Last week, I talked a little about Mt. Sinabung in Indonesia. This
volcano had several minor eruptions, and from what I have read, has kept having
very minor eruptions since then, with some more evacuations and the highest
level of alert. Fortunately, there have been no reports that I have found on
deaths or injuries.
This week, there was another eruption. This one occurred
yesterday, and it wasn’t from one of the many volcanoes located in the Ring of
Fire like Mt. Sinabung. This one is located in eastern Sicily in Italy, and it
is the most active volcano in Europe. Its name is Mount Etna. There were no
evacuations but an airport was closed and some ash fell on its neighboring
cities of Bronte, Maniace, and Maletto, and it doesn’t pose an immediate
threat.
Apparently, a new southeast crater had been created, and the
eruption that occurred yesterday was from multiple fissures. But it is the 19th
eruption in 2013 alone, with the last two occurring on Thursday, November 28th
and on November 23rd. The
last major eruption occurred in 1992.
From the articles I read, the media made it seem like Mt. Etna’s
recent eruptions aren’t something to worry about too much, but from the things
I’ve learned in this class, it’s better to be safe than sorry. The public
should still be alerted the possibility of a bigger, more damaging eruption.
They should also be taught all the dangers that exist with volcanoes, including
primary, secondary, and tertiary consequences of a volcano. Typhoon Haiyan also
taught us that despite an area being used to certain hazards, tragedy can still
occur when people don’t fully understand a hazard.
