The paroxysmal phase of Etna has ended, the fourth since July 4th, with Strombolian activity transforming into a lava fountain and the emission of a volcanic cloud reaching several kilometers in height, with the highest being eight. The internal tremor of the volcanic structure remains at medium-high levels.
Flight operations at Catania airport, suspended due to the volcanic cloud emergency from Etna, will resume, as planned, at 18:00, but gradually to continue the necessary clearing operations for the usability of the infrastructures. This was announced by Sac, the company that manages the airport. Flight operations will resume according to the following schedule: from 18:00 only departures will be restored; from 20:00 arrivals will also be allowed, but with a restriction of four movements per hour; from 22:00 all operations will be restored.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Etna Observatory, in Catania explains in a note that the lava fountain has gradually decreased until it ceased around 10:15. The activity produced a small lava overflow from the western rim of the Bocca Nuova crater, whose length cannot be estimated at the moment due to the presence of cloud cover in the summit area.
From a seismic point of view, the average amplitude of volcanic tremor reached maximum values between 04:30 and 10:00, then a decrease in values was observed that, after some fluctuations, reached around 13:30 the base of the high level, where it currently remains with a tendency to decrease. The sources of tremor are located in the area of the Voragine crater at an altitude of about 2,400 meters above sea level. At the same time, infrasonic activity also experienced a rapid decrease, both in the number of events and in amplitude. Currently, weak infrasonic activity is observed at the South-East crater.
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