June 1998The pictures on this page link to larger photos (usually 20 to 60 K). | |||
 Summit craters, 6 June 1998, 22:00 from Torre del Filosofo. Eruptive activity of Voragine and Bocca Nova activity illuminates the vent steam. Strombolian activity and lava flows on South East Crater (right). |  South East Crater, 3 June 1998, 18:00 from Central Crater S rim. Since July 1997 the central conelet has grown considerably (compare foto taken in July 1997 from the same position). |  South East Crater, 4 June 1998, 19:00 from its NE rim. Boris Behncke (who maintains SOL's «sister website») feels very much at home here. Note white calcium sulfate concrections around the active lava flow. |  South East Crater, 6 June 1998, 21:00 from N rim. Small strombolian explosions from two active vents. On the left the constellation Scorpius is rising. Top: the nearly full moon shines through thin cirrostratus clouds. |
 Voragine 3 June 1998 20:19. The active SW vent (distance 250 m, diameter 50 m) is filled by the rising magma column, building up a continuous fire fountain. Note the 10 m magma clots ejected by the previous bubble. |  Voragine 3 June 1998 20:23 from the ENE rim. image was taken exactly when the magma bubble exploded. The «Diaframma» in the background is illuminated by the 1200 °C magma. |  20:26. Continuous fire fountain spraying in all directions. Above the 100 m high magma column pink ash is clearly visible. It was the main danger when taking these photos. Fortunately a favourable wind blew it towards the back. |  20:29. The active SW vent is now filled by a pulsing fire fountain, with gas explosions jetting the magma up to 200 m high. The jet on the right covered the slopes of North East Crater with meter sized lava clots. |
 Voragine, 6 June 1998 19:00 from ENE rim. The diameter of the SW vent has decreased to 20 m. A comparison with images from 3 June shows that within 3 days the crater bottom has been covered by 30 m of new tephra. |  Voragine. 4 June 1998 20:00 from the ENE rim. Continuous magma jets from the active SW vent. A prominent dike on the «Diaframma» in the background has disappeared due to heavy bombardment from the active vent. |  Voragine. 4 June 1998 21:00. Continuous magma jets 200 m high shower the «Diaframma» with bombs. Many even reach Bocca Nuova in the left background. |  Voragine. 4 June 1998 22:00. A somewhat longer exposure time of the photograph increases the brightnes of the crater walls illuminated by the magma fountain. |
| Report by Marco Fulle from a «hellish paradise» In the evening of 2 June no glow was apparent on Etna's summit from Nicolosi. The mountain was perfectly visible thanks to ideal weather. On 3 June I started what would become a continuous eleven hour walk lasting from 2 pm on 3 June until 1 am on 4 June. I went directly towards the West rim of the Voragine crater to see its activity. At 4 pm I was stopped by Franco Emmi, who was with a group of 5 tourists, and by terrible detonations coming from both, Voragine and Bocca Nuova. He told me that approaching to the Voragine from the West was extremely dangerous (he stopped 200 m before reaching the crater). From the car park 500 m W of Voragine, dark bombs were visible both on Voragine and on Bocca Nuova rising 100 m over both crater rims. Voragine also produced dense ash clouds accompanied by loud detonations. Nevertheless I continued towards Voragine. 200 m from the rim terrifying whistles caused by falling bombs dominated the scene: One bomb landed in front of me, another on the left, a third on the right, and finally BEHIND... I retreated hastily and went towards the observation point on the Bocca Nuova South rim. 20 m from the carter edge, I found it covered by dozens of fresh bombs which, quite certainly, were no more than an hour old. There were two or three per square metre. The NW vent of Bocca Nuova ejected jets of black bombs 100m above my present position. Therefore I quickly continued towards South East Crater along the Bocca Nuova rim. There I finally found a place without fresh bombs! So I felt safe enough to take my first photos of the crater. Then, I went to observe the lava flow on it's NE side. From here I saw the E rim of Voragine no more than 500 m away. There was no wind and the smoke from the craters rose vertically. So the idea entered my mind to reach Voragine on the E rim. I just HAD to get a look inside! However, the detonations from Voragine became more and more intense. Whistling Voaragine bombs even reached the S rim of Bocca Nuova! Nevertheless I carried on. Halfway there I saw whistling bombs falling also into North East Crater. Still I went on! Giant luck: at 8 pm a fresh easterly wind picks up. I assume that it will drag flying pyroclastics away from me. At 8.15 pm I reach Voragine's E rim and I am blinded! After the ash eruptions which have occurred before it's vent has fully re-opened! It is 50 to 70 m wide and filled by giant yellow magma bubbles which burst open with detonations loud as cannot shots. Each explosion throws 10 m sized lava clots all over the crater. I am totally terrified but start to take photos with my 50mm lens. The scene is so bright I can use shutter speeds as short as 1/125sec to freeze the motion. In no more than ten minutes I acquire 30 photos, which, as I hope, will be the pictures of a lifetime. The color of magma is an unreal yellow-white. The magma column inside the vent rises in bubbles and then drops again with enormous velocity, leaving visible the incandescent vertical walls of the vent. The bubbles increase of size and explode more and more violently. Adding to this increadibly noise are the impacts of the yellow lava clots that fall everywhere in unforgettable barrage of fire. Then the bubbles change into yellow fire fountains at first 50 metres, then 100, and finally 200 m high spraying in all directions, covering the «diaframma», reaching the North East Crater's flank, yellow-white fountains, continuing, but changing their direction all the time and still rising, rising, rising. My terror increases. I finish the film, start to replace it, but then the wind direction changes, until the wind blows towards me! Above the magma fountain I see incandescent ash, now flying in my direction! A few seconds later I am showered by scoria, but GIANT LUCK, it is like a (black) snowfall. Bubbles of lava 1 or 2 cm in size fall on me doing no harm. But then terror again: the size of the falling scoria increases to 10 cm. Will there be meter size block soon? At 8.30 I am forced to leave this hellish paradise. The activity I have just witnessed cannot be compared to nothing I have ever seen on any volcano before. | |||