Earthquake Swarm detected under Etna Volcano, Italy

An earthquake swarm has started under Italy's Etna volcano during the early morning hours of January 30, 2017. 

An earthquake swarm of at least 60 quakes rocked Mount Etna in Italy on January 30, 2017. Seismogram from INGV Catania via INGV – Aggiornamento attivita sismica all’Etna del 30.01.2017 / 12h45

Strombolian Activity Continues

A 3.5-magnitude earthquake and seismic swarm hit the Mt Etna area Monday causing schools to be evacuated in three nearby towns, Ragalna, Nicolosi and Bronte.

The swarm is located on the volcano's southwestern slope, INGV-OE reports. The observatory added it detected about 60 shocks by 11:45 UTC, with the strongest being M3.5 at 09:51 UTC. The focal volume lies between the towns of Ragalna, M. Parmentelli and M. San Leo at a depth of 10 - 15 km depth (6.2 - 9.3 miles).

All in all, around 60 tremors were felt. People called the police. No reports of injuries or property damage.

On 30 January, a seismic swarm was recorded on the south-west slope of Mount Etna. 

The quakes ranged between 2.1 and 3.5 in magnitude at a depth between 10 and 15 km.

Seismic activity is ongoing but is not accompanied by abnormalities in other monitored geophysical parameters.

In particular, the amplitude of volcanic tremor maintains medium-low values, typical in recent months.

Geological summary

Mount Etna, towering above Catania, Sicily’s second largest city, has one of the world’s longest documented records of historical volcanism, dating back to 1500 BCE. Historical lava flows of basaltic composition cover much of the surface of this massive volcano, whose edifice is the highest and most voluminous in Italy. The Mongibello stratovolcano, truncated by several small calderas, was constructed during the late Pleistocene and Holocene over an older shield volcano. The most prominent morphological feature of Etna is the Valle del Bove, a 5 x 10 km (16 404 x 32 808 feet) horseshoe-shaped caldera open to the east.

Read more: New eruptive activity at Italy's Etna volcano (January 26, 2017)

Strombolian activity at New SE crater continues

Update Fri 27 Jan 2017 19:58

Strombolian eruption at Etna's saddle vent this morning (image: Boris Behncke / flickr)

The strombolian activity from the saddle vent between the old and new SE crater continues.

Contributing sources:

Earthquake swarm detected under Etna volcano, Italy:
https://watchers.news/2017/01/30/earthquake-swarm-etna-january-30-2017/

https://abruptearthchanges.wordpress.com/2017/01/31/earthquake-swarm-detected-under-etna-volcano-italy/

A few days ago:Mild Strombolian activity accompanied by frequent small ash emissions is occurring at Etna's Southeast Crater (SEC) over the past couple of days, INGV reports. This new eruptive activity marks the return of magma to the surface after almost 8 months.

New eruptive activity at Italy's Etna volcano 

January 26, 2017