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Mount Etna before landing at catania Airport
Mount Etna has one of the world's longest documented records of historical volcanism. 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 strato-volcano, 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 horseshoe-shaped caldera open to the east. Two styles of eruptive activity typically occur at Etna. Persistent explosive eruptions, sometimes with minor lava emissions, take place from one or more of the three prominent summit craters, the Central Crater, NE Crater, and SE Crater. Flank vents, are less frequently active and originate from fissures that open progressively downward from near the summit. Cinder cones are commonly constructed over the vents of lower-flank lava flows. Lava flows extend to the foot of Etna on all sides and have reached the sea on the SE flank.