on Etna, according to historical records. Around a dozen towns were destroyed at that time.

Compared to other volcanoes, the mountain is still considered relatively harmless. The repeated outbreaks usually have little force. It is more worrying if an active volcano remains dormant for a long time. This is the case with Vesuvius near Naples. The last eruption there was decades ago, and a new eruption could endanger hundreds of thousands of people.

svs/dpa