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Mt Etna's lava flowing down the side of the volcano at night, with a church in the foreground. Definitely a sight that would make you feel like praying.
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Although Mt Etna is a mere 15 miles away from Catania, there have been no injuries from the volcanic eruption.
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Many of the volcano's eruptions happen at night, causing a beautiful display of lava against the starry night sky.
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Geologists believe Mt Etna formed 350,000 years ago.
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The deadliest eruption of Mt Etna took place in 1669, when the volcano spewed lava continuously from March to July. This event is known as the Great Eruption.
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The Great Eruption destroyed dozens of towns and breached the walls of Catania, submerging the western quarter of the city in lava.
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Since then, major eruptions happen every couple of years. The most recent eruptions took place in 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 1992.
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Mt Etna is 10,900 feet tall and has a base circumference of 93 miles.
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The cities and towns near the volcano are often covered in black volcanic ash.
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Mt Etna is not one volcano, but is actually a series of four stratavolcanoes with four summit craters.
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The volcano's largest feature is the Valle del Bove (Valley of the Ox), where many vents and fissures produce slow-moving pyroclastic flows (solidified lava pieces and volcanic ash).
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Pyroclastic flows can threaten agriculture, utilities and transportation in nearby towns (but haven't during the current eruption).
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Pieces of volcanic material often rain down upon nearby towns, along with ash and dust.
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The materials can be damaging to cars and homes, so precautions must be taken.
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Surprisingly, more than 25% of Sicily's population lives on Mt Etna's slopes.
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However, lava doesn't flow fast enough to pose a threat to human lives. At most, homes and land would be threatened but humans would be able to evacuate before the lava reached their homes.
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There are theories as to why Mt Etna is so active, although no one theory has been proven yet.
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The main theory suggests that Mt Etna is so active because it sits on top of the African tectonic plate and the Ionian microplate, both of which are fused beneath the Eurasian plate. Whatever the reason, there's no doubt that Mt Etna is one awesome volcano.
Dystopian Photos of Mt Etna Volcano Erupting Near Catania
For the past few weeks, Mt Etna, Europe's most active volcano, has been spewing out lava, smoke and ash. The volcano is located between the Sicilian cities of Messina and Catania, and looks much too close to either city for comfort. Nonetheless, residents of Messania and Catania have continued living unharmed in the cities while Mt Etna has continued to come to firey life once every few years. Although the tendrils of lava don't reach any inhabited areas, the photos of an active volcano in such close proximity to bustling cities is surreal and dystopian.
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