Etna Volcano, Italy

In Italy, there is one more powerful volcano, Etna. It has directly influenced on the formation of the modern reliefs. That’s is one of the main attractions of Sicily and one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The first violent eruption of Etna occurred in the 16th century BC. Researchers and historians officially recorded 150 violent eruptions of Mount Etna to these days. A number of less powerful eruptions can’t be calculated precisely.

One of the largest eruptions, which were historically recorded, occurred in 1669. Volcanic flows literally wiped out more than 40 adjacent towns and villages. This eruption lasted for three days. During it, a large crack of 7 km long appeared and the hot lava was continuously flowing out there for more than 60 hours. A few years later, lava flows cooled down completely. The dense vegetation appeared there later. The land on the slopes of Mount Etna became incredibly fertile.

Locals hurried back to the place of grace. Even now, they grow vineyards, olive trees, and orchards on the slopes of the volcano. The geological implications of the volcanic activity are enormous too. For hundreds of years, mountainsides were collapsing after each of the next series of explosions. So, new huge basins and craters appeared close to the volcano. Scientists believe that after one of the regular eruptions of Etna, the water took a large settlement of Atlit Yam in Israel. All of its residents fled from the disaster, but many of them died later. Next - Columbia River Traps